Four years ago, Kari "The Don Wan" Toyama was working at Safeway, and trying to come up with an alternative way to help raise money for Breast Cancer research than contributing to the store's bake sale. She wanted to somehow involve gaming, and eventually hit upon the idea of a Halo 2 tournament. Asking for and receiving support from The Cavegirls (her long-time gaming group), she and Cavegirls' Co-Founder Tasha "Zoom Demon" began organizing. The success and response to that first tournament was mind-blowing, and continues to expand each year.
The tournament is open to everyone, male or female and this year, there will be a FFA event, a 2v2 event and a 4v4 event, so no matter what your preferred mode of combat is, you can find a way to fight! If you are looking for another player or team to play with, there is a dedicated Teammate Finder section in the forums.
I have personally been taken part in FLAG for three years, having both competed and refereed in the second annual FLAG, and volunteering as referee again for the third. Being a referee is something I find myself looking forward to each year as October approaches, and I will once again join the ranks of the Referees this year.
As of yet there has not been a female winner, the closest any have come was during the 2008 tournament, when a girl placed second in the FFA tournament (her brother placed first). Both Kari and Tasha would love to see a girl take First place this year, and so would we! So get your BR out and start practicing, and then get yourself over to the FLAG Tournament website and sign up for the FFA, 2v2 or 4v4 tournaments!
Fight Like A Girl takes place Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th, 2009, and all proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the NCCC to benefit Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Research.
