Junior and senior girls kick off in a competitive flag football match each year during homecoming week, an event that has become an integral part of tradition for our community since the earliest games dating back to the 1970s.
First originated in a high school in South Dakota in the 1940s, Klassy Kickoff—previously known as Powder Puff—was created during homecoming week in light of the shortage of men during World War II.
The movement reached Redwood and the rest of the United States in the 1970s, in the wake of Title IX and the push for greater women’s equality across the nation.
Redwood alum and teacher Melissa Boles has attended the game both as a student and now as a teacher.
“When I was a student, I don’t remember Klassy Kickoff being necessarily a school-wide event. It was really just the upperclassmen,” Boles said.
Being a part of the community for so long, Boles has observed a surge in school spirit.
“What really has shifted in the last decade is that the whole school comes out to see the game, and it’s fun for the freshmen and sophomores to watch. After experiencing it, they look forward to it next year,” Boles said.
That sense of pride in the tradition of Klassy Kickoff spreads to the students as well. The friendly competition makes the atmosphere of the game electric to watch, but even more so to play in. Senior Holly Thomas competed last year, representing the junior class.
“That sense of competitiveness brought our team together. Especially when you’re juniors, you want to beat the seniors so badly, and that sort of unified a group of girls in our grade,” Thomas said.
That determination, however, is rooted in a spirit of friendly sportsmanship.
“It’s definitely a rivalry, but it’s a friendly rivalry because you know a lot of the girls on the other team. But it does get physical, especially because of the crowd. There’s no one that doesn’t try—everyone leaves it all out on the field,” Thomas said.
It’s that sense of pride that brings the community together, allowing competition at a high level. Another Redwood alum and teacher Lindsey Kornfeld appreciates the many traditions that help create a sense of belonging.
“Any kind of shared experience is what builds community, and traditions are those positive shared experiences. Whether it’s the Night of Blues, Klassy Kickoff, or the rally—doing that with a group of people builds the experience together, knowing that you’re going to do it every year,” Kornfeld said.
Every year until this point, Klassy Kickoff has given an opportunity to girls who may have never tried flag football before, providing an alleyway to showcase the array of talent from female athletes of various sports.
The first-time addition of flag football as an official Marin County Athletic League sport could shift the tide in the atmosphere of the game. Boles, while still in support of the establishment of the league, believes it could take away from the originality of Klassy Kickoff.
“Before, athletes from various women’s sports teams would compete, without much knowledge of flag football. Now, there’s a whole new section [of flag football players],” Boles said.
Thomas, on the other hand, thinks the newly established league will draw more attention to Klassy Kickoff.
“I think there might be an even bigger crowd now with flag football being an official sport, which is super exciting,” Thomas said.
Klassy Kickoff may be entering a new chapter, but the competitiveness and drive it inspires have always, and will continue to, shape the game and Redwood culture.
“It’s part of the legacy. The collective [community] that Redwood has makes it so important and so unique,” Kornfeld said.
