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Arcata High School
The 2024-2025 Leadership Class worked tirelessly to try and be the revival of the widely loved school tradition, Powderpuff, but sadly, we ran out of time! Leadership, alongside Tigers Inc., is pushing to get the necessary funding and insurance to be able to allow for this beloved event to take place within the next year.
Powderpuff Football has been an ongoing debate within Arcata High School. Dating back to at least 1985, but since 2020, Arcata High School has exiled this traditional game from our school campus. What was once a long-held tradition for Arcata High turned controversial overnight, leaving many students frustrated, especially juniors and seniors who looked forward to a fun event like this coming into high school. But with a new, strong group of seniors coming together, powderpuff may just be on the schedule for next year!
In the past, powderpuff was a school-sanctioned activity usually organized by the leadership class. The event was held at the McKinleyville High School Football Field and supported and recognized by the staff and school. But after the accidents happened years ago, some teachers don’t think this high school tradition should be revived.
“I get school spirit, but it always turns negative. The weeks leading up to it, I’ve seen vandalism on cars, harassment, and fights between the junior and senior girls. And in the game itself, I’ve seen girls get hurt,” Physical Education teacher MarkSahlberg explained.
For this game to be on the schedule for next year, it would not be able to be funded by the school. Students, alongside supportive staff members, have helped devise a plan to run this event through Tigers Inc., which is the nonprofit organization that helps support the Arcata High School Student body with extracurricular activities.
“It is a really fun thing and everyone likes it and it is very good for school spirit, but it just has to be done safely,” Freshman Math and Health teacher Laurie Griffith said.
Many of the staff members agree that in past years, rivalry between juniors and seniors has become a major issue on school campuses in the weeks leading up to the game. For it to be a safe event, adults need to be present at practices, and referees for the games need to be able to make strict calls to ensure safety where it is needed. For this game to return, students have to take action and make commitments to ensure students’ safety.
“Make ’em run. Do what the majors do. Give them Vietnam,” sophomore Eli Lantelme said when asked about the best way to handle the violence that comes with this game. “If those girls had to do Vietnam, they’d never talk again.”
A “Vietnam” is known as one of the toughest punishments the boys face during football season. It involves doing 50 up-downs, followed by log-rolling the entire length of the football field, and then back again. While using physical exhaustion to combat violence isn’t a solution for everyone, it just might work.
This year the students were unable to contact and get the necessary insurance and players to run this game or the 2024-2025 school year, but with so many juniors heavily advocating for this, The leadership class has done the groundwork for a successful fun experience next year, making it a large possibility it will be on the schedule for next year.