Imagine trying out for a sport you’ve never played before and making it onto a team full
of other people who’ve never played before either. Imagine then, that after only two and
a half weeks of practice, you all are thrown headfirst into your first real game,
representing your school for the first time ever in that sport.
Well, that’s the reality of the girls’ flag football team at Culver City High School, which
had its very first season this fall. Flag football as a recreational and school sport has
been growing in recent years across the US. It’s even making its Olympic debut at the
2028 LA games. California added it as a varsity sport for the 2023-24 school year,
joining many other states that have done the same. CCHS got their girls program
approved in June 2024 for the second ever season. Coaches were found, tryouts were
held over the summer, and soon, the season kicked off.
The team’s head coach is Sebastian Taylor, who has worked as a running back coach
and the assistant coach is Jennifer Kochevar, a history teacher at CCHS who also
coaches soccer. Ms. Kochevar has always loved football but has never had the chance
to be involved with the sport until now. Seeing how many girls joined the program
amazed her. Thirty-eight girls tried out for the team, many of whom play another sport,
like basketball or lacrosse in the winter or spring, but don’t have much of a background
in football, which surprised her.
But, for freshman players Lua Booker, Francesca Piro, and Charlotte Butcher, that was
part of why they joined. Booker says that “since everyone knows that everyone is
learning, they’re very accepting.”
After the team lost their first few games, the players started feeling disheartened. But,
during their first away game at Beverly Hills High School, the team’s first touchdown
was scored. Those not on the field, looking on from the shade of a tent on the side lines,
weren’t sure if they’d made it at first, but as soon as they realized, they burst out
cheering.
For second quarterback Zoe Smith, a sophomore, it was more than just excitement—it
was the moment she realized, “that we are just as good as other teams and we’re only
going to get better.”
And they have. Even though the team has had to overcome a lot of the challenges that
come with being a new sport (more funding for equipment has proved especially
important), they have been able to win games and improve a lot. Smith, who also plays
softball, has found the experience of playing flag football, even though it’s new to her,
not at all different from other sports—some teams are better than you, others worse,
and it’s just about how well your team plays.
The teams’ home games have not yet been very well attended—not in the way Friday
night boys’ football games are. But, asks Smith, why shouldn’t they be? Flag football is
just as interesting a sport, and much safer. Imagine if this new team someday grows
into a team that hundreds of CCHS students come out to support. Imagine those girls,
whether it be next year or in five years, on the field, representing their school, cheered
on for every touchdown. That, Smith hopes, will someday be the reality of the girls’ flag
football team. And it will all be thanks to the players, coaches, and supporters of the
team today.
