Palo Alto High School students can look forward to a new intramural sports program — specifically, flag football — which is scheduled to start soon despite initial difficulties with the program.
The program failed to start at the beginning of this week due to lack of attendance despite the fact that the equipment needed for flag football was ready to use, according to Assistant Principal Kathie Laurence.
“The Y [Young Men’s Christian Association] was here today,” Laurence said. “They had footballs and cones and pinnies and the whole thing.”
Flag football is scheduled to commence on Friday at lunch regardless of the weather conditions, according to Laurence, who said the gym will be used if the weather is poor. The actual start for flag football was intended to take place last Monday, Laurence said, but was cancelled due to poor weather.
The YMCA is working in partnership with Paly to run the intramural sports program by helping provide sports gear and balls, according to Laurence. The program began as a result of cooperation between Principal Phil Winston and Matt Hitchcock, the Page Mill YMCA’s executive director.
Laurence hopes that once students adjust to routinely participating in intramural sports, such attendance issues will cease.
“I think because of the long weekend people forgot and because it isn’t a habit yet,” Laurence said. “Hopefully we can get it to the point where it’s a habit and people are really looking forward to doing it.
Registration for the next sport, which is undecided, will be available in the near future on the Quad, according to Laurence. The sport will be decided based on the results from a poll that was put on the Quad several weeks ago, Laurence said. Staff members from the YMCA are evaluating the results.
The goal of the intramural sports program was to create an opportunity for students to be active during the school day and to offer more options for daytime activities, Laurence said.
“The purpose was to offer sports to all students who want to participate during the school day,” Laurence said. “Also, to give some variety in the choices over the course of the semester.”
Laurence fully supports the program and feels with more participants, intramural sports will be a great success.
“I think it [ the intramural sports program] is a terrific idea because it gives the kids who aren’t playing necessarily for a team on campus a chance and those who are to have a good time during lunch,” Laurence said. “Hopefully we can generate some excitement. We’re hoping that it’s really going to start to fly here.”