Flag Football Flourishing for Burbank Park and Recreation

Burbank Dolphins Orange (Photo courtesy of Mike Graceffo)

By Dick Dornan
BurbankNBeyond Sports Editor

Hark the days of our childhood when many of us played flag football. Those were the good times. Sure we would find some time to play tackle football without pads and other times a simple game of ?two-hand touch.? But there was always something special about playing flag football.At any position on the field, we could be who we wanted to be. Maybe I could be Joe Montana at quarterback or even ?Mean? Joe Greene at defensive end? It was a game of simplicity and grace and it brought out a smile in each of us.

Burbank Dolphins Black on offense (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

High School football might take center stage on a Thursday or Friday evening at Memorial Field and Pop Warner on a Saturday at Burbank High, but it doesn?t get any better than wrapping that flag belt around your waist, inserting your mouthpiece and wearing your jersey with pride.

Flag football is alive and well here in Burbank. It?s thriving and it?s here to stay. One visit to Foy Park on any weekday evening and the memories come rushing back. The noise of whistles in the air, enthusiastic yelling by the players, positive encouragement by the coaches and cheering amongst the fans are just a fraction of the sights and sounds at Foy Park.

?There is a lot of excitement this year,? said Jason Dyer, the City of Burbank?s Recreation Coordinator. ?For one, we have doubled the numbers. We went from 12 to 24 teams. We?ve also had some free camps and clinics and will continue to have them throughout the season.?

Burbank Dolphins Orange in action (Photo by Craig Sherwood)

Burbank Park and Recreation has done a tremendous job in continuing the success, tradition and enjoyment of flag football. Dyer said there are 30 to 40 percent new kids participating this year.

Twenty-four teams are separated into three age brackets (Grades 2 ? 4, Grades 5/6, and Grades 7 ? 9) and two divisions per bracket (NFL and AFL). Each game features 8 on 8 with every player being eligible on offense. Each player plays the same amount of time. Most importantly for many parents, there isn?t any?hard hitting or tackling. The emphasis is on learning the fundamentals of the sport and the rules of the game.

?You get to learn the game without getting hit. You learn how to move your feet and learn how to play each position,? Dyer said. ?You want to be able to come out here and play and not worry about an injury that might eliminate your career this young. There is a need for both (tackle and flag football) and I think both can co-exist which is great.?

Coach Mike Graceffo (on the left) is assisted by longtime friend, Ken Bailey (in the middle) Photo by Ross A. Benson

While teams come and go at the youth level, there is one constant in Burbank. The Burbank Dolphins and Coach Mike Graceffo are synonymous with flag football in this city. They have been a fixture of Burbank Park and Recreation for more than 30 years. Graceffo is a pillar of strength in the sports community.

?I love sports and I played all the sports when I was a kid. This is my way of giving back to the community a little bit,? said Graceffo, who has coached in this league since the late 1970?s. ?I love flag football because you can open it up. Everyone is eligible to catch a pass. It?s an offensive dream and a defensive nightmare. It?s just a fun game.?

Graceffo?s love and passion for flag football and youth sports does not go unnoticed. He has gained the admiration of many former players who keep in touch with him to this day as well as coach by his side as an assistant.

?Mike Graceffo is awesome. I?ve been able to play for him and coach with him,? said Kenny Knoop, defensive coordinator for the Burroughs Indians. ?I still work with him to this day with our schools and PE. He?s still right there in my life.

Burroughs assistant coach Kenny Knoop played for the Burbank Dolphins in 7th and 8th grade (Photo by Dick Dornan)

?I absolutely love the Burbank Dolphins,? Knoop continued. ?I still go to games and see Mike (Graceffo) and Ken (Bailey) on the field. I started football with the Burbank Dolphins. That was my introduction to football. They are definitely still in my heart.?

?Mike taught me how to be a competitor, how to love sports and to be a team player,? Burbank Dolphins Orange assistant Mike Mersola said. ?He is kind of like the fabric of the city and the Dolphins program is a fabric of the youth. My memories of it were the best times of my youth. Coaching now is really rewarding. It?s an honor and a privilege.?

The Burbank Dolphins Orange is currently 5-0 while the Burbank Dolphins Black is 3-1. It?s nice to win but victories are the last thing on the mind of Graceffo and his staff. It?s about teaching his players how to play the game of football properly while making it exciting at the same time.

So what makes flag football so much fun?

Quarterback Nathan Mehta of the Burbank Dolphins Orange looks downfield for a receiver (Photo by Craig Sherwood)

?It?s all about speed and not just hitting people like tackle,? said Nathan Mehta, 12, quarterback for the Burbank Dolphins Orange. ?I?ve learned that when you keep winning don?t get over your head because there is always someone working to beat you. Always keep working hard even if you are winning. Always be ready for the next game.?

?I like the sport,? said Jesse Rodriguez, 11, who plays guard, center and kicker for the Burbank Dolphins Orange. ?I like to run a lot. It lets all my energy out.?

?It?s fun to play with your friends and it?s a sport that I like and I?m good at it,? said Jonathan Topete, 12, running back for the Burbank Dolphins Orange.

Knoop played tackle football for the first time in ninth grade at Burroughs High. He credits his flag football experience as a major reason for successfully preparing him for the high school level.

?Flag football helps you with the concepts of moving in space and travelling and attacking a person. Two kids running into each other isn?t what football is all about,? Knoop explained. ?As a kid I learned how to attack a target, move lateral, cross the field to get where I was going and learn the angles of the game.

Burbank Dolphins Black (Photo by Ross A. Benson)

?The basic fundamentals of hand-eye coordination, catching, throwing and blocking were all there without smashing into somebody. I am a true believer that tackling in football is an attitude. You don?t have to have pads on to do that correctly. I am a big advocate of kids in flag football. They are learning all the basics of the game.?

The future of flag football is bright in Burbank. Dyer hopes for all middle and private schools in the Burbank area to participate next year for grades seven through nine.

Burbank Park and Recreation will be hosting a high school night at a Burroughs, Burbank and Bell-Jeff football game soon and there will be an end of the season finale that includes punt, pass and kick, and a ceremony honoring the champions, runner-ups and sportsmanship winners for this season.

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Source: http://burbanknbeyond.com/09/special/flag-football-flourishing-for-burbank-park-and-recreation/

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