Earlier this month, girls flag football wrapped up its first season under the official watch of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, the first of two provisional seasons before likely becoming the 35th varsity sport sanctioned in the Garden State.
The NJSIAA has expanded its varsity menu in recent years, most recently sanctioning girls ice hockey as an official varsity sport.
After girls flag football, what could be next?
The NJSIAA has not mentioned any specific sports yet, but there are sports growing in popularity in other states, as well as club sports in New Jersey that could eventually make the jump to varsity status. Here are five possibilities.
Crew
US Rowing lists about 1,300 high school rowing clubs, including more than 80 from New Jersey.
That list doesn't include local rowing clubs made up of student-athletes from schools without teams. The Bergen County Rowing Academy operates out of Overpeck Park and offers an opportunity for student-athletes without a program at their school.
The season runs from March until the national championships in early June, making it a fit for the spring sports calendar.
eSports
One of the fastest rising sports nationally in recent years has been eSports, and that growth has already been felt in New Jersey. Colleges such as Rutgers, Stockton and New Jersey City University have embraced eSports on the collegiate level.
The flexibility of eSports makes its inclusion as a varsity sport enticing. Year-round competition makes it possible to be held in any of the three sport seasons.
As a non-strenuous sport, eSports could be labeled similarly to golf and bowling, allowing student-athletes to add it to their sports schedules while participating in another sport.
Skiing
High school skiing teams already exist in New Jersey, but the sport is not yet sanctioned by the NJSIAA. More than a dozen schools have girls and boys teams.
Not every school is close to the mountains, but new facilities could change the game. Big Snow opened a few years ago at American Dream, and Ridgewood's skiing team has already trained there.
Rugby
Youth rugby associations exist in all 50 states, and USA Rugby supports initiative programs for high school teams in 11 different states, including Hudson Catholic here in New Jersey.
Schools such as Bergen Catholic and Don Bosco already offer rugby as a varsity sport with a schedule reaching from March until May.
Rugby could provide a spring option for football players not wishing to participate in lacrosse, baseball or track. Men's and women's rugby will be featured in this summer's Paris Olympics.
Water polo
Eight states and Washington, D.C. sanction water polo as a high school varsity sport, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Private schools such as Lawrenceville, Pingry and Blair Academy already offer the sport, and clubs exist all across the state.
A regulation water polo pool is the same size as the pool used for swimming meets. If the NJSIAA uses a similar schedule to the NCAA water polo season of September to December, water polo could fit in as a fall sport. That would prevent conflicts with winter swimming season in the winter and open up opportunities for swimmers to participate in another sport without leaving the water.
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