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On August 9th, Oakdale High School held their first official tryouts for the girls flag football team. This year, the girls flag football became an official varsity sport in Frederick County thanks to the support from the Baltimore Ravens and the FCPS athletics advisory. The team’s tryouts had more than a thirty-person increase from last year. Suffice to say, the coaches and athletes are looking forward to a successful season.
“Sports give a great chance for students to have opportunities to learn social skills in a team setting, and by adding more sports in high school, it gives more kids the chance to find a sport that is right for them and gives others chances to learn many different sports and not burn out with one sport.”
— Coach Rex
Last year, Oakdale was one of the only schools in Maryland to have its own flag football team. To coaches and athletes of Frederick County, becoming a sanctioned sport is a monumental achievement. As the “B” team coach, Coach Rex says, “Sports give a great chance for students to have opportunities to learn social skills in a team setting, and by adding more sports in high school, it gives more kids the chance to find a sport that is right for them and gives others chances to learn many different sports and not burn out with one sport.” He believes it’s vital for high schools to open up opportunities for new sports so students can find what they truly like.
A returning member of the flag football team, Senior Kirsten Cooney is anticipating a great season: “I had a lot of fun last year, and it’s not a hard sport, it’s calmful, and you get support from everyone, especially from the coaches who are very nice.” With many changes in flag football this year, Cooney is hoping to get more playing time and meeting new people..
Similarly, a new member of the team, Freshman Cassidy Austin, mentions how she was baffled that Oakdale had a flag football team. But when her mom explained to her, she wanted to try out: “I thought that it would be cool playing this new sport, it also seemed like there would be a lot of cool people here. [I realized I liked playing flag football] when I pulled my first flag because everyone was so supportive.”
With all this said, coaches and athletes hope that schools around Maryland can, one day, have their own flag football team: “I hope that at least two more counties are added next season,” Coach Rex said, “and in the next three years there will be enough to have a state champion.”
Overall, it’s obvious that all the girls and coaches are thrilled for the season to continue. They want to stay determined and turn this season at Oakdale into one to remember. The games are Wednesdays, so show out for this group of hard-working women.
