Powderpuff is the same every year. The same girls sign up, make a big deal about it, and it’s pretty much a given that the seniors will win. But why do we see the same girls on the field every single year? The girls who think they deserve to be on the team regardless of how good they are. It’s as though social status determines athletic ability.

What about those girls who have grown up throwing the ball around with their dad, watching NFL games, and dedicating Saturdays for college football? Don’t they deserve an opportunity to play too? As one of those girls, I can easily say that I feel discouraged from signing up every year, mainly due to intimidation. For so long, it’s been expected that I cheer on the popular girls when I’d rather be out there myself.  And I am not trying to say that all of the girls on the team are not athletic or don’t know how to play football because there are a lot of good athletes in this school.

Sure, I could just walk up to that table and sign up, but would I really be part of the team? They say “it’s open to everyone” and “anyone can sign up” but it’s obvious that it’s not open to everyone and not everyone has the chance to sign up.  There would always be that lingering feeling of not being wanted and not being included.

And yeah it’s just a few games in my high school experience, but it applies to the entire social atmosphere at Western. Certain people have the mindset that they can do whatever and they expect everyone else to support them.  

High school is full of cliques. And when it comes to forming a team for powderpuff, it seems unfair that only the so-called “popular” kids get to play every year. If you genuinely enjoy playing football, you should at least have the chance to play powderpuff once in the four years you’re in high school.

Rather than accept that the same people will participate each year, we should begin to encourage more than one group of people to be a part of powderpuff, maybe we could have tryouts or multiple teams, or even having the courage to BLOCK THE HATERS and just sign up.