Westfield resident Dave Weikel attended the 2018 International Federation of American Football Flag Football World Championship in Panama but had never seen the professional version of flag football.
Weikel, who is the director of sports medicine at Franciscan Health in central Indiana, has been named one of two athletic trainers for both the men's and women's USA Football teams.
What happened next was a crash course in the fast-paced sport and an opportunity to broaden his horizons.
Weikel provided athletic training and sports medicine services to the U.S. Football Men's Flag National Team and Women's Flag National Team, which will compete this year in the 2024 World Championships in Finland, where 660 athletes from 32 countries will compete for the gold medal from Aug. 27-30.
Weikel competed in the championships in Panama in 2018 and Israel in 2021.
“When you go to an event like the World Championships, you get to see different teams and how they do things,” Weikel said. “You get to interact with medical staff from other countries and learn from them, and you can teach them too, which is a side benefit of the games themselves. You get to build relationships with coaches and players, make connections with people from around the world and get their thoughts on some things.”
Although the rules of flag football limit physical contact, it is still a very physical sport, and injuries, although generally less common than in tackle football, are inevitable. When serving at flag football events, Weikel is tasked with a significant amount of rehabilitation and injury evaluation.
The recent training camp in Charlotte, North Carolina, focused on recovery and soft-tissue work.
Athletic trainers do a lot of taping and bracing at training camps and games, the same service Weikel provides to local high school athletic programs through his Franciscan Health Sports Medicine program.
“These guys are very athletic,” Weikel said. “Watching them, you can tell it takes a lot of agility and quickness. It takes a lot of body control. There are a lot of similarities between flag football and regular tackle football, but there are also a lot of differences because of the nature of the game. Some of the skills are transferable, but not all. It's a two-way street. A tackle football player doesn't necessarily make a good flag football player, and vice versa.”
Flag football will be an event at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and if all goes according to plan, Weikel will be assisting Team USA there.
“We were definitely excited to find out it would be an Olympic sport in 2028,” he said. “The ultimate goal was always to get football into the Olympics. Given the nature of the sport, the physicality and the time needed to recover, it just wasn't feasible to include tackle football. As flag football has grown in popularity, especially overseas, the focus has shifted to bringing it to the Olympic level. Since it was announced last year that it would be in the 2028 Olympics, the popularity and interest has exploded.”
The U.S. team has been doing well: The men's team has won the past four world championships since 2014, and the women's team has won the past two.
“It's such a fun experience to be a part of these events, especially going to different countries,” Weikel said. “Hopefully, I'll hear the national anthem at the medal ceremony. I never get bored of it. It's really great to be a part of all of this.”
Weikel said he hopes Franciscan University's sports medicine program will be a part of national tournaments and events.
“What I'm doing with USA Football is part of the larger direction we're heading with the Franciscan sports medicine program,” he said. “I've been very fortunate to be involved with a lot of the big events that come to Indianapolis, and I want the Franciscan staff to have that same experience. As a program, we're looking to be in a position to be involved with the different national governing bodies and high-level events that come to Indianapolis and participate in. Say we provide medical support for XYZ tournament, that will help take the program to the next level.”
For more information on USA Football, visit usafootball.com
