Lockwood— Members of the Atlanta Falcons were in Lockwood Thursday morning to put on a girls' flag football clinic and help grow the game in Montana.
“It’s fun to get out here and try something new. I mean, I have always wanted to play football,” said Makenna Torske of Hardin, who participated in the clinic.
Torske is just one of many girls who got the opportunity to try out the game for the first time.
“I mean not a lot of girls do football, so it’s kind of something new, especially in Montana. It’s pretty empowering to do something like this,” she said.
Girls' flag football has been growing around the country, and in Montana, and high schools are starting to jump on the train. A big reason why: the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, who have been huge ambassadors for the game.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many girls to be instructed by greats of the game.
“It just feels good to know that there (are) people who, like, know what they are doing here to help us out and throughout," said clinic participant Joclyn Arthur.
Arthur is going to be a sophomore at Lockwood, which will become the fifth school in Montana to offer girls' flag football this upcoming fall.
“Getting another girls' sport out there is awesome, and just being able to play more sports in general is just really good," said Arthur.
Many of the former Falcons players who helped put on this camp would agree with Arthur.
“It’s such a great sport. It’s the ultimate team sport. It gives a person the opportunity to not only be a part of something greater than themselves, but also to exhibit their skills and to show out,” said Buddy Curry, who played defensive line for the Falcons in the 1980s.
The Falcons have played a prominent role in getting girls' flag football to Montana. Team owner Arthur Blank owns ranchland in Paradise Valley in Montana and has put on camps in the state for years.
Lockwood will now join Glacier, Flathead, St. Ignatius and Butte High this year as schools to have Montana High School Association sanctioned girls flag football.
“And how it’s gonna catch on is that the girls are gonna love it," said Curry. "They love football, and they love to compete."
And in the future, the game will only continue to keep growing.
