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More than 70 teams show up to Snow Bowl Zack Doggett, Team Kaos, attempts to avoid defenders during flag football competition at US Cellular Fields on Sunday. [PHOTO BY: LARRY STAUTH JR / FOR THE MAIL TRIBUNE] Sunday Feb 26, 2017 at 7:15 PM Feb 26, 2017 at 7:52 PM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil Wet, cold weather chilled Medford Sunday afternoon, but it didn't put a damper on U.S. Cellular Community Park's Snow Bowl, a weekend flag football tournament that drew about 70 teams from four states to town. "It's called Snow Bowl for a reason," tournament player Jalen Dixon, of Medford, said. Teams and supporters packed the scene with gear, tents and camping chairs while chilly rain trickled from above and some snow settled in the surrounding hills.   Despite the large draw, the league tournament has humble beginnings. It debuted in Grants Pass in January 2012 with four teams entering, according to event organizer Nick Davis of Man Up Woman Up, a sports clothing business based in the Rogue Valley. The event was originally formed as a test market for specialized flag football pants from the business, which utilize Velcro pieces attached to the hips to hold the flags. Interest in the tournament grew rapidly. The number of participating teams doubled in the 2013 event. By 2016, 32 teams showed up to play. This year, that number more than doubled. "Man, it grew," Davis said. Currently, the Man Up Woman Up league is in 10 Oregon cities. The tournament has expanded to include youth, co-ed and women's teams. "It's something more challenging, something to do, and now it's available, even for women," player Loretta Irving said of the sport. "I know a lot of us wanted to play (in high school), but we never played. I think that's the biggest draw." The tournament also serves as a platform to encourage turning youth flag football into a year round club sport. "Right now in this area, (flag football's) seasonal. In other areas, it's year-round," Davis said. "We feel like we could get kids to play year-round." Player Diana Thayer said she originally got into flag football about three years ago because of her 9-year-old and 11-year-old sons. "I felt like, having boys, I needed to get on their level," she said. "They play football and understand the sport." Since joining, she has traveled all up and down the west coast for tournaments. She thinks the draw and increased popularity in the sport stems from the players. "We come from so many different walks of life," she said. "It's that diversity of it, and then all playing a common sport that we all like, where you can bring your children." Dixon says the sport is a fun, safe way to keep in shape. It also has a draw for youth interested in football if their parents are concerned about the high intensity of tackle. "I think parents want their kids to be active, but I think they don't want the contact at this age," he says. "So I think flag football is a good alternate to get them into football, and then later on they can progress to tackle." Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil.