LAPLACE – “She’s not intimidated by all the boys,” said Doug Alexis as his 9-year-old daughter Carey charged after the quarterback at the recently held St. Charles Catholic School summer football camp.

Not only was she eagerly competing in the SCC football camp, she was the only female competing alongside 44 boys.

“We throw the ball sometimes in the back yard,” said Alexis. “I thought she was joking when she said she wanted to play football. But, last year she saw coach (Frank) Monica leading the football camp and has since wanted to play. What was funny was when she came to this camp the first day, all the boys’ jaws dropped, they couldn’t believe a girl was here.”

He said it is almost unbelievable how one day she is acting like pop diva Britney Spears and watching Mary-Kate and Ashley (the Olsen twins) videos, the next, she is out on the field playing soccer, or another sport.

“Her soccer coaches at St. Joan of Arc told her to tone it down, she was knocking other players down to go after the ball,” Alexis said.

She is now has a spot on the soccer team where she can attack the ball, yet stay in one position and not have the other players worried about getting run over, she is the team’s goalie.

Carey Alexis has also completed five years of dance classes and is currently studying to upgrade to a brown belt in Tae Kwan Do. She also shines in the classroom at St. Joan of Arc School. The soon-to-be fourth-grader consistently has her name on the A-B honor roll.

Over the years, several people have told him to stop pressuring Carey into such activities, but he responded, “I don’t push her to do any of it. It’s all up to her.”

During the week of the football camp, Alexis eagerly woke up at 6:30 every morning, ready to eat a healthy breakfast with her cleats by her side.

“It was like Christmas every morning for her,” Doug Alexis said as a proud smile came across his face.