During the spring semester, a new club met during A and B flexes, featuring girls who were interested in playing flag football. Sam Barnouski, technology education teacher, is the adviser for this new club, which is getting a lot of interest. He said, “Yes, there is a lot of interest. Some can only come for A flex and some can only come for B flex, but there are about 20 some girls each time.” When discussing how this club came to be, Barnouski said, “Emily Black, freshman, and Hannah Black, freshman, were the ones who had the idea to start the club. I have both of these girls in class, and they were looking for a teacher to run it. So, I decided to advise it.”
A member of the club, Erica Diep, junior, said, “I wanted to join this club to learn more about football and have fun with my friends. I like the openness of everyone. No one judges me for not knowing everything about football.” Another member of the club, Ryan Lebo, junior said, “I joined the club to hang out with my friends and play football.”
Powderpuff is an activity that many high schools are implementing. This is where the girls play flag football and the boys cheerlead. This has sparked a lot of interest in the sport for girls, as football has been male-dominated in the past. Diep said, “I am excited to play Powderpuff this year, and I think this club will even the playing field against the seniors, who have experience from last year.” Lebo who is also planning on playing in the powderpuff game this year, said, “I think this club will allow me to be a better player due to knowing plays and all the rules that come with football”.
Flag football is a growing sport in the United States. According to olympics.com, flag football is “a no-contact sport with ‘tackles’ made by removing one of three fabric ‘flags’ attached to the ball-carrier’s waist – one on each side and another at the back.” Flag football will be a new sport in the Olympics starting in 2028 at Los Angeles, including both men and women. Along with this, the NFL Pro Bowl takes place every year, which is a flag football game with current NFL players. This sport has become more well-known and more universal.
