It was cold and windy, but that didn't stop more than 30 middle school teams from turning out this week for the first citywide Flag Football Festival on Randall’s Island.
The students, 800 of them, are all part of the city's C.H.A.M.P.S. program, 
the sports and fitness league for middle schools.
During the full-day tournament, each team played three games. In between games, the teams were treated to a hip-hop routine created by the C.H.A.M.P.S. dance squad from JHS 157 in Queens.
"I was nervous at first playing flag football especially against boys, but after the game started and I was able to take their flags and I realized that I was just as fast and strong as them," a seventh grader, Yulemny Mendez, said. "Overall I felt good because of all the workouts and training we did prepared me to play against anybody, and just because I'm a girl it doesn't mean I can't do it, I can play any sport against anybody."
“We met new people from a lot of different teams and we had a great time” said Ramo Nikocevic, an eighth-grader from MS 278. “There were a lot of great moments on the field and the refs did a good job. I also liked the performance by the dance team in between games.”
About 150 parents and siblings came along to cheer on their favorite teams.
The Flag Football Festival is a collaboration between the New York City Department of Education’s Office of Fitness and Health Education, the Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation, and the New York Jets.
For more information about C.H.A.M.P.S. visit: http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/FitnessandHealth/CHAMPS/default.htm
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