The roles have switched. The girls now are on the field, scoring touchdowns, making plays, and having fun. The football players are now cheering them on and performing a halftime show. Juniors and seniors split into separate student sections, still getting loud and hyping the players up.
This is the Turkey Bowl.
The student-favorite event has had a deep and rich history, tracing all the way back to the 1970s, where its name originated.
“I think the original, this is what I’ve been told, the original history goes way back, like 70s, 80s, maybe. A lot of high schools have a girls’ alternative, like a powder puff football game. And this one used to be around Thanksgiving, hence the name the Turkey Bowl,” said Junior Executive Committee head and head of the Media Center Tim Romig.
Eventually, while the name stayed the same, the Turkey Bowl was moved into early August. There are various reasons for this change, however, the most notable would be the levels of hostility that tend to arise between teams.
“From what I understand, the reason they changed it is because, and again, this is just what I’ve been told by old-time staff and administrative staff here. There were a lot of fights breaking out in school over it. Like, it caused a lot of animosity in school. So [the administration said], ‘Hey, we need to do this before school even starts, so we don’t have people fighting in the hallways.’ So then they moved it before school. Now it’s always before school starts,” said Romig.
Back then, instead of getting the recognizable Turkey Bowl shirts, players wore true football equipment, and instead of the bedazzled shorts, sweatpants were worn.
Throughout the history of the game, many current FC teachers have taken part in the game, such as business and CTE teacher Kelly Bratcher. Bratcher remembered when she played, the game was very different from how it is now.
“When we played we were allowed to do the full team where you guys just do eleven on eleven now. We also had flags and we were allowed to do trick plays. We did a fun trick play where we pretended like we had the wrong ball and the quarterback ran to exchange the ball and while she was doing that the cheerleaders started doing back tuck contagions. So they distracted everyone on this end of the field and we ran a touchdown,” said Bratcher.
Bratcher turned from playing to coaching the senior team in this year’s Turkey Bowl.
“Well, I knew a lot of the girls and I thought it would be helpful to have an advisor that could help advocate for the girls and the coaches and just make sure everything went smoothly. I really did enjoy getting to spend time with them in a non-academic setting,” said Bratcher.
Turkey Bowl is regarded as one of the biggest traditions present at FC, specifically to the upperclassmen. While the competitive nature can paint the Turkey Bowl in a serious light, there is also a major element of fun involved. Some students look forward to being upperclassmen just so they can get involved with the game.
“When I was a freshman and sophomore, I watched both Turkey Bowls and knew I wanted to play because of how much fun all of the girls playing were having and how competitive it was,” said senior wide receiver and running back Baylee Ehlers.
While many say there is an intense rivalry between the juniors and seniors, the Turkey Bowl is also known to bring the girls together in their respective grades.
“With the class sizes here at Floyd Central, I feel like you guys don’t really know everybody in your class. So, it’s a great opportunity for people who don’t normally hang out to come out and spend two weeks together and play together as a team,” said junior coach and business teacher Cori Bibelhauser.
Apart from the impact left on the upperclassmen, the game also draws in a lot of resources that help the school Junior Exec fund activities.
“Not only might it bring together the juniors and senior girls that play, but the money that we receive towards the fans paying to come and watch us play goes towards Floyd’s prom,” said junior quarterback Olive Kinder.
There are many layers to the Turkey Bowl that make it a heavily anticipated event. To have a game that is not only a fun change of pace but is also a fundraiser for student events is extremely important to FC as a whole.