Everyone knows a little healthy competition is good. It can be fun and provides an outlet for students to burn off some excess energy. It can also help develop relationships and build communities. And that is what several of Oregon’s Job Corps centers are doing through flag football games.

On July 14th, students from Timber Lake Job Corps Center outside Estacada, Oregon visited the Springdale JCC to show off their skills in flag football. The Springdale team had been practicing for several weeks, preparing for the showdown that would demonstrate whose flags flapped the fastest. The contestants faced each other on the back field that acts as a baseball diamond, archery target practice, and football field. Students and staff cheered on both sides as the teams went into triple overtime, with Springdale finally breaking the tie and ending the game with a victory.

The flag football game was the latest in a series of gatherings and events designed to foster understanding and build relationships between the centers in Oregon.

“It started with the basketball game at Timber Lake JCC earlier this year,” says SJCC Center Director, Naomi Ulsted. “Then we had the Student Government Association Summit at Springdale. Next all the center directors in Oregon will meet in Salem with Governor Brown’s staff to discuss the impact our program has on the state’s economy.”

The competitive side of things continues with the next flag football game being hosted at Tongue Point JCC outside Astoria, Oregon. Patrick McFarland, Recreation Supervisor at Springdale, has handled the organization of these cross-center exchanges. “I work with the supervisors at the other centers to set up the games and make sure everyone will have a good time. In August, we’ll load up the bus and drive out to Astoria to meet with the Tongue Point team,” he explained. “I hope we win, but really the goal is to introduce our students to each other and expand their community.”

Naomi continued. “It’s good for them to know about the students at other centers and to realize they’re part of a larger group of young people bettering themselves at Job Corps.”

Who knows what other competitions Patrick will put together to build those inter-center relationships, but no matter what we’ll be on the sidelines cheering!