There is something enjoyably unique about the sport of flag football. Sure, some will say that being involved in any high school sport, wearing your school colours, is fundamentally different than most other athletic involvements one might have.
But having followed virtually the entire spectrum of secondary school sports for quite some time now, I would suggest that covering the girls flag football games provides an experience unlike any other when it comes to SDSSA sports.
In almost every other activity at the high school level, one can garner a pretty good handle on handicapping the various teams simply by being aware of which schools will feature the greatest number of athletes who shine, in that particular sport, outside of the school setting.
There are a lot of different girls who don’t play other sports, who come out and try football.
Maddy Pos,
Marymount Regals flag football team
Want to get a feel for high school football? Find out the number of teenage boys, on any given team, who are coming off a summer of intense action with the Sudbury Gladiators as a starting point.
Need to know the “athletes to watch” come the city track and field championships? Head off to Laurentian University in search of a Track North Athletic Club workout and you’re sure to find some of those students most likely to make their presence felt at OFSAA.
Now before people get all up in arms, claiming that this is a purely elitist approach, allow me to acknowledge this is only a rough starting point in identifying athletes most likely to shine.
We all know there are exceptions to the rule – young athletes who thrive in a particular high school sport, despite the fact their only involvement with that particular athletic pastime comes when they don the uniform of their particular school.
And this, folks, is a big part of the attraction of the girls flag football loop. Unlike any other sport I can think of which is contested within the SDSSA realm, the overwhelming majority of flag football participants take to the field in their rookie year with virtually no previous experience in the sport whatsoever.
Sure, there’s an exception or two — a young lady who suited up within the Joe MacDonald Youth Football League and will start her flag football career with a working knowledge of football rules and formations.
Take just a few moments to chat with any cross-section of flag football players and it’s easy to find the
attraction. “Anyone can play,” St. Charles sophomore Kailene Szilva said. “You don’t have to have any experience, you just have to be committed to the team.”
“It’s very different because it’s a completely new sport to a lot of girls,” Marymount star Maddy Pos said. The Regals’ senior brings an interesting perspective to the discussion, having competed at the rep level in both hockey and soccer, and having shone for her team in those high school sports as well.
“The key is that there really isn’t a specific type of athlete that you’re looking for,” she added. “Anyone can come out and play football. There are a lot of different girls who don’t play other sports, who come out and try football.”
While one can easily see where those blessed with quickness might make great quarterbacks and running backs, it’s not quite that straight forward, according to Marymount senior Katie Palkovits.
Photo by Laurel Myers
“It’s a lot different than just doing track. You can be the fastest runner, but you have to be agile and be able to move your hips and spin a lot — be quick on your feet.”
Although some of the young ladies tend to have a passing interest in watching a professional game of football or two, many do not. Talking “football” takes on a vastly different connotation than chatting with a number of the lads who will battle it out weekly at the James Jerome Complex this fall.
While Manon Fortier, of St. Charles College noted that “watching football on TV taught me to be more aggressive, just getting through the line and not being afraid of getting hurt,” there is a tenfold collection of girls who have never, ever watched football, other than perhaps cheering on the boys’ team at their school.
It’s part of the unique attraction that flag football provides. “You watch the older girls play and it looks like a lot of fun” Palkovits said, explaining the original allure that drew her to try out this sport a few years back.
Judging from the laughter and smiles that abound on fields across Greater Sudbury at this time of year, she clearly hit the nail on the head. This sport is indeed a “lot of fun.”
Randy Pascal is the founder of SudburySports.com and a contributing sports editor for Northern Life.
