The PowderPuff football game is an event held every year at Oakton. There are two teams and both are made up of Junior and Senior girls. One team has representatives of the Juniors and the other has members of the Seniors. Both teams are also coached by Oakton teachers and other teachers besides the coaches get involved. It is like normal football except instead of tackling to bring a player down they either two hand touch or pull their flags. It is a really fun experience and it is restricted to the upperclassman which makes this event very important to them.

One team that is made up by the juniors is coached by Mr. Clark. He is a honors History teacher of 10th grade students and this is his 10th year of coaching the team. Clark coaches for many reasons but he says the main reason is because he enjoys it. “The experience is very gratifying and the girls are very endearing,” said Clark. His favorite part about coaching is not the game itself but the other aspects of the overall experience. In fact, the game is Clark’s least favorite part because it is extremely stressful and nerve wracking. One aspect that he especially enjoys is the pregame. Clark said, “ It is very cool to see the pre game rituals the girls have and seeing them ready after the practice.” He has little to say about the game and practices which is not positive. The changes that he would make would be to give the team more practices together. He thinks that there is not enough time allotted for them and that these practices are the most important thing to play well in the game. During the practices he also makes sure that the girls are excited and are playing seriously. He said the main reason the girls play is because of pride and the fact that they want to represent their class. Because of this according to him the game and practices are both extremely intense and in fact as intense as serious football teams.

The assistant coach of the juniors is Mr. Johnson. He is an AP Psychology and an honors history teacher. It his first year coaching and also his first year at Oakton High School. He started coaching because he wanted to see what it was like and because he loves football. His favorite part so far about the experience he says is seeing his students outside of the normal classroom setting. Like Mr. Clark he says that practices are essential to the team. For him during practices he focuses on the fundamental parts of football that are important. For example blocking and catching are two concepts that are emphasized by him. He said, “Some of the girls have never played before so it is important that they have a good understanding of the fundamentals in order to be successful in the game.” One strategy that he uses to make sure that the girls understand these concepts is to hold scrimmages for the team during practice time. These scrimmages are also important because they help the team build chemistry which is very necessary. He is also extremely excited for the game coming up because he can’t wait to see all of the hard work come together. He is hoping that the team plays well and they are able to win the game.

Victoria Staub is a junior and she is representing her class by playing in the game. She is very excited to participate in the game because it her first year playing. Unlike some of the girls she has had experience playing football before with her older brothers. She signed up this year because she has seen friends play in the past and she also wants to prove the point that girls can play football too. She also said, “ The best part of Powderpuff for me is working together with other people as a team.” One of her only complaints is that the overall experience takes up a lot of time. Victoria is a band member and this conflicts with some of her football practices. In order to be successful at both she alternates which one she goes to depending on the day of week. Also after practice she immediately starts her homework so she stays on top of her schoolwork instead of falling behind. She is looking forward to the game and also hopes her team is able to secure the victory. She said that so far Powderpuff it is very competitive and overall tons of fun.

Update: The result of the game was a senior victory over the junior class. They dominated the game and played really well as a team. They had better communication and had code names for all of their plays unlike the juniors. The first offensive play of the game for the juniors was an interception and this set the tone for the rest of the game. The seniors ended up winning the game by 25 and made their class proud.