The photograph you see with this column shows me, dressed in pink and black, covered from my knees to my wrists to my neck. Put on the hood of the fluorescent jumper, my co-workers joked, and I'd be in a burka. Albeit one that's skin-tight.

My opposition, by comparison, looks more the part of a lingerie football player. She's showing a lot of skin and a glossy, muscled body. What you see is an athlete, honed in on her target and unrelenting in her goal to plant it on its ass.

She made the cut.

So did I. I'm a B.C. Angel.

The Las Vegas-based Lingerie Football Team is expanding into Canada and will count four teams when the season begins Aug. 25. The Angels will play at home in an Abbotsford arena against the expansion Regina Rage.

The Toronto Triumph played once last season but following the September game a majority of players quit, citing safety concerns and mismanagement.

Twenty women tried out for the B.C. Angels and a second tryout is planned this weekend, 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 22 at the downtown fields of Andy Livingstone Park.

If you're not a gawker (members of the press included) and want to try out, bring a headshot and wear, as the announcements specify, "cute gym gear." Long-sleeves included.

I don't know if I'll stay and play; it's my roster spot to lose. I don't know if I'll stay and play; the lacy uniforms include a garter belt.

Playing tackle football-a pursuit that isn't widely available to girls or women-is exhilarating. I'm learning just how complex, fast and incredibly fun a game it is. And I'm already loyal to my Angel teammates and their ambitions to play pro-am sports.

mstewart@vancourier.com

Twitter: @MHStewart