An annual tradition among high schools and universities is the Powderpuff game that’s usually played before the school’s Homecoming. Millikin’s Homecoming Powderpuff game took place at nine o’clock on the football field October 1. As students began to huddle in the bleachers to stay warm in the fifty degree weather, the six teams consisting of members from Phi Beta Phi, Alpha Chi Omega, Delta Delta Delta, Cross Country, Softball, and a team calling themselves the Glo Gang, gathered on the field to stretch and warm up before the game.

Millikin’s Powderpuff game was incredibly different from what a freshman straight out of high school would imagine. It is more common, especially in high school, for schools to have a handful of students from the junior and senior classes go head-to-head in a fight for bragging rights. Thursday’s Powderpuff game had six teams consisting of sororities and sports teams. Also, instead of one game going on there were two, one at each end of the field. There was a lack of scoreboards and times which made it difficult for the crowd to keep track of which team was in the lead.

Also, Kayce Fuentes who was part of the team representing Alpha Chi Omega stated, “every year powderpuff is unfairly ref-ed by the referees since it’s just other Millikin students. There were a ton of bad calls and I think it’s because, are you going to penalize your friend or the team they’re facing? There was talk on the sidelines saying how Millikin football coaches should ref the game or official refs or something else because the current system is not working.” Fuentes also said, “It’s not aimed to be [sorority or teams based], but usually it’s easier to set up a team when you’re already a group since it’s difficult to get a bunch of people to commit to playing, that’s usually how it ends up being every year.” Also, when Fuentes was asked if it would have been better if two teams played on the field instead of four, she stated, “while I would love to have it going one game at a time like normal powderpuff, I think it’s a better idea to have it with two games at each end because it would take too long to play one game at a time. Even with two games going at the same time we were outside for 2 hours. Still, though, I feel like with two games going on at the same time you’re always missing something because you’re too busy trying to watch both games; it’s a flawed system.”

Brandi Marks also represented Alpha Chi Omega. She was asked if she felt she grew closer with her teammates after participating in the game. Her response was, “I found I have more in common than I thought with the girls.” Marks also stated, “I really did enjoy playing the game. I thought it was a good experience and it was something I hadn’t done before. And even though we didn’t win, I know that I still had fun because I still wanted to play.”

In the end, the cross-country team and the Glo Gang were the final two teams. The Glo Gang came out victorious with a score unknown to many. It is obvious the Powderpuff game had its pros and cons. It is always a good thing for sororities, or sports teams, or just friends to grow together, but for the students in the bleachers who cared to know who was in the lead, it was rather confusing. There is no one way to better Millikin’s Homecoming Powderpuff game, but it seems like organizing the games more efficiently, having a way for the crowd to know the scores, and using unbiased referees would be a good place to start.