Junior Anderson Rhodus looks forward to sprinting down a grassy field and dodging players with a football in hand as part of the inaugural season of flag football.
Rhodus organized the club, which is sponsored by Director of Athletics Melissa Coyne, and she said one of the club’s goals is to join a league.
“In the spring of 2024, I saw a girls’ flag football game broadcasted on TV, and I remember thinking ‘Oh, that’s cool – I didn’t know that was a thing,” Rhodus said. “So, over the summer, I contacted Coach Coyne, and she shared that she also had a strong passion for flag football.”
Coyne recalls flag football as a core experience of her childhood and a vessel that helped her find her passion for lacrosse.
“They’re both field sports, and I think field sports teach you a lot about spatial awareness, and there’s a lot of lateral agility involved in football,” Coyne said. “I think actually doing [flag football] as a young kid made me more interested in field sports.”
Because of her experiences of playing and watching football while growing up, Coyne values the freedom that the sport grants to its players, which contrasts with many of the athletic games these days that are overlooked by referees and defined by strict rules.
“One of the things I loved so much was that it was totally disorganized,” Coyne said. “There were no adults involved. We made up our own rules. We didn’t have referees. And we just ran out there with a ball and figured it out on our own.”
By sponsoring the club, Coyne hopes that she can start bringing the excitement that surrounded her memories of flag football to Hockaday.
“We got excited when people scored,” Coyne said. “We made up our own touchdown dances. I remember that very vividly, and I’m hoping to bring some of that back here.”
Coyne said she might explore integrating flag football into the PE curriculum, with her long-term goal of adding it as a sport. She also said her decision to open up campus on the weekends for families will also give them the opportunity to play flag football with their community.
“Where I came from, we had a huge flag football tournament on Thanksgiving Day because families are all in town,” Coyne said. “Thanksgiving is a lot about football.”
A football fan herself, sophomore Claire Mennel was drawn to the excitement of the opportunity to play this sport.
“It sounded like a lot of fun, and it would be a chance to relax during the school day,” Mennel said.
For girls hesitant about joining or playing, Coyne mentions that no prior background or athletic experience is needed.
“You don’t have to know how to play flag football,” Coyne said. “You just show up, and we’ll show you how to do it. It’s fun. It’s really easy going. It can be competitive, but it’s also hidden fitness. Not everybody wants to go and run on a treadmill, but you will get a good sweat in with this.”
