More than just a sport: The rise of girls’ flag football

The OH flag football team is celebrating a lot of firsts this fall: first season, first goals, and first win. For Coach Abigail Jambor, this is a sweet start to what was a long process.

Jambor explained how desperate she was for it to become a sport because Oswego is one of the last schools in the community to do so, as it is still not a nationwide initiative. Oswego is in a new era, because the process to get a sport verified is very extensive. 

Jambor described this process as time-consuming.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever attended a board meeting,” she said with a pained expression. “[T]hey’re very long. You wait three to four hours to present seven minutes of your proposal, and then you wait another month to find out, and then another month, and then another.” 

This hard work shows the world how extensively the girls had to work to do something that the guys have always been able to do. Aside from the hard process, this team had a lot of determination to make this happen. 

“People aren’t getting paid to do this,” Jambor added. She admired how, “[t]he kids aren’t even in a real sport yet, but they’re putting in this time, putting in this effort to see something through… it show[s] students and athletes that you can create something.”

The determination of the team paid off. But all this work was for a reason: it was to see changes in the team and improve. 

One of these changes is a “full investment from students, athletes, parents, and coaches… [a]nd when students and athletes and coaches are more invested, you’re potentially going to be more successful by spending more time on it,” said Jambor.

She also added that “last year as a club, we would practice three to four days a week. But we were playing against teams that were practicing six days a week. And that type of thing just eventually shows itself, who’s had more experience.”

The change in the team as a whole is evident, but it also meant individual changes as well as sacrifices from players. 

A prime example of this was OH senior Violet Wisniowicz, who had to choose between tennis, which she played for three years, and flag football.

“Now that football has become a sport, I couldn’t do both,” Wisniowicz explained. “I had to choose one or the other. I enjoyed both sports thoroughly. I enjoyed the team, the people, and the friends that I made. But at the end of the day, it’s like football was one of those … once in a lifetime opportunities.”

Wisiniowicz describes this sport perfectly. Flag football is so rare that many girls only have this opportunity to play it. Because of the rarity of the sport, a significant impact has been made since it started.

“We had a large turnout last year. So obviously, we knew that there was excitement and interest in the sport,” said Coach Jambor.

That alone put girls’ flag football more into perspective as a sport. 

On the team, many athletes come from different backgrounds; some girls previously cheered, played soccer, track, basketball, and more. Some choose one over the other. All coming together as something new.

“People like to doubt us and our abilities, because last year, we weren’t obviously the best team, but this year we have definitely grown,” running back Annelyse Guzman mentions ecstatically. 

With more growth and players, the OHS flag football team celebrates a renewed Panther Pride. 

“Last Monday, our first official game in the season, we won 26-something. That first moment of our players walking out in uniforms, and last year we were in T-shirts. That full uniform, that full Oswego uniform, like it is really happening!” Jambor enthusiastically shared.