Imagine this: You walk through the vibrant blue and orange doors of the east gym, anticipating the enjoyment of playing soccer, basketball, flag football, or maybe even pickleball with your friends. Your heart starts to race as you picture yourself winning P.E. class championship trophy this quarter. But suddenly, something startling catches your eye. Its bright yellow color and lanky shape intrigue you. “Is that a q-tip?” you think to yourself. “No, it’s too large. Right?” Its pillow-soft bottom and hard stick-like top only add to your confusion. As you begin to inspect the suspicious item, Coach Ambrosio’s booming voice interrupts your thoughts: “Time to play pillow polo!” he shouts. The rest of the class erupts with excitement, eagerly grabbing the large sticks. As you stare at them, dumbfounded, you can’t help but think to yourself, “What in the world is pillow polo?”
While pillow-polo may not seem like the most historically impactful sport, it was originally invented by British soldiers stationed in Canada during the mid-1900s. They created the game in an attempt to play their beloved ice hockey with the minimal supplies they had to create equipment. While their sticks, primarily being made out of scrap wood and styrofoam, may have looked a little different from the ones we use today, the design inspired P.E. teachers in the 1990s, when many schools were reforming their physical education programs to be less violent or dangerous.
The 31-inch long sticks with foam bottoms serve as an alternative to the wooden street-hockey sticks many schools previously used in P.E. classes. The sticks most commonly come in sets of six, since the game aligns with regulation ice hockey rules: six players per team, one goalie, and minimal physical contact. Yet some students believe the ridiculous look of the sticks make the game quite amusing for even the sweatiest “try-hards” in gym class.
“Pillow Polo is probably the best game we play all year. It’s silly, really, but also requires athleticism that gets the whole class engaged,” said junior Olivia Soriano.
While the game may not seem intense, South students seem to have a passion for the Q-tip fashion—at least when it comes to gym class. “The fact that we’re playing such an aggressive game with bright Q-tip looking sticks is probably my favorite part of P.E. Especially when everyone’s so into the game that we don’t even realize how funny we look.”
While pillow polo may seem like all fun and games, the “sport’s” foam sticks have been a part of a wider initiative to create a safe yet still competitive environment
According to Coach Ciro Ambrosio, “Pillow Polo is one of the student’s favorite games we play. It’s safe, engaging, and also incorporates teamwork.”
