There will be two more free clinics for children at Dick's Sporting Goods House of Sport in Johnson City. They will be on Wednesday, 12/27 (for ages 8-10) and Friday, 9/29 (for ages 11-13). Click here for more information and to sign up.
The emergence of the Binghamton High School girls flag football team has been one of the hallmark achievements of the athletic department over the past couple years. The team started from scratch in the spring of 2022 as part of a New York State Public High School Sports Association’s (NYSPHSSA) pilot program. Fast forward two seasons, and the BHS girls flag football team are now back-to-back Section IV champions, and are seen as the gold standard for the sport locally.
So with the new spotlight put on flag football, why not help build on its success by getting the kids involved?
BCSD coaches and players held the first of three flag football clinics geared toward kids on September 25 at the turf field of the brand-new Dick’s Sporting Goods House of Sport at Oakdale Commons. The first clinic was for area kids ages five to seven years old, but two more clinics will also get kids from eight to 13 years old in on that action as well.
The clinics are led by coaches Vaughn Labor and Jill Coleman, who helped guide the girls flag football team to its success the past two seasons. The clinic began with warming up the hands on the chilly, yet brisk September evening with some passing and catching. That was followed by a crash course on route running, with kids following routes that were laid out on the field with cones before catching a pass from BHS senior and girls flag football team wide receiver Saniya Glover.
This year will be Glover’s third year on the team. Taking a chance and trying something new has paid off in a big way.
“It’s been really fun and a great experience,” Glover says, “It gives me more opportunities for myself for college where you can get scholarships, and it’s actually been creating history since I am a two-time state Section IV champion. We’re just kind of starting to do something for all females around the world.”
More than 140 high schools fielded girls flag football teams in 2023, and with the New York State Public High School Sports Association approving girls flag football as a championship sport, that number is sure to grow. The sport is on a major upward trend, one that Coach Labor says he has been able to see on a more personal level as well as overall.
He notes that in the first year of the program, many of the girls either had no football experience, or had only watched the sport passively. A few years in though, concepts now click Confidence has been built.
“It’s kind of like when you see kids go from modified, to JV, to varsity, you see some growth,” Coach Labor explained. “It was kind of in that same vein, just instead of them going from level to level, it was just them getting used to the sport year to year.”
He anticipates seeing those little steps building into more and more girls getting fixated on the sport as a viable collegiate option. NAIA is the biggest collegiate organization that offers flag football, with one former BHS girls flag football team player expected to take the field in the spring for college ball.
For the time being at least, Glover is just focused on helping the kids that show up to the clinic find a passion for a sport that is familiar, yet in other ways unfamiliar to many.
“I hope they learn something new, get them a new experience, and just something they can grow into because flag football can bring a lot to you in life.” ◙
