By Update Staff

Strength. Pride. Integrity. Respect. Intensity. Tradition. The DHS motto is one that encompasses the perfect student and attitude. It is this motto that should be taken into account always, especially when DHS battles their cross town rival, MHS.

Yet, these values were thrown out the window on Oct. 23 when the two schools collided in the annual powderpuff game. Competitive spirit and school pride was replaced with an urge to hurt competitors on the other team, and the game devolped into an all-out brawl. Four separate fights broke out, and one student dislocated her knee, prompting an ambulance to come to the scene. This is not an uncommon scene at the annual Powderpuff game.

It could have been worse. One bad tackle, or an out-of-hand fight, could have led to a potentially serious injury. The unsanctioned nature of Powderpuff is what makes it so very risky, which is why the administrations at both DHS and MHS need to intervene. Making Powederpuff a school-sanctioned sport would allow administrators to control the violence that is typical of the sport.

While it’s understandable that the schools are apprehensive at the idea of involving themselves with the game, which has traditionally been an underground event in Midland, it could prevent an accident with unfortunate consequences. The administrations may not have any responsibility regarding students outside of school, but because the team plays under DHS’ name, the administration must take some responsibility. Girls have been exposing themselves to possibly hazardous situations in the name of their school for years, and that should be enough for the administration to make a change or compromise.

Some students will reject the idea a school sponsored version of Powderpuff, but such individuals are obviously not playing for spirit and friendly competition anyway. Sure, they might organize their own equivalent despite the schools’ effort, but at least staff can sleep a little easier knowing they took the appropriate steps to alleviate the problem.

Obviously, to make this successful, both administration and students need to negotiate. This may be difficult for those who think of school permitted Powderpuff as a foreign concept, but it’s the norm in many other school districts. All across the country, competing Powderpuff teams are treated as any other sports team: they are properly trained and they face off on school grounds with set rules. This would help reduce injuries and brutality of the game, as well as provide some accountability for the girls who consider Powerpuff to be an excuse to break bones.

MHS and DHS should follow this example. Although such action would be met by some disaproval, it would reduce the risks involved with the game, weed out those only playing with the intention of causing trouble during the game, and create an event that is approved by a wide variety of students and parents.

Let’s put some S.P.I.R.I.T into Powderpuff.

POLL

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A slideshow recapping
all the action
on the field
[fgallery id=6 w=450 h=385 bg=ffffff t=0 title=”Powderpuff Game”]

Photos by Cayden Royce