As the years have gone by, the girls at Channel Islands High School have continued to find ways to make history. This year our school had the honor of having our first-ever girl’s flag football team.
Bertha Romero and Laurenzie Byrd, both juniors, were members on the historic team. This sport being brand new to our school, they were eager to try it out.
Byrd states, “It looked fun and it seemed like a great opportunity to try something new.”
Similar to athletes in any other sport, these girls faced challenges on and off the field as a team. Whether it was not knowing the simple steps to the game or not being able to read each other out on the field, these girls had the determination to succeed.
They took their first win against Buena High School with a score of 20-0. Romero mentions, “It made me feel like I made history, and I was important.”
The girls ended the astonishing season with a final record of 5-13. Their last 4 games ended off on a good note. An extraordinary accomplishment they achieved was beating Ventura High School, a strong county championship qualifier for their last game. The MVP of the season was Ahtziry Mendoza Mendez. Mendoza showed strong characteristics of what a good team player was supposed to be.
Their coach, Mr. Pat Fernandez had a key role in his players’ life. He facilitated teamwork by instilling discipline, resilience, and confidence which ultimately contributed to the players development.
Mr. Fernandez continued to uplift them and motivate them in ways that helped them play to their full potential. Anytime they felt discouraged or they didn’t feel confident in their abilities the coach always reassured them by creating a positive environment where challenges are seen as opportunities.
When trying out a new sport it can often be perceived as scary and daunting, which is comparable to how the girls might have felt when first joining. Fernandez provides us with some words of encouragement: “If you want it bad enough, good things can happen.”
