Gridiron Girls 

     Before we get to the girls, your blogger has a potentially untreatable red left eye. Fortunately, my doctor took me in without an appointment. He knew what it is, ordered two different medications, one taken four times a day and the other three times...all for two weeks. 

     So, if you see something unreadable, you'll know why. 😏

     Girls can play football, sanctioned in 16 states. Schools can compete for state championships. Next year, 26 more states will have girls' flag football programs. There are two conferences at the college level.

     The sport's growth has been explosive, with nearly 69,000 girls playing flag football. These girls want opportunities to play, as others who have long played other sports. What makes football available to girls are the two flags/strips attached to a belt around the waist.

     When a defender rips a flag from a ball carrier, the play is over. Normally flag football teams have seven players. Fields can vary from 50 yards to 100. Extra points are determined by runs or passes. Violent collisions do occur.

     Women's flag football will debut in the Olympics at the 2028 summer games in Los Angeles. 

     In my school days, 130 pounds or less, I loved playing football with other kids. No flags. Two hands on the ball carrier ended a play. 

     Later, in the Army at Ft. Lee, I played touch football in a league, on a field 80 yards long. One of my favorite memories: a pass landed on the back of an opponent. I quickly grabbed the ball and stepped into the endzone. 

          Jimmy