My first day on the job with the Pittsburgh Flag Football League was a great experience. I got a chance to meet most of the staff members and they were all very welcoming and helpful. Once the players began to arrive, I started to get a feel for how the day was going to progress. My first observation was the camaraderie between players and staff members. It became obvious that everyone was looking to have a good time while being a little competitive.

Maybe “a little” is an understatement. As soon as the games began I realized that the players were determined to win; I never thought that this kind of intensity would be brought on by flag football. Teams had designed plays, signals and call-outs, which was impressive. Some of the players helped me take some warm-up action photos during practice, but the real game speed was something that took getting used to. Once I got used to the pace of the game I started to take in-game action shots and as the day progressed the pictures got better and better.

Mixed in with the in-game photos were the individual headshots. To me, these were the best parts of the day because I got to talk to the players and start to build relationships with them. They are all great guys of all different ages, and they all treated me with respect. I can tell that there is a mutual respect between everybody involved in the league.

The stand-out game for me was definitely the last, which was BULLDOGS versus JOE’S PROS. This is where the intensity and competition was “taken to the next level”. Despite the occasional jawing back and forth between the young Bulldogs and the veteran Joe’s Pros, at the end of the game, both teams showed great sportsmanship and left their grudges on the field. This was a great ending to a great first day. I got a little taste of a lot of things and it gave me something to look forward to every Sunday.