There goes the teams breaking off, number 16 is open for the catch, but ooh! Number 7 intercepts the catch! Teammates 12, 18 and 3 defend 7 to be that wall, and there goes number 7 running down to the endzone, and…touchdown! Way to go, girls!
Football (and we’re not talking about soccer) is a well-known sport in America, but only one professional league is high in popularity, which also happens to be male-dominated. The NFL, along with the NCAA and many other organizations, tackle football, known for its intense physical challenges and risk of bodily harm, is the name of the game. Most injuries come directly from getting tackled during plays, which is why it’s required for players to wear a helmet as well as shoulder and leg padding, plus a mouth guard and cup.
Due to the injuries that often occur, in the early 1940s, the U.S. military invented Flag Football, also known as “touch and tails.” Used by the American army to keep soldiers fit but safe while at war, this variant used belts with color-coded flags affixed by velcro or snap buttons to determine when a play ended, rather than the more aggressive tackle. When the war ended, women started playing the sport too, which caused it to grow in popularity due to its accessibility and inclusive style of no-contact play, while still keeping tackle football’s intense competitiveness. And now, this brand of sport has officially arrived at Columbia Heights High School (CHHS).
“Not many schools have flag football as a sport,” Amber Delgado Moreira (12) said. “Having it as a [high school] sport [at CHHS] is a good chance to see if students want to keep going in college or at a university.”As flag football became more popular in the U.S., clubs were formed to allow adults to start playing competitively, including in Utah, Texas and, yes, right here in Minnesota. A few clubs will even fly or drive out to go against one another! Part of these traveling clubs includes scrimmages and tournaments, not unlike many of the sports that are and have been for a long time a part of the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL).
Some of these clubs are exclusively for boys or girls, but they can be open to all genders, otherwise known as co-ed leagues, such as the North YMCA, which sponsors the Vikings NFL Flag Football program for children in grades 1-8. Some flag football programs are sponsored by schools too, which allow students to start playing at a very young age. Many youth who start in elementary school and play into their middle grades will sometimes transfer into tackle football, but now there is an option to continue on the safer path for girls in grades 9-12.
CHHS’s brand new flag football team quickly attracted fierce and eager players, practicing on the east field behind the district center alongside lacrosse, boys’ tennis and every other spring sport. Student-athletes on the team have already raved about the program’s fun spirit and still highly competitive qualities.
“I learned that working your hardest is what counts the most,” Malania Rolack (9) said.
While the team kept a relatively low profile in its inaugural season, next year, more experienced players will get to run advanced plays and fulfill bigger roles, improving communication with each other and building a stronger team together. Here’s to not just another year but many more of flag football coached by Becca, Nikki and Melissa at CHHS!
