As part of our Sportsman badge, Den 9 bought a set of flag belts from Sports Authority and set up a date to get out on the grass and play some flag football. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL???
Den 9 had started the Sportsman badge earlier in the year by playing some 3 on 3 basketball. During that meeting we talked quite a bit about good sportsman ship and how to behave before, during, and after a game. Mr. Doug found that the boys in the Den already had a really good grasp on this, so he just reinforced it a little and we were on our way to the next step... learning the officiating signs, skills drills, and playing.
For our flag football event we wanted a bigger group, so Den 9 invited Dens 6, 1, and 4 to join in. We had 16 Scouts and a few siblings... WHAT A GREAT TURNOUT!
For the Scouts that had not already started working on their Sportsman Badge, we covered good sportsmanship again. We also talked about football officiating signs, including the signals for off sides, illegal motion, holding, pass interference, time out, first down, and start the clock. With football season having just gotten back under way, these Scouts had a pretty good handle on most of the signals.
After having a great talk while waiting for the local soccer teams to finish up their practice and clear the field, we jumped out onto the grass and started some skills drills. We practiced passing, protecting the ball while running, and handing off to another player while running. Then it was time to play!
We broke up into teams of six, with some Scouts waiting to be substituted in later. Mr. Doug and Mr. Kevin took on the roles of coaches and helped the boys figure out some great plays.
As might be expected, the passing game was a little weak for each team, but the running games were pretty solid. With boys being subbed out and back in on the other team, we kept score but didn't worry about winners and losers, as we were all on the winning team at one point or another.
As the sun set, we wrapped up our game and headed home to finish up homework. Some of us hung around to shoot hoop for another 30 minutes or so. All in all, we had a GREAT time!
GO PACK 89!