Girls flag football is new CIF sport, could come to OA

Amidst the rising popularity in girls’ flag football across Californian high schools, the CIF Federated Council voted on Feb. 3 to add it as a sanctioned sport for the upcoming 2023-24 school year.

The surge in interest was largely facilitated by NFL teams such as the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, who have been co-running a pilot high school league for girls in Southern California.

Anaheim Union High School District aims to add girls flag football to its schools as well, including Oxford Academy. With equipment supplied by the Chargers, such as flags and balls, athletics director David Clifton and coach Stephen McJilton are eager to get the program started. Given Oxford’s smaller student body, it may prove tricky to get off the ground, but they remain hopeful.

From a survey sent out to grades eighth through eleventh, 24 people indicated they were interested. If implemented, the sport would take place in the fall, with practices in the spring coached by Mr. Clifton, assisted by Dr. McJilton.

Although they expect to spend a while teaching the basics, they would approach the sport like a high school boys football program, with a focus on weight training, conditioning, and skill work.

“I think it’s something interesting for the girls to do. Who would have thought our football team would be a girls flag team before we get a boys team?” Mr. Clifton said.

Aside from AUHSD, no other schools in 605 League will be taking up the sport, and games will likely remain within the district. Despite this, Mr. Clifton predicts flag football’s popularity will continue to heighten, especially considering how dangerous traditional football can be.

One of flag football’s larger appeals is that no one gets tackled — the play ends when an opposing player pulls a flag from the ball-carrier’s waist, alleviating concerns about the risk of concussions and other injuries.

“I see flag football gaining traction because it’s safer,” Mr. Clifton said. “Is there still contact? Yeah. But it’s not the devastating contact.”

Whether girls flag football will be implemented this coming year or not is currently up in the air, resting solely on student interest.

“If I end up with 15 solid, committed girls, I would say we do it,” Mr. Clifton said. “I’m looking for kids who can throw a ball, catch a ball, and aren’t afraid to hit somebody.”

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Laura Liu, Editor in Chief

Laura Liu is the current Editor-in-Chief and A&E editor of the Gamut, and if she was an object, she’d be a clock on her wall that’s always 10 minutes late. Her love of writing began in first grade after writing a story about a mermaid who threw up a person, and when recommended to join Gamut by then advisor and her English teacher, Mrs. Galván, Laura seized the opportunity. Due to being its editor, it’s no surprise that A&E is her favorite section, where you can fangirl or vent for 500 words. On top of writing and editing it, Laura also just loves it, often reading historical genres and watching TV shows, in particular, Gilmore Girls, which she often recommends. On campus, you can find her at SkillsUSA, Chinese Culture and Language Club, and GEC, as president. Although she boasts many extracurriculars, you couldn’t catch her dead at a sport due to a burning detestation of physical activity. With her characteristic handwriting and notes, love of elbow macaroni (which she could eat with any pasta dish), and the color pink (a great color and the color version of herself), Laura is equipped for any type of situation. Perhaps most importantly though, if she were to be stranded on an island and bring 3 things, she’d bring a journal, her phone, and a swiss army knife set, since surely there will be something in there that can help her.

Christine Nguyen, Managing Editor

Christine Nguyen is many things: an Oxford Academy senior, the co-president of Creative Writing Club, an enthusiast of naming things after cars, and most importantly, the Gamut’s copy editor and co-A&E editor. Because freshman Christine decided to join the Gamut, today she is able to offer a detail-oriented mindset to push the quality of the newspaper. Not only does Christine hope to boost the standard of work being published, but also her closeness with Gamut staff. With an approachable, “big sister” demeanor, Christine looks forward to getting to know her peers better by checking in with them personally as she looks over their work. Outside of the Gamut, Christine is a connoisseur of the arts. She loves to compose poetry, craft creative prose, sketch, and create visual art. Outside of being human, Christine akins herself to a snail, admiring its resilient nature and cool-looking shell. This year, while Christine may not fulfill her dream of getting a dog named 2021 Cherokee Jeep, she hopes to achieve her other goal of making this year in Gamut a great one.