Flushed between a frenzy of fall junior varsity and varsity sports, our school’s brand new girls flag football intramural went rather unnoticed this season. Now that their debut has concluded, the intramural is rising to new heights as it looks for state-sanctioned varsity status.
Physical Education teacher Katie Kooiman brings a pocket full of talent, experience and opportunity as the head coach. Kooiman has an impressive background in a variety of field sports and the National Football League, including a former job working on the field for the Washington Commanders. Her expertise produced more than enough leverage to launch the intramural on its feet at our school this past fall.
“Flag football has not been sanctioned by our state yet, so we are trying to lead the way for it to be a state sanctioned sport. Then it would become a junior varsity/varsity situation which we’re hoping for in the next year or two … so it’s on its way,” Kooiman said.
Kooiman attributes the success of this intramural to a variety of factors. First, flag football is a sport of little equipment. The sport is generally cost efficient to run, making it an affordable opportunity that schools can offer girls each year. Further, the sport alternates with soccer, another field sport that translates similar athletic skills with flag football. While soccer is a spring sport, flag football is a fall sport, allowing field athletes similar opportunities in both seasons. Although, Kooiman regards the recent spike in girls flag football to perhaps a more important reason.
“I think before the idea was that football was like a fraternity; it was promoted for boys. I think that the world has opened up to how powerful women can be in this sport. Seeing female coaches and female referees and pioneering that in the tackle football game has opened up the idea that there are entry points for girls into flag football,” Kooiman said.
While in high school, Kooiman played soccer and other field sports because flag football was not generally an option for girls.
“I was a soccer player. I did all of the sports when I was younger, trying out everything that was offered to me. But I didn’t have flag football until college,” Kooiman said.
Kooiman traces the tremendous success of the intramural’s first season to her players.
“I got connected with the right girls. We have a great leadership group of five or six girls that are coming with a lot of experience but also a lot of passion, and that passion is translating to their friends and they’re getting more people to come out and try it. It might just have been the right time with the right group,” Kooiman said.
The pool of athletes come from backgrounds of varying experience. Many recruits have experience in the sport through Arlington recreational leagues or other field sports like soccer, and others joined without prior experience in flag football. This creates the perfect atmosphere for all players to thrive under competitive but friendly conditions.
“Ms. Bonzano coached men’s flag football a while ago, and she got a bunch of awards for that. She knows most of the people on the team are new at flag football or just playing for fun so in that way it’s really chill,” senior and girls flag football co-captain Margaret Flannery-Goodman said.
According to Flannery-Goodman, team members are shaping their own experiences within the intramural.
“It’s a great opportunity to make friends and try something new because it’s new for everyone. It’s a fun experience to try it out … anyone’s welcome; we’re just working from the ground up,” Flannery-Goodman said.
Flannery-Goodman’s message has reached almost thirty girls around our school. After such a strong debut of the intramural, our school’s girls flag football is just getting underway.
