Several years ago, the National Gay Flag Football League launched a women’s division and, fittingly, a women’s team from this year’s host city will be among the competitors at the NGFFL’s annual national tournament.
The Lightning, an all women’s tournament team, will be among the 10 teams competing in the women’s division at Gay Bowl 2014, Oct. 9-12 in Philadelphia.
The Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League team formed earlier this year. Several players were already on co-ed GPFFL teams, but there was interest in putting forward an all-women’s unit.
“My first team was co-captained by a woman named Vicky who was really encouraging towards me, so last summer we started talking with the board about a women’s team,” said Lightning coach and captain Julie Chovanes.
Over the last few months, about 15 women joined up. In the beginning, practices were held once a week, then progressed to twice a week and, leading up to Gay Bowl, Lightning members are practicing three times a week.
The team has taken part in scrimmages and this summer competed in its first tournament, held in Asbury Park, playing against teams from such locales as New Jersey, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico. The team will host a happy hour for women’s teams participating in the Gay Bowl at 6 p.m. Oct. 11 at the host hotel, Sheraton Downtown, 201 N. 17th St.
Chovanes has high hopes for the Lightning’s showing at Gay Bowl.
“Hopefully we’ll be champions,” she said.
But, win or lose, Chovanes said, her participation in Lightning has illustrated the true meaning of sportsmanship.
“I think we are a team in the true sense of the word, a team works for each other without ego, to move all of us ahead. That’s the neatest thing in the world to see, that we can be a team of so many different people and diversities.”
For more information on Lightning, visit http://www.phillyflagfootball.com/#!the-lightning/c1eia or email [email protected].