A new sport is coming to Osbourn High School! It’s called flag football, and it’s basically football, but without physical contact. Defenders “tackle” ball carriers by pulling a flag from their belt rather than using physical force.

Have you heard about it?  There was a meeting on February 18, and about 30  people attended the meeting. Coach  Maysuch and Coach Morgan talked about how many days a week practice is. Flag football starts right after football season ends. It starts in September and will end in November. They also talked about the rules in flag football and which schools the team is playing against. Coaches collected information from students who were interested in playing flag football. They collected information by telling them to get their phones out and scan a QR code. The QR was just to sign in, and so coaches can update you on new things because they still do not know some details.

Are you scared to not make the team because you’re a beginner? Don’t worry! Coach Maysuch said, “We will run tryouts that will focus on effort, coachability, and basic skills rather than experience alone. We will develop practice plans as we get closer to the season, but we will focus on positive coaching strategies that give our athletes the most welcoming environment as we continue to grow.” As well as Coach Morgan said, “We will teach first. This way, when we do get to the tryout portion in the off-season, we can more accurately assess the girls as football players and where we see their role on the team.” So don’t worry, you will be taught enough to be able to be one of the players of the team.

Flag football can also be a good sport to put on your college application. “I would like to gain something for my college application,” said Fatima Melger sophomore from Osbourn High School. Estrella Saenz, a freshman at Osbourn High School, said, “I feel like I would get a higher chance that colleges accept my application because I played a sport.” If you want an opportunity to go to college, you could join a sport like flag football.

Being part of the flag football team isn’t just about competing with other teams.”My philosophy as a coach goes well beyond just the game. I want to develop confident, responsible, and high-achieving student athletes as well as young women. I will always encourage academic progress and help players set personal goals, both academic and athletic, and hold them accountable to those goals,” said Coach Maysuch.

Some students think that flag football should be for both genders. “I think flag football should have both genders, but maybe different seasons, just like soccer and basketball do. Both genders should have the same opportunities to play. They should have different seasons because both genders play differently,” said Allison Arias. Other students from Osbourn think flag football should only be for girls.”I think the sport should be only for girls, I think that because boys already have football,” said Aniyah Slaughter.

What are your thoughts on flag football at Osbourn? Tell us in the comments!