As November quickly arrives in the Brien McMahon community, so does the upcoming legacy of the Powderpuff game. Annually, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving is dedicated to a night where Senior and Junior girls compete against each other in a game of flag football. They don’t wear helmets or padding, but they wear their senator pride and their own personally designed jerseys. 

This year, the game has been renamed “Turkey Bowl” due to the underlying meaning of the word Powderpuff. It insinuates that girls “puff up” their faces with powder and is quite derogatory. Not only this, but it also “refers to girls playing football, a sight which is rare to see both in professional and high school football” as various historical sites state. This change to Turkey Bowl is significant as it brings the focus on the game to a more holiday feel and brings everyone together without the connotation of misogyny. 

Out on the field, Seniors will be wearing red as they had worn last year, and Juniors will be wearing white. Over the course of the next two weeks, both teams will be practicing alongside their coaches – Mr. Jones and Mr. Kudysch for Juniors and Coach Q and Mr. Konopka for Seniors – and learning how to play the competitive, but fun game of flag football. Teams will learn their positions on the O-line and D-line along with potential plays they will enact during the game. It will be an intense week for sure, but their training will pay off on November 21st at 7 p.m. on the M! 

Seniors are looking forward to defending their winning title, so Juniors, you better watch out!

All are encouraged to come watch and participate in cheering the girls on! If you’re a cheerleader, you better be loud and rowdy! You can reach out to Senior class advisors, Mrs. Kinne ([email protected]) or Ms. Meyerson ([email protected]), to get a permission slip to cheer on the sidelines of the football field and submit it no later than November 13th! Make posters, wear red or white, and get your chants ready! We girls need all the hype we can get!

LET’S GO MCMAHON! WE GOT THIS! #BMHSTURKEYBOWL2023