Vacaville Insider: Noteworthy Effort

Cerise Jackson, center, has proved herself with the Vacaville Junior Bulldogs' Pee Wee team.

Tim Jackson did everything in his power to discourage his daughter two years ago when Cerise said she wanted to play for her father’s Pee Wee football team, the Vacaville Junior Bulldogs.

Jackson had Cerise attend his football conditioning camp and showed her no mercy. He even strapped on shoulder pads at one point and popped her with them to see whether she would flinch.

During dinner that evening, Jackson said he could tell Cerise was exhausted.

“She’s usually the talkative one at dinner, but she didn’t say a word,” he recalled. “I looked at my wife and said, ‘She’s through.’”

When Jackson awoke at 2:30 a.m. to go to work at California State Prison-Solano, his daughter greeted him and handed him a note. Jackson did not read it until he reached the prison and was convinced Cerise had written it to say she was quitting.

Jackson should have known better. Cerise may have been beat, but she was not broken. She wrote, “I’m sorry I disappointed you. Tomorrow, I’ll try harder.”

Cerise Jackson

Since then, Cerise has proved she belongs on the football field. She is now 12 years old and in her third season with the Pee Wee team. Jackson could not be prouder, both as her father and coach.

“I never thought my daughter would be out here, but she was made to play football,” he said. “It’s good to have a girl on the team. If she can tough it out, the boys have nothing to complain about.”

One of those boys happens to be Cerise’s brother, 10-year-old Duval.

Cerise now understands why her father picked on her two years ago.

“It was torture. I felt like he was doing it on purpose, but he’s trying to make me better,” she said. “He’s still tough on me. He always says, ‘I better not catch you with any cookies.’”

http://www.vacavillejuniorbulldogs.org