Peter DeCamillis
Induction Year: 2023
What Impact has Summit had on your life?
Summit has had a profound impact on my life. Insecurity is something that plagued me throughout my life, whether it was not feeling smart enough, not feeling thin enough, or generally not feeling like I fit in. Once I started playing Summit, my insecurities slowly started to recede into the background. It sounds strange to say that playing competitive flag football could have an impact on my career and my overall mental health, but it has. I am a better advocate in the courtroom because of the confidence I’ve gained in Summit. I am a better person because of my time playing with Summit. And I finally feel like I fit in.
What is one of your favorite memories related to Summit?
There are too many single any one out, so I’ll go with two. I remember my first Summit tournament in Chicago. I was pretty nervous and I recall warming up and getting some words of encouragement from Jason Buniger.
After that first couple of plays, I knew everything was going to be fine and I’ve never looked back. My second favorite memory was everything that happened with winning my first Gay Bowl championship in Hawaii. The entire experience was magical and I could have retired right then and there were it not for being greedy and wanting more championships.
Message for future summit players:
Be flexible, not proud. The greatest success I had on Summit was when I went from Summit Blue to Summit Red, and accepted that my body couldn’t perform like it used to and that was ok. Had I just wallowed in my own hurt feelings and wounded pride, I would have missed out on some great memories with amazing teammates. Above all, enjoy every moment you’re on this team.