Indian Hills has participated in this wide-span tradition of powderpuff football since the late 1980’s. This year, the annual competition was held on November 19th at the Hank Boggio field. The event run by Mrs. Smalley, Mrs. Johnson, and Student Council, consisted of 6 teams. Students who participate in Powderpuff can create their own teams and team names. The team names were The Lippers, Team Tristan, Dynamite Daisies, Cruz Elite, The Masters, and Are You Fede For It. The teams battled each other on small sections of the field for 2 hours that day. The semi-finals ended shockingly resulting in a tie between Cruz Elite and Team Tristan which led to the stressful tiebreaker, field goals. Ultimately, Team Tristan came out on top and progressed into the finals against the Dynamite Daisies.
Although Powderpuff football sounds like a new concept, it really isn’t. In 1972, “the federal government passed Title IX, which prohibited
discrimination based on sex in schools and other federally funded programs” (Vierling). In that same year, the first powderpuff football game was played in Wallingford, Connecticut. After Title IX was passed, women’s sports in high school became prominent and more popular throughout the decades to come.
From the beginning, Powderpuff has challenged the traditional gender roles assigned to high school sports such as women playing football. This event allows young women to participate in a game often associated with men while embracing physical competition and teamwork while breaking away from strict gender-based barriers.
The Dynamite Daisies and Team Tristan played a tough game. Both teams had some great defensive and offensive plays but a few catches made a big difference. In a long and eventful game, the Dynamite Daisies won the Powderpuff Championship. The team featured freshman Antonia McNamee and Kaitlyn Kotora, sophomores Logan Biernacki, Julia DiMasi, Amanda Lauler, and Iris Pascual, junior Morgan Quill, and seniors Isabella Rapp, Ava D’Antonio, Gabriella Robayo, and Julia Feroz. The Dynamite Daisies were coached by Braddock DiMasi, Griffin DiMasi and Brendan Pelonero. Many of these girls have won the Powderpuff for the second year in a row. Sophomore Amanda Lauler comments, “winning two years in a row is definitely euphoric. It’s very rewarding and fun especially when you have great coaches. Hopefully next year goes just as well.”
Powderpuff allows students to create and build friendships while encouraging teamwork with members of their team. Indian Hills Powderpuff 2024 brought fierce competition and memories for players, coaches, and spectators. More memories and competition await in Powderpuff 2025.
