Most girls are used to being a part of the crowd when it comes to football, but Powderpuff gives them the opposite point of view.  

On Oct. 24, Senior Senate will host Bellevue West’s annual Powderpuff flag football tournament.

Sponsor Chad Huseth has seen the popularity of Powderpuff grow.

“It is a Senior Senate run activity where girls play football,” Huseth said. ”It’s become kind of a big deal.”

Powderpuff is the main fundraiser for the senior class, and the contributions go towards many things such as the senior class gift, Senior Senate activities, and even charity donations.

“I don’t really have to go knocking on doors or begging people to buy stuff,” Huseth said. “It pays for itself.”

Powderpuff is about more than just funds for Senior Senate; it provides a night of enjoyment for the players and the spectators.

Treasurer Paige Proksel enjoys the laid-back environment created by Powderpuff.

“It gives us an opportunity to just hang out and have fun,” Proksel said.

President Asja Woodard utilizes Powderpuff as a chance to experience the game of football.

“It’s fun to play,” Woodard said. “I’ve always wanted to play football but I’m a girl and I’m kind of small, so I would probably get crushed out on the field. It’s just a chance for me to do something that I would enjoy doing if I could.”

The flag football tournament is organized into a bracket that guarantees two games for each team. The first round of games determines whether each team will play in a consolation game, or the championship game.

“There is four teams: freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior,” Huseth said. “We start off where seniors play the freshmen, sophomores play the juniors. The two winning teams play the championship game.”

With only one shot at making it to the championship game, some athletes take a lot of pride in how they perform.

“It gets a little too intense,” Huseth said. “I think the teams take it so seriously. I’ve seen people who are good friends just become mortal enemies for the twenty minutes they’re playing. They’re emotional and they’re excited about it.”

However emotions can become difficult to control, especially in a situation where there are few guidelines.

“Sometimes it could be a little unsafe and there’s no regulations against it,” Woodard said. “My sophomore year one of my basketball teammates broke her wrist playing Powderpuff and then she couldn’t play in the basketball season. I wish there was a way to make it just a bit more safe.”

The lack of regulations in Powderpuff is also where the fun can start for some participants.

“I think there could be more rules but I think the fun of it is not having any rules,” Proksel said.

The fun can be experienced by all students and in many ways.

“First of all, it’s not just girls; the boys can coach, the boys can be cheerleaders,” Huseth said. “It’s just an opportunity to go out and have fun. It’s once a year, everybody looks forward to it. They always want to win that big trophy.”

Ultimately, Powderpuff provides the perfect environment for students to get to know each other and show class pride.

“It’s a chance to just bond with your fellow classmates, people who are in your grade, there’s some people that you might not have known that were in your grade that you get to meet and have fun with when you’re playing together on the Powderpuff field,” Woodard said.

This year’s Powderpuff tournament will be held on October 24. It will cost $5 to watch and play.