By Mason Byers
Staff Writer
The Cactus Cup season is officially underway.
It kicked off Saturday with the Cactus Cup Combine, where over 100 athletes and 15 coaches were in attendance for the first-of-its-kind event. The combine was not only a scouting tool for coaches who will be in the Cactus Cup, but an overall experience for the athletes to learn something new and prepare for the season.
Each athlete received combine jerseys, water bottles and headgear. Then it was time to work.
Whether it was agility drills, route running or 4v4s, the combine had it all to help the athletes grow and prepare for the regular season.
Cactus Cup General Manager Whitney Warmus was excited to see new and familiar faces at the combine, while making sure every athlete left learning something new.
“We want to make sure that we're getting to the development part of this game and showing that, 'Hey, we're here to make them grow themselves and just grow the game,'” Warmus said.
“The mentality coming into the combine was developing and getting better.”
The players of the Cactus Cup were also excited to get straight to work and refine their skills at the combine. Cactus Cup player and Mountain Pointe quarterback Amaya Moreno was glad to be on the field and is excited to see her game grow, as well as her peers.
“It was a great event there are a lot of girls out here getting this work in and I feel like it's going to be good for their growth and exposure,” Moreno said. “Today was already just the start, but a lot of girls showed out, showed up and it's amazing.”
The Cactus Cup takes pride in helping grow the game for athletes and helping them get to where they want to be.
With the Cactus Cup Draft right around the corner, it allows the athletes to play with someone they've played with before, or meet new people and compete against familiar faces. Cactus Cup players, Maddie Coger and Serena De Rosa are looking forward to seeing the league grow and facing off against one another.
“We all know most of these girls and I'm excited to meet new girls,” De Rosa said. “I’m excited to help grow the sport.”
“I’m excited to play,” Coger said. “Just excited to see how everyone is and watch the league grow.”
The motto of the combine was “Bigger than us.” It was something Warmus kept telling all the athletes who showed up. The league is about the players and putting themselves in the spotlight in order to get to the next level they want to be at.
“What we want to do for each player is to put them on the map and give them a name, give them a voice,” Warmus said. “They're showing that the females for flag football is on the rise.”
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