It's a tough thing to say that the Flagstaff High School girls athletic program is the best in Flagstaff because there are so many good athletes -- boys and girls -- in town.

But it's even tougher to ignore the proof.

The Lady Eagles have proved year after year that they can compete at a state championship level, and they've done it in multiple sports. Cross country, volleyball, soccer and track and field all have championship trophies from within the past two years.

And don't forget that the softball team is a recent state power and looks to be again soon; that the basketball team went to the state quarterfinals three years in a row; even the cheer team competes at the state level almost every year.

Some of the girls sports that don't have a state champion, either individually or as a team, aren't far behind. Swimming and tennis have state-caliber individuals just biding their time before getting to the big dance.

So what it is that they're putting in the water at Flagstaff High School that makes these girls team stand far and above all the other teams -- boys included -- in Flagstaff?

It turns out the water is just plain water.

TRADITION AND HARD WORK

The female athletes at Flagstaff know what is expected of them. They know they're going to have to bust their tails to even just make the team, and then work even harder to succeed.

It's been the tradition at Flag High that has been going on for so long, no one can say just how long.

After her team won the Division II state volleyball championship this year, Beth Haglin said tradition is big at Flag High.

"So is consistency. I've been around a long time and we've made sure to have a consistent program," Haglin said. "We've had our ups and downs, but we've never had a losing system because we've been consistent. Once it's started, and it started a long time ago, the tradition just builds and builds and success breeds success."

Another 2012 championship coach, cross country's Trina Painter, said her job taking over the cross country team was easy. She just did what the coaches before her did.

"The team itself has a special dynamic that's always been a part of cross country at Flagstaff High School," Painter said. "The tradition was there before I took over as the coach and we're just continuing in the path that was laid out before us and that passes down from one class to the next."

The successful classes of the past still have a great influence on today's athletes. They've seen former teams win championships, and they know they can also achieve the highest standard in their sport.

PRESSURE ON THEMSELVES

Former soccer coach David Meyers said all of the soccer athletes he's coached put the pressure on themselves to succeed, and he admitted a lot of times he just felt like the captain of a ship, steering the way.

"When these young ladies come in and know the program has been successful, they take it upon themselves to continue that. Traditionally, we've been successful, (the girls) put the weight on themselves to make sure it continues," Meyers said. "What's interesting is how they hold themselves to such high standards. The soccer girls always held themselves to an exacting standard of being great, and not just on the field, but in the classroom as well. They get to practice on time and make sure they do individually what needs to be done to help the team be successful."

Haglin said that when it comes to hard work, all the female athletes at Flagstaff step up to the plate. They're not just working hard in practice during the season, they're taking the time year-round to work out in the gym and lift weights.

She added that's not something every athlete is willing to do.

"When you come out for a girls sport at Flagstaff and step on the field or the court, there's an expectation that you're going to work hard and that it's going to be hard to make the team," she said. "You're coming out to make a top-notch team. I do know for a fact there are girls who don't come to Flag High because they know they can't make the team and that's why we have the best athletes."

Flagstaff athletic director Jeanine Brandel added that a lot of athletes -- especially when Sinagua High School closed and kids could pick Flagstaff or Coconino -- chose not to even try out for Flagstaff teams.

"Kids were more apt to say, 'I'm going to Coco because there were already positions filled on our teams.'"

COACHING ATHLETIC QUALITY

There's no question that a lot of the success of girls teams at Flagstaff High has to do with natural athletic ability.

Painter, Haglin, Meyers and head basketball coach Tyrone Johnson all agreed they were lucky to have naturally talented athletes to work with.

But having the talent and knowing what to do with it are two completely different things.

"We have some very talented young ladies who combine with the quality of coaching and the tradition that came before them," Brandel said. "Coconino has some very talented athletes, but they haven't had the consistency in coaching that we have. We've had the same coaches in some sports for 15 or 20 years, and if not the same coach, part of that team. The athletes at other schools are every bit as good and they play with Flag athletes on club teams."

But playing on a club team doesn't guarantee success. There's no question that the great athletes get better because they do compete at their sport all year, but there's more to it than just that.

It's clear that athletes from Flagstaff play on the same club teams with athletes from Coconino. But during the high school season the Flagstaff girls teams are more successful, and that's because of the consistency Flagstaff's known in coaching and continuity that builds in the programs.

"There is a strong girls program at the club level," Meyers said. "Flagstaff's girls play with Coconino girls, and they know each other and have played together since they were young. When I was coaching, I was more of a manager because all of the players already had great skills. All I had to do was put the pieces together to make a good team, so the club system deserves a lot of credit. They're building these players from little girls into great high school players."

Johnson, who coaches the boys basketball club team, said all the athletes who play club sports get better.

"We have girls who play on club teams and a lot of our girls compete with girls from Coconino and Page and Winslow, and it benefits them to play against the best local competition," he said.

Flagstaff High School has experienced the perfect storm in its girls athletics program. The Lady Eagles have taken advantage of their girls' natural talents, work ethics, consistent coaching and have continued to build on a foundation of tradition to create state championship-caliber teams.

Bill Harris can be reached at bharris@azdailysun.com or 556-2251.