{A} wanted to play Flag Football last year. She made it to a clinic for the sport, shortly after her basketball season ended, and she made her mark there.
This year she signed up for try-outs to play on a team. The ref who ran the clinic, was the one running try-outs, and joked to the observing coaches (who were there to watch for who they wanted to draft) that she didn’t even need to bother trying out. He announced, “Coaches, you want her!”, and you could see them all looked a little puzzled & scribble something down on their clipboards. LOL.
We were told she was drafted early on, and naturally, she is the only girl on the team.
She has been having the time of her life, all season. Another sport she really, really loves!
It’s a serious game, and the coaches and most of the players, are so serious about it. {A} certainly is. I am still learning the game, myself. Sometimes I don’t quite know what just happened. lol. And like basketball, taking sport photos is a challenge for me too! I’m learning as I go, on both fronts. The plays for this sport are short, but so fast. Lots of huddling & planning, play-by-play. She has fit right in with this team, like butter. Lots of new friends.
BUSTED!
Her team is the Cincinnati Bengals. They have some great players, as evident by the fact that they have only lost 1 game all season, have been through the play-off, and are onto the Superbowl tomorrow night! The head coach really drafted a mix in heights! The little bit younger/shorter ones can be fast & sneaky! {A} of course is one of the tallest, at almost 5ft 6 inches. (Much taller than I am!) She’s seemed to be a key player all season. She can be fast too!
She’s been throwing and catching a football since she was 2, with her father, and has always loved it. So wanting to play some form of football when she was old enough to be on a team, came as no surprise to us. It’s been fun watching reactions all season though. Especially opposing teams and coaches, who were not yet familiar with her. They’d realize she was a contender after-all, and be making a few game adjustments.
Heads up!
Watching the succession in some of these shots, is good for some chuckles. But trust me, they all go down a few times, throughout any given game. {A} ends up down a lot, even on the basketball court, fighting for the ball until the whistle.
Here’s two in a row…
And she’s OFF…..
That’s a TIGER FACE!
YES!!
TOUCH DOWN!!
She has loved every minute of this season.
It started out COLD. It was even snowing at their first practice.
They have practiced in the rain, and played in real low temperatures.
She’s hoping to play again next year, but as of now, there is not a next-up age group for this sport. She’s campaigning for one though! She’ll be starting a petition, if she has to. (She’s big on petitions. lol) But word has it, one of the coaches is working on a 14-16 age group.
{A} has high hopes about it, at this point.
We’d love to see her keep playing, as she clearly has passion for this sport too.
Meanwhile, she and the boys still have a big game ahead of them!
The refs have been calling everything too, so the Super Bowl should be the toughest yet.
But that’s O.K. She loves to win, and is serious about doing all she can to make it happen.
But in the end, win or lose, nothing squashes her team spirit, or love for a serious ball game.
Be it round, or oblong. ; )
And on the sidelines, she can always count on having her biggest fans, cheering her on, in her team colors!
Gosh I love this photo of my kiddos.
Thanks for coming to her game!
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Paula’s Comment for {A}:
I’m loving the blue mouth guard and the ref’s cowboy hat. There is no doubt in my mind that your girl can do anything she sets her mind to, including the Presidency. And she’ll have many Minnesota votes!