The Powder Puff game and carnival is supposed to be just another outlet for the Loonies to release their surplus of school spirit. Students come out to cheer on the junior and senior girls, enjoy a show presented by male cheerleaders, and have a good time at the carnival with their friends.
However, despite the intentions of the Powder Puff game, does this school tradition actually promote class disunity?
The rivalry between the junior and senior classes strengthens during the weeks leading up to and immediately after the Powder Puff game and carnival. Girls from each class start trash talking well before kickoff, singling out girls they want to “get” during the game.
The junior and senior classes are also divided by the senior’s obnoxious expectation to win, and they will do whatever it takes to fulfill those expectations. Because they are the older class, most of whom have already participated in the Powder Puff game the previous year, the seniors have no doubt that they will defeat the junior girls. This superiority complex, and the trash talking that goes along with it, can hurt the juniors’ confidence as a team, and this may carry over into areas off the Powder Puff field.
And the game itself is ruthless. Despite being only a flag football game, the girls physically hurt each other, kicking, hitting, and scratching in order to let out aggression and win at all costs. These fouls against one another anger many of the girls, and grudges and rivalries have been known to form due to the players taking advantage of what is supposed to be a good, clean, no-contact game.
By pitting two classes against one another, as the Powder Puff game does, it divides the school and turns friends into rivals, at least for the duration of the game. Instead, the school should host an all-Leesville Powder Puff team that includes both the junior and senior classes. This team could play against another junior/senior team from another school, which would allow Leesville to unite against a common rival. Not only would this still give the girls a chance to play the game, it would provide another opportunity to show school spirit and unite the school, instead of dividing it.
Leave a Reply