Another school year has arrived, which means one thing… Fall sports are back! There is a large variety of sports offered by Aquinas, both school sponsored and club. One of the club sports offered is girls flag football. This new addition to Aquinas’s athletics has only been present for a few weeks but has made quite the impression, with a well-versed coach, a large sponsor, and a new team that is eager for the upcoming season.
Flag Football’s presence at STA is credited to Mrs. Paradise, the coach. As a multi-sport athlete in college, Mrs. Paradise played both basketball and flag football, winning four national championships for women’s and co-rec leagues. Clearly, she is comfortable with the sport and continues to further her engagement in it through coaching. She also has given the team many amazing opportunities through our sponsor, the Chiefs. Right off the bat, Mrs. Paradise got the whole team box seats at the season opener with a special shout out on the jumbotron. The team proudly wears their jerseys with both the Aquinas crest and Chiefs arrowhead.
With many of the girls never having played football, one of the largest undertakings was teaching the rules of this newly implemented sport. A common misconception is that flag football is a no contact sport. This, however, is not true. In some leagues it is legal to block the rusher which means as a center you are often shoulder-checked. Receivers also deal with contact, when jumping and reaching for a ball they are knocked by the opposing team. This, along with all of the possible flags and five yard losses creates a difficult environment for beginners, but with the right coach here at Aquinas it makes it much easier.
Having our first scrimmage last weekend, the Saints showed up and showed out, winning 2-0! Although it is a very new addition, clearly the flag football team is already making a large impact and going to continue down this route with the first official game of women’s flag football in Kansas occurring this weekend.
