August 19
August 19, 2008
Edna Breaux Uzee
August 21, 2008
It’s that time of year.
Time to dust off the cleats, grab the favorite pair of lucky shorts, slide on the armbands and prepare for football – flag football.
The game – two 20-minute halves played on 80 yards – has found its way into the hearts of local diehards. With its combination of one- and two-point conversions, the game allows local athletes of the past to battle for bragging rights under the stadium lights one more time.
After a successful first season, the Thibodaux Recreation Department is bringing the league back. Now that the experimental stage is complete, Recreation Director Ron Alcorn said he is looking for the league to grow from last year’s original eight teams.
Alcorn said the adult flag football league was prompted by a couple of things: public requests and the success enjoyed by the Bayouland YMCA in Houma.
“We threw (the idea) around and talked about it in the recreation office,” he recalled. “We put it out there and tried it. We ended up with eight good teams. A couple of the teams came from Nicholls and some came from the community. Those teams are excited about coming back.”
The league’s success, in fact, is not measured by the number of teams it generates, but by the fun the players have, Alcorn said.
“It gives the guys who’ve been out of the game a chance to play competitive football again,” he explained. “Usually, the guys that play are the one’s that enjoy the game and love to stay around the sport. Flag football is a unique game because it’s not about who’s big or who’s small; it’s based on real fundamental quickness.”
The league itself costs $150 per team. Registration began Aug. 11 and runs through Sept. 5, and all registration must be done by teams. The season starts Sept. 16 and runs through Nov. 13.
Participants must be at least 18 years old and out of high school.
Last year’s winners were awarded sweatshirts with “Adult Flag Football Champions” written on them. Alcorn said that he isn’t sure what the prize will be this year, but it will likely be something more than a trophy.
According to the recreation director, one of the positives of the league is that games are held on Tuesday and Thursday nights at the Majors Field at Peltier Park, so it doesn’t collide with any other football schedule.
“I think it is great because it gives (players) off on Mondays, so they can watch Monday Night Football,” he said. “They can go support the high schools on Friday and they can watch college on Saturday and the NFL on Sunday. It works out real good.”
In Houma, the Bayouland YMCA is the veteran when it comes to flag football. The facility has offered a youth and adult league for nearly five years.
The program, which is split into an A and B league, is open to anyone over the age of 16.
The A League consists of the teams that have the most experience playing flag football. It is generally made up of the more successful teams, Programs Director David Mouton said.
“It’s the better teams,” he said. “We have superior athletes in the A League. It’s impressive to watch some of those teams perform. It gets competitive, but they respect each other.”
On the flip side, the B League is composed of mostly new teams or teams that have younger players. Mouton said those games can be equally as competitive.
Just as in the Thibodaux league, there is no limit on the number of teams that can join the YMCA. In fact, Mouton encourages more teams to come out.
“I’m trying to get as many as possible and we’ll work with it from there,” he said. “We usually have anywhere from 10 to 12 teams on each league.”
Mouton’s league costs $500 per team, with registration running through Aug. 31. There is a maximum of 15 players per team.
The season begins Sept. 13 and runs through Oct. 6.
Similar to Thibodaux, the YMCA league will award the top finisher more than just a trophy.
“This year, what I’m aiming to do is give warm-ups to everyone on the team,” Mouton said. “There will be a trophy, but a warm-up is a lot more lasting than them getting a trophy or award.”
Mouton said he is pleased with the way the adult and youth flag football seasons have progressed. The YMCA league is special, he said, because it provides a family environment for fathers and sons to interact.
“It’s giving them an opportunity to still play and stay athletically involved,” he said. “We have some dads playing while their kids are also playing. That’s our biggest thing; we attract a family atmosphere at the YMCA.”
For more information on the flag football leagues, contact Alcorn at (985) 446-7239 or Mouton at (985) 873-9622.
Thibodaux Recreation Director Ron Alcorn reads over the official rules of flag football in his office. The adult flag football league in Thibodaux starts Sept. 16 and runs through Nov. 13. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
