This article is part of a PRO/CON opinion piece on the return of Powderpuff. To view the opposing side, see here.
Krista Roberts
Staff Writer
Like many other events that brighten our school year, the Powderpuff football game has been a long-standing tradition at Mira Costa and should continue to take place.
For upperclassmen each fall, roles are reversed for the Powderpuff game; girls are given the chance to play flag football and boys cheer them on from the sidelines, all in order to raise funds and boost school spirit. The issue, however, is that Powderpuff has created tension between seniors and juniors each year who play against each other.
According to School Resource Officer John Loy, last year Powderpuff participants were involved in various acts of hazing and vandalism related to the Powderpuff game rivalry. As a result, the administration decided that there would be no Powderpuff football game indefinitely.
Hostility and animosity between classes are detrimental to our school, and it is up to the upperclassmen to set an example for the rest of the student body to follow. Athletes are representatives of our school, and like all other sports teams at Mira Costa, the students who participate in Powderpuff should be expected to represent their school appropriately.
If the administration wishes to take a stand against hazing, a consistent school policy should be implemented.
Currently, there are teams like the cheerleading squad and soccer team that use hazing rituals to initiate new members, yet the administration does not reprimand these teams. It is hypocritical to take such an extreme stance against Powderpuff without equivalent actions toward other teams.
The main objective is consistency, and the administration needs to clearly state its stance. Either it should castigate any and all perpetrators of hazing or leave the organizations alone to practice whatever traditions that they wish.
As of now, however, their inconsistency means that those not involved might not get to participate in a friendly game of flag football with peers.
With a uniform and strong stance on hazing, the administration could use Powderpuff as an educational anti-bullying experience. Powderpuff could shed the baggage of its past and be used to prevent hazing. Students would be strongly deterred from participating in malicious hazing rituals through a system of stiff individual punishment. Instead of reprimanding an entire class, focus on stiff punishment for individuals that abuse the Powderpuff game.
Though the vandalism that occurred in previous years was an unfortunate and inappropriate development, the upperclassmen this year should not have to face the consequences.
It is unjust that students uninvolved in last year’s criminal activities should face consequences for the actions of others. Punishing current seniors who were not involved in the incidents surrounding last year’s game and current juniors for whom it was unlikely to have been involved isn’t a constructive way to handle the situation.
Eliminating powderpuff is just another way of diminishing the little school spirit we have left. For example, according to ASB, upperclassmen voted overwhelmingly against a Winter Formal dance this year.
Playing in the Powderpuff game encourages students to take pride in our school. Players from each team bond and create fun high school memories from the experience.
Powderpuff can be a fun event in a monotonous school year. The long-established game can build more school spirit, bring students closer together and raise funds for school activities. Although Powderpuff has proven to be problematic in the past, its future could prove to be a learning experience for the school.
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