Why did you decide to join flag football?
I did dance for 16 years, I started when I was one year old. This is the first year that I have not done any dance, so I needed something to fill that space. I needed a different athletic activity and I heard about girls flag football and I thought that would be a cool opportunity. It’s the inaugural year and also football, or derivations of it, have long been a space of exclusion for women, so I thought that it was really cool that there would be a girls’ team. Also, with it being the inaugural year, it was comforting to me to know that I wouldn’t be the only one who was learning and trying something new.
What have you learned mentally and physically from the sport?
Something that I’ve learned mentally from the sport is being aware of where you are in space, and having that good situational awareness, knowing what’s going on around you, just being super focused on that. Also, just having that quick thinking and being able to react in the moment is another thing that I’ve learned mentally. Something that I have learned physically from the sport is acceleration and deceleration. Obviously, in dance, you’re not running around, but with flag (football), it’s important to be able to accelerate quickly and decelerate quickly, so starting and stopping fast.
What has been the favorite practice you’ve had and why?
I’ve had a lot of good practices, they’re all really fun. One of my favorite practices that I’ve had was last week we got to play on the track turf, which was nice. I like that field, it’s big. The lines are really clear in the yard, marking the yards. Also, it was a nice day, and we got to run through a lot of plays, which was fun. One of our coaches, Coach Chloe, who’s also on the (Minnesota) Vixen, made donuts.
How do you think you work as a team player? How does your team work together?
We have good energy and we are supportive of each other. We want to see our team play well, we want our players to feel good and that is reflected on the field. Just going out there and doing your job, running your route, knowing what your job is and doing what’s expected of you, regardless of whether or not the ball is thrown at you. That’s an important part of being a team player.
How is this similar and different to your experience as a dancer?
There are a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. Something that is similar to dance is the footwork. Obviously, the footwork is still very different, but I think that that’s a skill that I’ve been able to carry over. I was an Irish dancer for 10 years, and so I can do kind of funky things with my feet in order to get to where I need to go. There’s also the similarity of having to be locked in and focused and keeping your mind regulated, and not letting yourself slip out of that state and in terms of stuff that’s different. One of the main differences for me is the setup and the way that it’s very circumstantial. You have a lot less control, like for dance, you get the choreography, and you can practice it so much, hundreds of times, whether that’s at practice or in your living room, whatever it is, and the choreography is always going to be the same. However you’re practicing it, it’s going to be exactly like that when you perform it and when you compete, whereas with flag, there’s a lot more unknown. You don’t know what the team is going to do, and you have to react in the moment more, which I think is one of the main differences.
What do you like about your coach’s coaching style?
Ms. Ross is passionate about the team and the game. You can tell that she’s really invested in it. I also appreciate how she gives us the opportunity to practice outside of practice if we want to. There have been some days where I go and watch film, which is beneficial for getting in the mindset for the sport because this whole team sport thing is new to me, you can tell that she’s really committed to it, and I love that.
What helps you learn the sport the best?
What helps me learn the sport best is just getting those reps in and playing game-like and I think you can build muscle memory and get more instinct. The more that you do it, you’ll be better at reacting in the moment. Watching film is important for learning because that’s a great opportunity. You can even slow it down and watch and see what went well and what didn’t, and use that as knowledge to build on for future games.
