Alexandria Buchanan survived getting knocked around in high school. It was mostly fun, and she learned a lot.
And now, you could say she’s thriving.
She’s a healthy, happy college student who recently started her own business.
“None of my football injuries bother me,” Buchanan said Tuesday. “My collarbones are uneven from when I broke it, but besides from the appearance, it’s all good, no pain.”
Strangers still recognize her occasionally — even though it’s been five years since Buchanan made state sports history as the first girl to throw a touchdown pass in a Hawaii high school varsity football game.
Her story went viral, with national attention, including a phone call from future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.
“Overall it was fun even though we didn’t win very often,” Buchanan said.
Things have calmed down since. She lives a normal life (well, as normal as it can be for a 20-year-old entrepreneur) heading into her junior year at the University of Hawaii.
Still, people see her, and they remember.
“Once in awhile now, yeah,” said Buchanan, who started parts of three seasons at quarterback for the Tigers before graduating in 2020. “Around the end of high school and after, I worked at McDonald’s and a few customers recognized me then, too, even though I had a mask on.”
She worked at the fast-food restaurant during the height of the pandemic, when it was considered a high-risk job. Buchanan said the teamwork and leadership skills learned in football and other sports helped keep her and her co-workers safe.
“Yeah, definitely. We worked in a small area, so it got stressful sometimes,” she said. “I’m grateful I didn’t get sick.”
Buchanan said she’s also thankful her senior basketball season was completed before “things began shutting down.” But, like other senior classes in 2020, McKinley’s lost its prom and did a drive-through graduation.
Her sports experiences, including the ups-and-downs of football, helped her through the disappointment.
“I like to look at the positives in every situation as much as possible,” she said. “You can overcome failure, and failure should not always be looked upon as negative. It can lead you to a new, better direction.”
Buchanan said she still hears from girls and women “doing similar things, in football and other sports, like rugby.”
She said her days as a tackle football player are over. But Buchanan could still make an impact on the game — she’s a shining example of why it’s time to take a serious look at adding girls football to the interscholastic sports available in Hawaii high schools.
“I haven’t heard anything about it, but I think it’s really interesting. I think the interest is there,” Buchanan said. “When I started playing flag football at the Boys & Girls Club there were lots of girls. But when we got to high school a lot of girls didn’t want to play tackle with the boys. A few other girls did come out at McKinley, but most didn’t stick around.”
Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia and Nevada officially sponsored girls flag football last year, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
“We needed better balance between our male and our female numbers,” Pamela Sloan, a high school sports administrator in Clark County, Nev., said on the NFHS website. “So, we took the bull by the horns and surveyed our female students, as we still currently do, and the (highest) interest was for flag football. We had conversations with our administrators about Florida and some other states that were doing it, and we just wanted to try to provide those opportunities.”
Buchanan can see tackle football as a girls high school sport someday. Given her experience, why wouldn’t she?
“Flag football would be a great compromise for now,” she said.
It seems a natural, especially since Hawaii has been ahead of the pack in other girls sports, like wrestling.
And an obvious benefit is it would help with Title IX compliance, since football skews the numbers drastically toward more opportunities for boys than girls.
“I think (Title IX) is obviously a positive thing,” Buchanan said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do the things I did in high school without it. I’m grateful for everyone who advocated for it in the past. All women should have the opportunity to participate in these things. Leaders from the past did things so that future generations, including me, can participate.”
The Hawaii High School Athletic Association should do what was done in Nevada, and survey girls to verify interest.
If it’s there, then it’s a matter of finding people to make it happen.
Alexandria Buchanan is one.
“I still go to McKinley to help coach basketball. I would help with football, but they’ve got an all new coaching staff now,” she said. “I want to look more into coaching or helping in other ways. I definitely want to give back, in as many ways I can. People were always super supportive of me.”
Alexandria Buchanan
Occupation: Owner, Sharai Swim (Sharai is her middle name)
Education: McKinley High School; junior majoring in creative media, University of Hawaii
Athletics: Three-year starting quarterback, McKinley High School varsity football team; captain, girls varsity basketball team
This month marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX. To commemorate this watershed event, the Star-Advertiser will publish a series of stories celebrating the achievements of female pioneers and leaders with Hawaii ties.
Click here to view the Title IX series.
