I’ve got two words for you: powder puff.

This intense game of flag football for girls is played freshmen versus sophomores and juniors versus seniors during homecoming week. However, not all girls are allowed to participate in this activity. Girls in certain fall sports are not authorized to play in powder puff because their coaches don’t allow them to.

But many students, including guys, think the girls should decide their involvement, not the coaches.

“They should have a choice if they want to play or not,” said Junior Dominic Carstens.

Coaches typically tell their athletes they can’t participate because they don’t want them to get hurt. Although that is an understandable reason, athletes should decide for themselves if they want to take the chance of getting injured.

“If they get hurt, they are out for the season, and it’s their problem because they chose to play but should be able to if they want to,” said Carstens.

From a coach’s perspective, they don’t allow their athletes to participate because of injuries that may occur during a powder puff game, resulting in a player not being able to play in that certain sport’s season anymore.

“We never want to lose a player because of an injury, especially when it is involved in another sport outside of ours,” said Girls Sophomore Volleyball Coach Julie Block. “They are using different muscles than they have been used to and involved in a different activity that could higher their chances of getting hurt.”

When Coach Block first told our volleyball team we weren’t allowed to play, I wasn’t shocked. The previous year our freshman volleyball coach also told us the same thing. The coaches didn’t want to run the risk of their players getting injured, which is understandable.

It’s just disappointing because it was something I was really looking forward to doing in high school since I watched three of my sisters partake in powder puff all four years they were here at MHS. Not being able to compete in powder puff wasn’t fun because I would have people come up to me, asking, ‘“Why aren’t you playing?”, or saying, “You should be out there kicking butt”, but I couldn’t, and it sucked.

Girls can only experience powder puff in high school, and if they miss that opportunity, they won’t ever get the chance to see what it feels like when boys are the cheerleaders and girls are the football stars. Powder puff is the time when mostly everybody in the school gets pumped up and rallies together to support their grade, and it’s unjust to those girls who play a sport during powder puff that they don’t get to experience the thrill of the game and the screaming fans.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” said Sophomore Katie Miller who had a chance to compete in powder puff this year.

Coaches have the power to keep their athletes away from an activity they would like to participate in, but what gives them the right to do that? Why is it that the athletes have to give up a high school experience just because their coaches don’t want them to do another activity?

Powder puff allows girls to have fun with friends and experience the rough game of football. It’s a time to go crazy and show the tough side of themselves, but when girls who want to play can’t, it isn’t fair. It can ruin part of high school for athletes because they don’t get to be a part of the same experience as others, and they miss the fun other girls are having.

Sophomore Madison Parola said, “Powder puff gives athletes and students an outlet to have a good time without stress, and it’s unfair for coaches to withhold players from participating if it won’t be negatively affecting their season.”