By KATELYNN BALL, Staff Reporter
The Student Government Association will be hosting the annual Powder Puff football game during homecoming week.
The practices for Powder Puff football will be Sept. 15 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for the freshman and seniors, and practice will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the sophomores and juniors. The game will be held Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. on the Ranger football field.
The first Powder Puff Football game was played on Oct. 20, 1945, at Eastern State Teachers College, in Madison, South Dakota. Eastern is currently known as Dakota State University. Eastern had cancelled many campus activities for the duration of World War II. Among these were the annual homecoming celebrations and intercollegiate sports, including football. With the signing of the Peace Treaty with Japan on Sept. 2, 1945, and the wars official end, homecoming and its events were once again on the schedule at Eastern.
The first Powder Puff football game of the modern era was held in 1972, in Wallingford, Connecticut. Judy Samaha, the athletic director of Mark T. Sheehan High School at the time, began this sport to incorporate more girls into athletic activities. She contacted Lyman Hall High School, Mark T. Sheehan High Schools rival, to set up a small, but fierce, football game among the senior girls of both schools. Since then, Powder Puff football has spread throughout the nation.
The annual Samaha bowl game still takes place the Wednesday before Thanksgiving as the longest running Powder Puff game in the country.
The term Powder Puff comes from the cosmetic tool used to powder a girls nose. The game is usually between the upperclassmen or the lower and upperclassmen such as the freshman and the seniors. It is touch or flag football. At some schools there is a coach, referees and even a cheer squad made of male athletes or anyone that wants to participate.
Jaymin Fergerson, a former referee said, I think its good because it gets girls out there and lets them interact with one another and we had a pretty good crowd last year
Northwestern takes part in the Powder Puff tradition open for the entire student body. The teams go head to head between the freshman and seniors against the juniors and sophomores. Northwestern adds this activity to a list of things they provide for the students during homecoming week.
SGA Vice President, Don Holly said, Powder Puff is a great homecoming activity that always guarantees a great time for the entire student body!
Morgan Renbarger, a former Powder Puff player said, The Powder Puff game has been part of the tradition of Northwesterns homecoming week for a long time, and Ive had a lot of fun getting to participate the past few years! Its always fun to see girls get the opportunity to get competitive. This year the game will be on the Rangers field so I really hope that people come out and watch. Its usually pretty entertaining and youd be surprised how intense the game can get.
Anyone that is interested in the games can contact Kaylyn Hansen at 580-327-8439 or klhansen@nwosu.edu.