FLORHAM PARK — With seconds ticking down, Katie Schmidt made the countoff.
“3…2…1…” When the buzzer rang, she raised her arm.
Schmidt, a 19-year-old from Morristown, was practicing at the New York Jets' training facility to celebrate the launch of New Jersey's newest flag football league.
NFL teams already sponsor the North Jersey Women's Flag League, which is in its fourth season. On Wednesday, the Jets and Special Olympics New Jersey introduced a new unified high school league.
The integrated program combines athletes with intellectual disabilities with neurotypical partners. There are more than 250 of her unified champion schools in New Jersey, supported by funding from the U.S. and state departments of education.
Morristown, Morris Noles, Roxbury and West Orange will play six regular season games in the pilot program. The Jets will host the playoffs at Florham Park on May 29th.
“It was very good. I was tired,” Schmidt said. “I've never done it before.”
Her younger brother, Noah Schmidt, a junior wide receiver and defensive back at Morristown, helped his classmates go through offensive and defensive drills Wednesday.
“They can’t really do something like this,” he said. “It's a big event to meet them.”
more:Special Olympics unified sports give athletes a platform. But is this program comprehensive enough?
Steady Growth of New Jersey Flag Football
Women's flag football was defined as a New Jersey club for the first three seasons, but has been upgraded to “pilot sport” status by the NJSIAA for at least the next two years. According to a study by the National Federation of State High School Associations, nine states will sponsor 913 girls flag football teams in 2022-23, including 361 in Florida, 198 in Georgia and 138 in New York. It became.
The Jets sponsor approximately 200 high school flag programs throughout New Jersey, southern New York and Long Island, including the North Jersey League, which has grown from its original eight teams to 52 teams. According to NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire, 83 New Jersey schools implemented flag programs last spring.
Morris County is represented by Jefferson, Montville, Morristown, and Mount Olive.
more:Morris flag football players and coaches celebrate the rise of the sport at MetLife Media Day
The Jets will provide the unified teams with uniforms, practice jerseys, footballs and flag belts, as well as grants to cover other costs.
Morris Knolls sophomore Val Pulido brought his own soccer ball Wednesday. As the Golden Eagles rotated through each station, she spoke to all four Jets players: center Joe Tippman, linebackers Quincy Williams and Marcelino McCrary-Ball, and defensive lineman Tanzel Smart. I shyly asked for an autograph. They also signed the Morris Knolls unity flag poster.
“It's cool. It's big,” Pulido said, looking around the high-ceilinged indoor facility. “Flag football is my dream.”
The NJSIAA offers unified basketball and bowling in the winter and track and field in the spring. However, a spokesperson said the company is not currently involved in the unified flag program.
“It's something I wish I could have done when I was a kid,” Tippman said, demonstrating a nifty spin move that the kids tried to emulate in one-on-one drills.
“I started at Flag, but being in this facility, in this environment, and being able to meet and spend time with professional athletes is something I wish I had been able to do.”
Jane Havsy is a storyteller for the Daily Record and DailyRecord.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. For complete access to live scores, latest news and analysis, Subscribe today.
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