AU’s football team may still be undefeated — because it does not exist — but that does not mean that the pigskin isn’t tossed around on campus.
Every fall hundreds of students sign-up to play intramural flag football, one of the most popular intramural sports that AU offers.
This fall, 24 flag football teams were formed to compete in intramural games, each playing with specific goals in mind: have fun, stay fit, win bragging rights and play in the National Campus Championship Series for flag football held each November.
Whatever a team’s goal, one thing is for sure: Everyone has fun.
“I think flag football is unique,” AU Intramural Coordinator Chris Gromley said. “It’s outdoors, and it’s nice a break from studying.”
Gromley runs all AU tramural sports and said that flag football is one sport that he does not have to pull teeth to get people to participate. Students appear to like the fact that flag football focuses on playing well as a team, not just well individually.
“I think a lot of people just like the idea of flag football,” Gromley said. “It is probably one of our nation’s best team-building exercises, just because of how the sport is organized. It is not like basketball or baseball where one player can make an impact without help from teammates.”
Each year, AU’s intramural flag football season starts in early September and runs until mid-November. Teams compete in one of three leagues: • Eagle, the all-men’s competitive league • Clawed, a non-competitive men’s league • Women, an all-women’s competitive league. Sixteen teams competed in the Eagle league this season, which was divided into four divisions. Five teams played in Clawed, and six teams came out for the women’s league.
Member of the all-women’s team, All the Single Ladies — comprised of the women’s club soccer team and friends — sophomore Rachel Black said she sees many women playing intramural flag football because it is a sport that females often aren’t given the opportunity to play.
“For girls, flag football is something new,” Black said. “It brings a different dynamic to AU in general because it allows you to do something that you weren’t given the opportunity to do in high school. “
All the Single Ladies’ team captain, junior Michelle Pinter-Petrillo, said that many women’s teams start at the same playing level.
“Everyone is learning at the same time,” Pinter-Petrillo said. “It is geared to have fun rather than to be competitive.”
There is no cap on the number of players each team can have, and Gromley said most teams are comprised of students involved in the same club sport, campus group or Greek organization.
“Delta Gamma turned in a roster of 32 girls, and we hoped all of them would come out,” Gromley said. “SPA Leadership generally has big numbers on their roster and a number of other groups do as well.”
Students are also encouraged to sign up to referee games. Student referees need no prior experience, are trained at the beginning of each season by Gromley and are paid.
The men’s and women’s teams that win AU’s tournament earn championship T-shirts and are offered the opportunity to play, all expenses paid, in the NCCS Regional Flag Football Championship, held at the University of Maryland College Park. Other AU teams can also compete at the University of Maryland, but the players must pay the tournament fees out of their pocket.
This year, Delta Tau Delta was the winner of AU’s men’s competitive division, team All The Single Ladies swept the women’s tournament.
Delta Tau Delta finished its regular season 7-0 and competed in the NCCS Regional Tournament for the second time this year. Quarterback and team captain senior Topher Anuzis said his fraternity has had one or two teams play every intramural sport for as long as he can remember.
“We have an eclectic mix of guys,” Anuzis said. “I just love playing sports, and a lot of them are the same.”
All the Single Ladies went 5-0 for the regular season and also qualified for the tournament at UMD for the second year in a row.
Both Delta Tau Delta and All the Single Ladies played three round robin games at the Regional Tournament over the weekend of Nov. 13. Although neither team won a game, they both enjoyed the experience.
“It was a very fun environment,” Pinter-Petrillo said. “We will totally be back next year.”
kgreubel@theeagleonline.com
