by Pedro Pereira
Pioneers in the practice of flag football in Rio Grande do Sul, the players of Santa Cruz Chacais represent one of the most traditional brands of oval ball sports in the state – check it out HERE the team’s history. They used the first half of the year to prepare and, now, the Santa Cruz residents seek, in addition to winning the RS Cup, to form a constant and competitive team. Remembering that the competition will have the wide coverage of this site.
Although the first formation of the men’s football team was created in 2004, with the name of Bulldogs, it was only in June 2016 that Santa Cruz Chacais launched the women’s division of flag football. According to the president and founder Jeancarlo Weschenfelderseveral fans of the sport were interested in practicing it, but they didn’t know where to start and, therefore, the Jackals decided to innovate.
“Our main intention has always been to make Chacais a space for everyone. At the time, there were several city girls interested in the sport, but without having a way to practice it. It was at a time when Flag was growing a lot in Brazil, but here in RS there was no team. So we formed the first one and we are still there today,” said Weschenfelder.
Despite being part of the process of popularizing the flag in the state since the beginning, the players of Chacais “hit the post” in the three finals they played – the 2017 and 2018 RS Cups and the 2018 Gaucho Championship. season with the third place of Gauchão, however, in the second half, they lost all the matches they played in the last pre-pandemic competition – the RS Cup of that year.
With the flexibility of measures against Covid-19, both the modality full pads football (that players wear protective gear) and the flag footballhad new editions of state and national tournaments suspended during 2020 and 2021. However, the Santa Cruz do Sul team preferred not to participate in the 2022 Gaucho Championship, which took place in March and May, and resumed training in July.
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The head coach of the Jackal squads, Mark Martins, explains that the women’s project needed to undergo a reformulation after the pandemic scenario, since few girls had remained on the team. “We chose not to participate. [do Gauchão] to be able, in fact, to restructure everything and make a complete championship, without having to suffer from a lack of players”, said the member of the technical commission.
Regardless of not having played in the first championship of the season, Martins does not consider that the team was “stopped in time” even though only five athletes who were already in the Chacais before the start of the pandemic have continued. “I wouldn’t say we’re behind. We’re a younger team in terms of having more rookies, but we have a lot of raw talent to polish,” said the coach.
Having the Soldiers men’s team as a reference of consistency, Martins says that having “hit the beam” on other occasions does not weigh in on the competition, because “it’s not worth winning today and not being able to have that consistency tomorrow”. Likewise, he understands that the time for the Santa Cruz do Sul team to be champions will come.
In addition to Santa Cruz, traditional teams such as Desterro Atlantis – from Florianópolis, Santa Catarina -, Carlos Barbosa Ximangos and Santa Maria Soldiers also compete in the RS Cup that takes place next weekend, in Júlio de Castilhos. For Martins, these teams, in this order, are the ones that the Jackals most expect to face and consider strong. He still says that “the Jackals and Soldiers rivalry has always existed. It’s a very healthy thing and having it in every category (both full pads as female flag) is a very good thing. I am happy to face them”.
As it is inclusive in various spheres of society, the development of the sport in RS is one of the goals of the team president, in his management. “I, in particular, see flag football as the perfect sport to unite the community. So, investing in it is one of my focuses, so much so that we are also creating the men’s division, and at the beginning of next year, I intend to start basic categories”, declared the founder.
Quarterback dos Chacais, MVP (most valuable player, in literal translation) of the 2018 Gauchão grand final and great leader of the squad, Irla Oliveira talks about the joy of playing the sport “for all” and also reiterates the pride he feels in being part of the flag community. “I feel very happy to have had the opportunity to meet Flag, train and compete in championships representing Jackais. The team spirit made me a stronger and more determined person. It is an inclusive sport, that is, for all of us. I feel flattered too, because the flag makes us strong and strength is part of women”, said the player.
The Jackals open the Júlio de Castilhos tournament, on Saturday (10), at 8:30 am, against the Soldiers. All matches take place at the Miguel Waihrich Filho Municipal Stadium, and will be broadcast on the official FGFA channel, on YOUTUBE. To check out the complete tournament guide, just click HERE.
