High School Hazing near Chicago

CHICAGO -- The touch football game between high school girls that turned into a brawl was supposed to be a "friendly initiation" for incoming seniors, one of the victims said.

The annual, unofficial "powder puff" game among students at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, a well-to-do suburb about 20 miles north of Chicago, landed five players in the hospital. One girl broke her ankle, another needed 10 stitches in her head.

Videotapes of the game, played Sunday at a park, show girls in yellow jerseys punching, slapping and dumping paint on junior girls kneeling on the ground. Some spectators hoist cups of beer. There were also reports of human feces being thrown.

The seniors apparently invited the juniors to what they described as a hazing, charging them $35 to $40 and supplying them with jerseys, officials said.

The injured girl who needed stitches told the Chicago Tribune they expected only some form of mild hazing, "a friendly initiation into our senior year." The newspaper said she and others spoke on condition of anonymity, telling of being hit by buckets and having pig intestines, fish guts and other foul-smelling trash thrown at them.

School officials stressed that the game was not sanctioned and occurred off-campus without their knowledge.

"It was hazing," said Dave Hales, superintendent of Northfield Township District 225. "It was deplorable treatment."

Hales said he was baffled why students participated in the game.

"Why would you pay money to go to something where you know you will be treated inappropriately and humiliated and possibly injured?" he said.

School and police officials were reviewing the videotapes to try to identify the ringleaders. The school could discipline students involved in extracurricular activities or athletics because they signed a code of conduct requiring them to behave well both on and off campus.

The school district used to sponsor a powder puff football game at homecoming but discontinued the event in 1977 after it became too rough. (AP)

I saw this on the news last night, and it made me so angry. I actually started to cry seeing the girls in agony after being beaten by the girls. The guys who were there started to participate in the kicking of the girls. One male who was filming it actually said "This is beautiful" Can you believe that???

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