On Saturday, Oct. 30, King’s students boarded the ferry to Governors Island for the annual Fall Picnic and Powderpuff Tournament. They enjoyed food, catching up with friends and other activities put together by the Events Committee and Student Council.

Students appreciated the chance to have some time away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The event was a much-needed break after completing rigorous midterms.

“I think this event is really good for the community and talking to people from King’s in a different setting,” Serene Jackson, member of the Events Committee said.

“I always enjoy casual, relaxed school-wide events where we can get to know each other outside of our business casual and busy schedules,” Makenna McCoy, Director of Communications said.

Photos courtesy of The King’s College

Last year, students were unable to have powderpuff games at the fall picnic due to COVID-19 restrictions. This made many jump at the chance to join in the fun this year.

“Before Fall Picnic, I had never been to Governor’s Island,” McCoy said. “We were worried about it being a downpour all day, but thankfully, the rain stayed away, and it was perfect football weather.”

When students arrived on the Island, they met with liaisons who led them to the Parade grounds, where they found the powderpuff teams getting some last-minute practice.

Moses Kazanjian, Director of Spiritual Life, carried around a megaphone making sure everyone was excited for the start of the games. He served as the powderpuff commentator and helped to direct players and fans during the tournament.

The teams gathered in their respective huddles while the crowd received pom-poms . Kick off took place at noon.

Every male house had at least one volunteer to represent them in the coaching staff, according to Sam Klozik, Director of Student Events. The coaches then devised their plays and strategies and met up for practices in the weeks leading up to the games.

Connor Kopko, coach of the purple team said there were two practices set up for the team, and about half of the players showed up each time.

“We had one at the piers in Brooklyn and one down by Battery park,” Kopko said.

The powderpuff tournament was a set of three games between the teams — peach, purple, green and blue — to determine who would go to the final

“After two games everyone was 1-1. There wasn’t anyone who was at the top, so they did one more and then the top two teams faced each other in the championship game,” Kopko said.

In the final moments, the purple team secured their spot in first place.

Member of team purple, Abby Roth, said winning the final game was her favorite moment of the day.

“Everyone on the team I was on was so excited and we were all so proud of our hard work during the week leading up and throughout the day,” Roth said.

“It was really fun to see [the girls] get better as the day went on. That was probably my favorite part because we started out a little rocky. We lost our first game, so it was just fun seeing them improve,” Kopko said.

Many students decided to play powderpuff to fuel their love for competition, try something new or meet new people.

“I decided to play this year because I loved powderpuff in high school and a bunch of my friends were playing,” Roth said. “[The teams] were comprised of girls from a bunch of different houses and that meant I got to play with some of my closest friends who aren’t in my house.”

This year's Fall Picnic would not have been possible without the relentless efforts of King’s Student Council. The long-awaited event has been in the works for quite some time.

“I came up with a preliminary plan for a picnic over the summer, but it changed drastically from its original design,” Klozik said. “The events committee and I really hit the ground running right after we returned from Fall Retreat.”

Everyone on the student council had a hand in making the picnic and powderpuff possible.

“Makenna McCoy posted advertisements and created hilarious promo videos of the coaches. She also helped me pick up the various administrative tasks that come with holding a school-wide event,” Klozik said.

Abby Roth, Director of Student Organizations, helped raise a lot of excitement and get the student body ready for this event.

Noah Ebel, Director of Finance, helped with budgeting and other important event details. He also decided to be one of the powderpuff coaches for the green team.

“Brent [Buterbaugh, Student Body President], lent a hand whenever I needed it. He gives honest, encouraging feedback and asks all the right questions when it's time to start problem-solving,” Klozik said.

Everyone headed back to Manhattan at around 4 p.m.

“I loved watching the teams celebrate! Some of the girls had never met one another. These teams were collages of different houses and yet they played and partied just as hard as they have with their friends in the past,” Klozik said. “I cheer a little bit in my head every time I see a couple of girls from the same team talking together in the hallway. After hearing feedback from the school, I think powderpuff will stick around for a while.”

King's Students Attend Fall Picnic and Powderpuff Game