New Lowell flag football player makes Team Ontario

Karrington Nash, of New Lowell, won’t be on Team Canada when Flag Football makes its debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles but she has her sights set on the 2032 games.

Nash is one of 15 players selected for the Ontario U19 team, one of 12 in the starting line-up, and has been named most valuable defensive player.

Flag football was only recently sanctioned by U.S. university sports bodies and is relatively new in Canada.

Nash trains in Barrie with the Simcoe North Stars, and also plays in a Monday night house league. Since the Barrie program started three years ago, it has grown to nearly 400 members in boys, girls and youth divisions.

Nash, 17, is a Grade 12 student at Nottawasaga Pines Secondary School in Angus. At various times, she has played softball and volleyball and competed in track and gymnastics, but she especially enjoys the team aspect of flag football. Once she decided that flag football was her thing, she wanted something more.

“I could only learn so much with the Barrie team and I wanted a bigger stage,” she said. “I like to be challenged, so I decided to tryout for Team Ontario.”

Tryouts started last fall, and in January, Nash got the news that she had made it through the first phase for Team Ontario. She also tried out for the national team, and while she didn’t make the cut this time, she plans to be there when the team is selected for the 2032 Olympics in Australia.

Flag football is a non-contact game where instead of tackling, players stop the ball carrier by removing a flag attached to their waist. The primary objective is to advance the ball down the field and score touchdowns by moving the ball across the opponents’ goal line. Nash says the game demands plenty of skill.

“Conditioning matters,” she said “but skill and strategy are more important.” She is headed for a training camp in Montreal May 13-14, then will be involved in a tournament hosted at Queens University in Kingston May 15-17. She will be travelling with the Barrie rep team every other weekend throughout June, July and August.

It costs about $1,800 per year to be on the Ontario team. That covers practise time and accommodations at tournaments. Nash has secured a $250 pledge from Macs Performance in Barrie. They are excited about sponsoring their first ever female athlete. Her family is responsible for her travel costs. Dominos Pizza in Angus, where she has a part-time job, will host a fundraiser on May 2 where $5 from each order that uses a special coupon will go to her travel fund.

Nash is one of only two small-town girls selected for the Ontario U19s. Most of her teammates come from larger centres like Toronto and Halton with more established programs. She has been approached by several U.S. colleges about the possibility of studying there and playing flag football but she would prefer to stay in Canada. She is planning to enter a four-year kinesiology program, then possibly pursue a master’s degree to become an occupational therapist.