By Christine Garcia
On the green turf, with her white flags flapping on her sides, as she dodges and jukes opposing players; senior Riley Bridges stirs up success on the football field.
When the flag football season for Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) ended, Bridges’ coaches informed her about the opportunity to participate in the Los Angeles (LA) Chargers and Nike Girls’ flag football All-Star game at the SoFi stadium.
Her coaches had nominated her to compete and train with 70 athletes from Orange County (OC) and LA. With OC taking the win against LA, Bridges was proud and eager to join as a rusher for the OC team, playing a defensive position.
“This year is the first year that we had it [flag football] at our school and it was such a great experience, being able to continue doing [flag football] outside of school. And I felt really happy,” Bridges said.
She began her athletic journey at the age of 3, playing soccer and swimming. In third grade, she picked up volleyball and basketball. Last year, she joined water polo in her junior year.
As for her football career, Bridges started playing flag football in elementary school and middle school. Her experience pushed her to pursue the sport officially in her senior year of high school after the CIF sanctioned flag football as a fall sport.
“Being a part of the first team at our school was something that was really important to me,” Bridges said. “I feel like our boy’s football team gets so much attention at school and I was like, well, we [girls] can play football too.”
Whether it is FVHS’ football field or the Sofi stadium, Bridges’ skills persevere through the hardships of being a full-time student-athlete.
Apart from flag football, she actively competes on FVHS’ water polo team and swim team, as well as participates in competitive swimming outside of school. In addition to playing rigorous sports, her schedule consists of three AP classes, Ceramics and Baron Broadcast News (BBN).
“I stay motivated during my sports because I love my teammates and I love the sports I play,” Bridges said. “During school, I think just finding what I’m interested in and the subject itself helps me focus and get my work done.”
Bridges believes her drive comes from not only her love for sports, but also the unwavering support of her teammates, coaches, friends and family.
“[Friends] helped me work on my problems and keep me motivated and just help me live happily,” Bridges said.
As for the future of Bridges, she envisions playing a sport at college while enjoying the experience and academics college offers. Bridges’ continual stamina and disciplined training for a multitude of sports will only push her toward accomplishing greater milestones in the future.
