#GDTBATH:斯宾塞·迪瓦恩
Carolina Football may be hosting its first home game in Kenan Stadium on Saturday evening, but there’s another football team in Chapel Hill representing the Tar Heels on the gridiron.
Football was the biggest part of Spencer Devine’s life growing up. 他爸爸还兼任他的教练, football was his primary focus even when he wasn’t actively on the field.
After high school, when most football players call it quits, Devine wasn’t looking to let it go.
He has continued to keep his connection to football over the past three years as a member of Carolina’s competitive flag football club, which competes against teams from other North Carolina colleges and at regional tournaments. As the president of the team and its quarterback, Spencer has made football — albeit in a different form — a critical part of his Carolina experience.
“大一入学, I just wanted to find a way to stay active while at the same time continue to do something that has been a part of my life forever,迪瓦恩说。, a senior majoring in human development and family studies at the UNC School of 教育.
之一 北卡罗来纳大学校园娱乐中心48个体育俱乐部, the flag football team had been a club tackle football team for decades but transitioned to flag football in 2018. 今天, the team has roughly 30 players with varying experience, from former high school tackle football players to people entirely new to the sport.
Previous football experience, Devine says, doesn’t necessarily translate to flag football anyway.
Aside from the obvious difference between tackle and flag football, there are differences that allow for more trick plays and keep the game moving at a fast pace. 对于迪瓦恩这样的四分卫来说, there’s one significant rule change that sends defenders rushing at him — unblocked — quickly.
“That was a big thing for me coming out of high school,” Devine says. “The biggest thing is how fast flag football is. 你有四秒钟的时间把球扔出去. If not, there’s someone rushing at you every play. Pulling flags is also a lot harder than it looks. Tackling somebody can be as easy as getting in their way.”
全面的学习曲线都很陡峭, the team doesn’t hold tryouts and welcomes all Tar Heels to grab cleats and join them. That environment, Devine says, keeps players — including himself — coming back each week.
“通常情况下, we’ve had people stay because it’s a friendly environment where maybe they weren’t the best athlete, 但他们只是喜欢呆在那里,他说. “Coming to Carolina, I didn’t have a ton of friends coming in. 之一 the first things I did was join the flag team, and I’ve made friends through flag who I talk to today. It really is just a way for us to come together.”
It’s also served as a stress reliever for Devine, who says he sees practice attendance increase around midterms and finals when Tar Heels are looking for a break.
But that’s not to say the team doesn’t care about winning.
没有正式的教练组, Devine and other experienced players lead practices, developing schemes and plays for upcoming games. 他们训练了两个小时, 一周两次, 准备与地区大学的比赛, 包括北卡罗来纳州立大学和北卡罗来纳大学&T. Seasons conclude with a state championship, which has lately pitted Carolina against NC State.
It’s a rivalry that, though held in the shadow of Kenan Stadium, Devine and his team take seriously.
“不，不是一区. No, we don’t play in a packed stadium, but you’re still playing for a bigger cause,他说. “You’re still part of something bigger than yourself, and I think that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day: making sure you’re putting on for the University.”
