FOOTBALL. Federation summons Rio Grande do Sul flag football team. Eight athletes are from Soldiers

by Pedro Pereira

Last Friday (14), the Gaucho Federation of American Football (FGFA) officially announced, on its social networks, the creation of the Gaucho Women’s Flag Team – Rio Grande do Sul Pampeanas. In the first call, eight athletes from Santa Maria Soldiers, the team with the most titles in the state, were selected. The idea of ​​the project is to meet and carry out training together in preparation for future disputes.

According to the president of the FGFA, Ismael Ferreira, the formation of a delegation from Rio Grande do Sul was requested by the Brazilian Confederation of American Football, with the aim of, in the future, holding competitions with state teams. “There was a request from the Brazilian Confederation of American Football to the federations to organize themselves for the possibility of having national team championships as of 2023, as has happened in the past in other categories. This call is aimed at participating in a series of training sessions that will take place at the end of the year, taking advantage of the fact that the women’s flag calendar in Rio Grande do Sul is already over”.

Likewise, Ferreira reveals that the idea is to develop teams from Rio Grande do Sul in two more categories: men’s flag football and under-20 American football. So far, the organization is in the process of structuring the technical commission of these delegations. This will not be the first time that a base squad has been formed, as in 2018 an under-19 team full pads (with the use of protective equipment) was formed in Rio Grande do Sul to face the selection of Santa Catarina.

To build the female flag cast, data from the Campeonato Gaúcho and Copa RS 2022, as well as state tournaments from previous years, were studied and used. In addition, the athletes had a period of time to show interest in participating in the Gaucho National Team. Check out all the squads and their original teams below.

technical committee

Head Coach: William Spazzin (Carlos Barbosa Ximangos)

Offensive coordinators: Adriano Souza Jr. (Lions Flag Football) and Oscar Capuchino (Canoas Bulls)

Defensive coordinators: Pedro Cavalheiro (Stone Giants) and Marcos Martins (Santa Cruz Chacais)

Attack Time

Quarterbacks: Eduarda Santi (Santa Maria Soldiers)Letícia Poersch (Carlos Barbosa Ximangos) and Nádia Pranke (Lions Flag Football)

Snappers: Ashley Monique (Canoas Bulls), Jessica de Jesus (Erechim Coroados) and Raquel Heimann (Soldiers)

Wide Outs: Carolina Collares (Lions Flag Football), Ester Medeiros (Carlos Barbosa Ximangos), Jessica Lemos (Santa Maria Soldiers)Luana Limberger (Santa Cruz Chacais), Raúla Leal (Lions Flag Football) and Renata de Oliveira (no team)

Slot Receivers: Cíntia Larissa (Carlos Barbosa Ximangos), Georgia Boff (Santa Cruz Chacais) and Kelly Maldaner (Santa Maria Soldiers)

Defense Team

Blitzers: Gabriela Müller (Lions Flag Football), Manuela Kelling (Santa Maria Soldiers) and Tayane Bueno (Erechim Coroados)

Linebackers: Ane Alonso (Carlos Barbosa Ximangos), Dienefer dos Santos (Carlos Barbosa Ximangos), Edimara Heis (Lions Flag Football, Irla Oliveira (Santa Cruz Chacais), Kimberly Valentim (Lions Flag Football) and Suelen Raugust (Santa Maria Soldiers)

Safeties: Charlana Jung (Canoas Bulls), Danyele Tiburski (Carlos Barbosa Ximangos), Juliana Dalcin (Carlos Barbosa Ximangos), Kelly Taline (Santa Maria Soldiers)Laura Doering (Lions Flag Football) e Lucimara Friedrich (Santa Maria Soldiers)

The first commitment of the gaúchas should take place in December, in the city of Timbó, Santa Catarina, with the dispute of the Copa Sul for women’s flag. The competition, which has not yet been officially announced, will feature teams from the southern region of the country, that is, the girls from Pampeanas will be the only ones representing a selection.

An opportunity for evolution

One of the eight Soldiers summoned to the Gaucho National Team was Lucimara Friedrich, who already had part of her history in the modality told by the website (HERE). The safety of the Santa Maria team illustrates the feeling of being considered one of the best defensive players in the state: “it is gratifying to be considered a good athlete. The feeling, too, is recognition for the efforts I make on and off the field to help my team,” she declared.

The call-up was not expected, according to the player, but it was important to understand how her performance on the pitch was being perceived. “I didn’t expect to be called because there are many girls who are excellent players. However, she was curious. I was interested to know if what I’ve been doing on the field is satisfying. This look from the outside is important”, said Lucimara.

For the athlete, the expansion of the Gaucho flag football to the rest of Brazil is one of the main points of the project. “In Rio Grande do Sul, we have girls who are at the Brazilian national team level and have not yet had the opportunity to show their talent. This team will leverage great opportunities.”

In 2023, Santa Maria Soldiers returns to the field with the Gaucho Championship, in the first half of the year. The player points out the main positive points of the selection of eight players from the Santa Maria squad for the Pampeanas and continues talking about the importance of this selection.

“For Soldiers, it will be a gain in knowledge. One of the goals of the project is to expand learning and everything we do will be passed on to our athletes. So I’m really happy that there are people who are really interested in supporting the girls and the sport. This support is needed to have a bright future. I am very grateful for that”, said Lucimara.