EAST HELENA — Helena Small Fry is launching a middle school girls flag football program, giving Helena-area girls in grades 5-8 an opportunity to play organized flag football.
“It’s so exciting. I’m thrilled to be part of it,” said Small Fry board member and East Helena High School girls flag football head coach Juliet Hahn. “And it’s really encouraging for the future of the sport.”
The new program means girls like East Valley Middle School seventh grader Zoe Long will get to continue their football-playing careers. Until this year, Long played tackle football.
“It’s really cool because if there wasn’t any program like this, then I wouldn’t have been able to keep going,” Long said while attending East Helena’s annual quarterbacks camp. “And I wouldn’t have had any opportunities to keep going with football.”
It’s not just the athletes who are looking forward to the new program but also the parents who get to watch firsthand the impact football has on their kids.
“I think it’s going to have a huge influence on the kids coming up,” said flag football parent CJ Goodheart. “It’s a growing community. The school is fairly new. I just think it does nothing but good for our community. It’s just one more thing for the kids to get involved in. It shows teamwork, camaraderie — there’s so much that goes into it.”
Those interested in signing up for the new girls flag football program can find more information on the Small Fry website. The deadline to register is July 31.
“I like to think that it brings out a lot of leadership skills in them, teaches them how to deal with adversity, builds a lot of friendships,” said Hahn. “And team culture — just a lot of bonds in the community that they wouldn’t otherwise have.”
