The bitter cold of the winter was numbing and at odds with the bright, persistent sun as the Lakeside girls’ flag football team lined up for what would be their final game against Ingraham. It had been a season of firsts — first practices, first wins, first losses, and first friendships. Though the game ended in a loss, the Lakeside girls’ flag football inaugural season was anything but that.
This school year marked the introduction of girls’ flag football at Lakeside. With just four days of practice before their first game and many players being new to the sport, the team had to learn and grow rapidly. “I think it was such a quick turnaround time, and I am proud of the outcome,” says Pia A ’27. “We only had four days to really learn flag football in its entirety, and then our first game was after those four practices, so that was definitely a big shift. I think it was impressive that the team was able to move that quickly.” Despite the limited time, the team adeptly adjusted to the fast nature of the sport. Through numbing fingers and vigorous winds, the Lakeside girls’ flag football team threw themselves into drills, finding ways to get reps in and out of practice. There was little room for hesitation — –every practice was packed with new terminology, strategies, and teamwork exercises. However, not all growth was on the field.
For many of the players, the most memorable aspects of the game came from the connections sought and the friendships formed. “I came out of each practice with so many stories and memories I will keep for a long time!” exclaims Izzy P. ’27. Pia agrees, adding, “The bonds I built with my teammates are a wonderful thing I get to carry with me past this season.” Every Tuesday and Thursday became a vessel for hard work and laughter, a space to craft skills and inside jokes simultaneously.
One fond memory Izzy P ’27 looks back on is their win against Roosevelt. “It was a close game, and it was a moment where each player had to truly come together and play as one team,” she recalls. With the score tight and pressure on, every play mattered. Practice drills transformed into reality — rehearsed plays tuned and executed with sharp precision. The whistle didn’t merely mark their victory; it announced how far they had come and how much further this team had the potential to go. Similarly to Izzy, victories were of great significance to Pia and her flag football journey. She explains, “Because it was the first year that flag football was offered at Lakeside, every victory felt monumentous.”
However, the potential of flag football doesn’t just exist at Lakeside — and the inaugural team’s success quickly evolved into an opportunity for more to recognize the weight that flag football could have nationally. For Izzy, flag football is “an opportunity that gives girls a space to form their own sport and community. It really helps break the boundaries and stereotypes of what a girl can do.” Pia also has hope for the future of the sport, stating that “It could definitely gain some more traction, and [she] also thinks it should be an option for boys, too. It’s a way for people who love football to play an accessible version of the sport and without the physical ramifications of tackling.”
Even without a Metro League championship this season, flag football this season was a tremendous success. It built community between both people and grades, created core values such as resilience and hard work that players will bring with them into the future, and carries the possibility to not only break stereotypes for what girls are capable of but create a safe space for everyone.
