Women and girls can do whatever they want. There is no limit to what they can accomplish.

Meet the Olympian of Lake Shore High School Charley McIntyre, a multisport athlete who has a winning, #OtherPeopleMatter personality.

She's a role model and a hero, but sometimes that quiet appreciation for someone else begs to be shared and this time the story is told by Bryanna Green.

Bryanna Green is a mom of two daughters, both of whom attend Lake Shore. Shyla is in 7th grade at Kennedy Middle School and Callie is in 5th grade at Rodgers Elementary. Bryanna wrote us to describe her family's excitement to see that Lake Shore had a female football player.

She said, "This was incredibly motivating for my youngest, who has recently started playing flag football. Callie is naturally athletic and football is definitely HER sport. Seeing #5 on that field meant more to her (and me) than you could imagine. As a professional mom, I know what it is like to walk into a room and be the only female. My youngest is learning this lesson at a much earlier age.

And while we don't know who #5 is, nor does #5 likely have any idea that she is a role model for breaking down these stereotypical gender walls, I want you to know how important this is for our girls' futures. Thank you for supporting #5 and girls like Callie celebrate being themselves, even when it means they need to play on the same field as the boys."

Earlier this month, with the help from Lake Shore High School administrators and our athletic department, Callie and Charley met for the first time on the field. That embrace meant everything to this 9-year-old girl. They were able to chat about believing in oneself, overcoming stereotypes, and ultimately allowing passion to become the driving force to meet and beat individual goals. These were a few takeaways from Charley:

-When I was around your age I remember coming to Lake Shore football games to watch my sister cheer. And there was a girl on the football team named Charli Ann Bigelow, and I remember thinking it was so cool to see a girl playing football and she had the same name as me! I had told my mom, "when I get big I want to play football just like her".

-When I started playing football I first got some negative attention from others about why I would want to play football with the boys, but really it's because I've always wanted to play sports and it was a new challenge for me. Growing up I've played multiple sports, my favorite always being soccer so I thought why not try and kick for the football team. It was a rough start, but here I am for my third year. I really enjoy being on the sidelines supporting my school, teammates, and kicking for the team!

-My advice for you and any young girls wanting to play a male dominated sport, is to never let anyone influence what you want to do And never let negative people determine the goals you set out for yourself. Use that negativity as motivation to go out there and do your best.

Our Varsity Football team won the 2023 Homecoming game; The winning field goal in overtime was kicked by Charley making the final score 19-16 against Eastpointe. We remember that moment like it was yesterday.

Jaime McIntyre and Charley, mom-and-daughter dynamic duo, assembled goodie bags for Callie and her family which included t-shirts adorned with #5, jewelry, coupons to the concession stand, and of course, a football.