The Los Angeles Rams hosted their second annual Flag Jamboree presented by Bridgestone. The Rams hosted over 2,500 flag football student-athletes from over 100 high schools in the Southern California region.
“We want to make sure that girls out there know that there are resources out there for them,” said Bridgestone division technical educational partner Patricia Ibarra. “When it comes to sports, there’s a lot of barriers and things and obstacles that they go through; in business, it’s the same thing.”
The Flag jamboree took place at UCLA where the high school teams battled in scrimmages. The student athletes also listened to a “Women in Business” panel discussion where they gained knowledge from female professionals.
“It’s super cool how diverse all the different backgrounds are and all the different experiences,” said Cypress senior team captain Emma Hannifin. “Even the pathways that everyone is going, yet they’re all brought together by this and inspired by this experience and so passionate about bringing us together.”
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A highlight of the jamboree is the tug-of-war tournament which brought a high level of spirited competition, just like in the inaugural Jamboree. The winning team of each tournament bracket received a pair of Oakley glasses.
The Knight Hawks were one of the tournament winners. Senior team captain Jaylene Aguilar noted how the panel discussion gave her encouragement when thinking about her own career path. She enjoys how the Jamboree builds the skills and chemistry on her team.
“I feel like it allows us to have more experience, we’re playing schools that are out of our league,” Aguilar said. “It allows us to see different plays and how different girls work and different paces because everybody works at their own pace.”
Rams associate manager of social justice and football development Noel Grigsby called the event a “big day of celebration for all stakeholders of girls flag football.”
“It just shows how much support there is, from the CIF, the districts, the coaches, even the parents,” Grigsby said. “As they compete on the field, we also want to equip them to compete in business.”
