![Students, teachers, and parents visit Omaha Beach in Normandy, France on June 7. "In 7th grade I had signed up for a [field trip to] Canada but it was canceled because COVID pushed it off so much, so when Mrs. Pietrzak brought up that they were doing a D-Day field trip to Europe, I thought that was really cool and I knew that I definitely wanted to do a trip while I was at West Shore so I took the opportunity," senior Amelia Bailly said.](https://westshoreroar.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/edbc27cd-da37-43d3-9ac9-0f38a21bbe02-1200x675.jpg)
For the first time in the school’s history, West Shore now has a football team. Starting Monday, Jan. 27 through Tuesday, Jan. 28, the girls flag football team is having tryouts for junior varsity and varsity teams. Tryouts will be from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. at the school fields.
“[It’s a] brand new program to Brevard and West Shore and it’s the first football team, so we’re all very excited for it,” Junior Varsity Coach Austin Glezen said.
An up-and-coming sport, flag football has worked its way into school culture. There has been much anticipation for its introduction, with student-athletes such as senior Jalaya King showing enthusiasm about the upcoming season.
“I think the season will be very successful,” King said. “I’m actually so excited. Being the first football team at West Shore, that’s a big deal here.”
Conditioning began on Jan. 13, and has taken place two to three times every week since. Many have been attending and building anticipation for tryouts, now only a few days away.
King said conditioning is an environment that “brings up [the energy].”
“There’s a lot of excitement,” she said. “There’s a lot of teamwork and building each other up which is very surprising. I actually love [it], and I want all of [the girls] on my team.”
With a new program comes new coaches, and faculty have stepped up to coach the new flag football teams. Physical education teacher Jenny Pazderak took on the role of head coach, with Corey Burton, who teaches virtual lab, and Glezen, who teaches AP Government and Economics, as the coaching staff.
“I’m just excited,” Glezen said. “[Football] is my life and blood … I don’t have any experience coaching flag football, [but] I used to help my mom, who was a softball coach and flag football coach. I think Coach Burton, Coach Jenny and I are all dedicated to having the most successful season that we [can].”
Student-athletes shared confidence in the coaching staff in hopes of a successful coaching season.
“I definitely think that [the coaching staff] will be a good fit for the season,” King said. “I know Mr. Glezen just had his first year [coaching] Powderpuff, but he did very good. I know Coach Burton has been doing Powderpuff for years, so he knows what he’s doing, same with Coach Jenny. I feel like we have a good coaching staff.”
Because of the fresh program, there is more commitment when it comes to traveling for games.
“Right now we have nine varsity games,” Glezen said. “Four of them are at home, five of them are away. One is at Melbourne High, which is pretty close, [and] the others would be probably 45 minutes up to an hour and a half drive. Not many schools in Brevard offered it this year but all of our expectations [for] the program is that Brevard will [have more teams] within the next couple of years [and] travel [times] should go down.”
All girls who are interested in flag football are encouraged to try out, no matter their skill level or grade level. Middle and high school students are welcome to try out and can get on a team. Even if someone isn’t interested in being a part of the program, any help and support is encouraged by students and staff.
“Come out and support us,” Glezen said. “We’re a new program [and] we have to start from ground zero. Any and all support [is appreciated], the girls would love to see you out at the games. We would just love as many people as possible to show support for this new sport so that we can keep offering it in the future.”
By Sonja Konicki
