NGFFL Member City Profile: Hawaii

I had a chance to chat with Ty, one of the founders of the Hawaii Gay Flag Football League (HIGFFL), and wanted to get to know one of the member cities better.  I decided I would ask some questions about this amazing community, and wanted to share this with the rest of the NGFFL members.  Ty even was able to introduce me to some of the league members and I got to know some great guys from the league as well! 

                      

James: How did the HIGFFL get started?

Ty: The toughest thing about Hawaii is that there is no established gay sports league, so there's not an established structure we could piggyback off of. Actually started recruiting people by posting a profile on gay apps looking for people who were interested in playing flag football. Once I got 2-3 staunch supporters, they helped by spreading the word at bars and with their friends in other organizations. The gay military connection is actually a big source of our athletes. We would meet to play pickup games on Saturdays or just teaching skills to new players. It became a weekly event and then we decided to see if we could run a season and make it official











James: How many members are involved?

Ty: We had 39 players for our first season of the HIGFFL. But we have had guys and girls come and go. I think our reach is around 80 distinct players who have played with us before. We have a big group of folks who do not play but come out to watch on a weekly basis. Our goal for this upcoming season is 4 teams with about 15 players each.











James:  What are some favorite moments of the league?

Ty: I think the rain game was one of the fun moments during our league play. It poured heavily for about 40 minutes and had a huge impact on the game. Play had to be adjusted on the fly since we couldn't throw the or even see the ball. The best thing about it was that no one complained and everyone played through it and had a blast 











James: What do you think the other members of your league would say about HIGFFL?

Ty: Meet Anthony, Jay & Bernard.  They’ll give you some thoughts. 

James: Awesome!

James: Anthony, how do you think being involved in the HIGFFL has made an impact on you?

Anthony: It has made me stronger in that I am able to dive into the unknown and make the best of it. I have made some amazing friends that I would do anything for. Never playing football before was a challenge however there was lots of support and encouragement from those with more experience than myself. I never feel put down by anyone. I can say that this league strives to incorporate everyone in our community.

James: Wow, that’s really awesome!  Jay, how do you think being involved in HIGFFL has helped the Gay community in Hawaii?

Jay: Well, when I got to Hawaii, I resorted to Grindr to make friends. I made a friend who knew about the HIGFFL starting. Joining the team introduced me to tons of wonderful people who are all so nice and charming! It gave me a sense of belonging here instead of being alone and scared of being in a new area. I'm in the navy and Hawaii is my first duty station.

James: Wow, that’s really powerful.  Thanks for sharing that!  Bernard, what would you say your experience has been in HIGFFL?

Bernard:  I never played any type of organized sports in my life or any type of team sports so I just thought it would be a good time to start. Yes at age 42 I decide to start playing team sports.  Second reason is I had just recently moved to the island when I saw the advertisement for the team.  So I figured it would be a good way to meet new people after just moving here as oppose to the go it alone attitude I have taken over the time I have been in the military.

James: Wow that's so cool Bernard!!  So, back to you Ty, I see that Gay Bowl registration is coming up for Philly.  I noticed you took some guys to Phoenix last year.  How did you guys do at Gay Bowl 2013?

Ty: NOT LAST!!!  Lol. We had a set of baby-steps goals to get through and I think the team did well given that no one else really had any experience at the national level. We completed a pass, got a first down, scored a TD, got a sack, INTs, and won a game!






James: Are you planning to send a team to Philadelphia for Gay Bowl 2014?

Ty:  We are planning to send a team to Philly. The government furlough really wrecked our depth last year and hopefully we can still get a good team going despite the 14hr travel.

James: That’s awesome!  Other than the travel, what would you say makes playing LGBT Flag Football Hawaii unique?

Ty: I think the folks out here are hungry to play. There is no real gay sports leagues here and they want to play pickup games every single weekend! The weather works for it and our fields are beautiful, so I don't really blame them. There's Diamond Head as our backdrop and the gay beach is a 2min walk across the street.





James: That’s got to be pretty beautiful!!  What are some of the challenges for the community in Hawaii, and how can we help if there is anyway we can support the mission?

Ty: We are pretty lucky here in Hawaii given that we are the only gay sports league here. Bars and other sponsors are amazing with their support. Our fields are free and our refs are currently player volunteers. We have a lot of new people who have never played sports before interspersed with players who have experienced since high school. I think in order to grow we need help in advanced development. Like many other cities we are going to need to develop quarterbacks, and coaches/captains. We can't grow unless we can get a QB, and a leader/play caller/teacher for each new team we want to add.

James: I hear ya there.  Is there anything you would like to add? 

Ty: Actually, yes!  If anyone from NGFFL is visiting Honolulu come watch during our season or bring your cleats to play in the off-season!  We've already have some guys join us from Chicago, San Diego, Denver and Atlanta!  Or even join us out at our sponsor bars: Bacchus, Hula's, Lojax, & In Between!  If you're on Maui, sorry no football (yet!) but you can stay at a gay-friendly Maui Sunseeker hotel who are supporters of our league!  Also, make sure you like our HIGFFL page on Facebook and check out all the pictures and players at www.facebook.com/HIGFFL!!  

James: That’s great!  Thank you so much for your time Ty and I can’t wait to see you in Philadelphia!!