Kids & Family
Flag Football Mom Will Chop, Donate Hair after Championships
One mom's journey with the Oak Forest Park District Flag Football Buccaneers team will end Sunday. And she plans to mark the occasion by donating to Locks of Love.
The Buccaneer moms feel like family.
After years together in the Oak Forest Park District football program, they'll say they've gone from football newbies to sideline-pacing fans. Their sons have grown from first graders into middle-schoolers, and relative strangers have woven into a tight-knit group.
But all good things must come to an end—even their time as Buccaneers. The moms will wear the red Buc hoodies one last time, for the team's championship game Sunday, Nov. 10. Oak Forest resident Patricia Florek will wrap 7 years as a Buccaneer mom—and plans to "go out with a bang and some tears."
If the Bucs win, Florek will cut off 15 inches of her hair after the big game. The strands will be donated to Locks of Love. (She believes she'll go under the scissors regardless of the final score.)
The gesture marks the end of an era for Florek and the other team moms. Their sons will move on to the senior division of the program next year, and the mothers will miss the camaraderie and family feel.
"What I love about the program, is the coach (Kevin Carney) takes the time out to appreciate each kid, to sit back and reflect on each of the kids," Florek said. "That's what I love about Oak Forest."
"They teach the kids to play clean," said Janine Perez.
The parents have grown closer each year, as they also learned the terminology of the game.
"We don't sit," Perez said. "We follow the plays."
"You would think it's an NFL game," Shalati said, laughing.
The Buccaneers are one team in the Oak Forest Park District Flag Football league, which also includes cheerleaders. In the past three years, they have finished in third place twice, and second place once.
The Buccaneers take on the Redskins Sunday at 11 a.m., in the championship game at Jesk Park. Along the sidelines, both teams will also collect canned food for donation to the St. Damian Food Pantry.
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