Feathers will fly at Pillow Fight League
Despite what most people originally think when they hear of the Pillow Fight League (PFL), both the creator and participants' stress that it's less of a game, and more of a sport.
“For me it ties into being a life-long fight fan; like wrestling and boxing,” explained Stacey Case, the leagues founder. “I discovered the term ‘apartment wrestling,' and it's not about the sex appeal, it's because I'm a pop-culture nut. So just the idea of creating something called ‘apartment wrestling,' was very amusing to me.”
Apartment wrestling first appeared in the back pages of 1970's wrestling magazines, according to Case. And it was from there that the idea for a pillow fight league started, officially starting during a European concert in 2004 where his band, the Tijuana Bibles, were performing with a burlesque troupe.
“I asked the troupe if they'd be pillow fighters,” Case said. “They agreed, so they fought while we played. And the audience went crazy, so we premiered the PFL. They weren't scripted, so the girls fought until they won.”
After that start he realized that women would be interested in joining, so the first ‘amateur' fight was held during a performance in 2005 where the band asked the audience for participants and got a very good response.
“I just had a feeling that the two girls in the front row would be willing to do it,” Case explained. “And one of the girls is one of the original members of the league called Eiffel Power. And the crowd went wild, so a couple days later I started on the league.”
“We train, we have three practices a week,” explained Tina, who goes by the stage-name of ‘Scrapula.' “Some [fighters] are really motivated to win, some of them just for fun, and some for a combination of both, which is the category I think I fit in.”
The fighters all either work or go to school, or in Tina's case, both as she's an architectural technology student at George Brown College in Toronto who also spends time every week working in an office.
When asked about whether some people would think that the league is sexist she stressed that she thought the complete opposite was true because it played off the popularity of wrestling without using ‘fake' women.
“I think when a lot of people here about us they think it's women dressed in lingerie cat-fighting,” she explained. “Because although a few of the women have a somewhat sexy personality the rules are no lascivious behaviour. So this is an option for women to enjoy the sport of wrestling in much the same way as guys do.
“And I think that it only makes sense that women have that option to do something that men do, because otherwise it is sexist.”
“They hear the words ‘pillow fight league' and everybody thinks the same thing,” Case said. “That it's going to be boobs and bums and sorority girls in negligees. But what it actually is, is a squad of female professional pillow-fighters trying to win a fight for real. It's not pillow fighting, it's fighting with pillows.”
And the key to the leagues success according to Case is not just building a good product, because he believes that the attention the league is getting world-wide is proving that they're already on the right track, but to get some television deals cemented in the near future.
“Right now I'm currently pitching Canadian broadcasters to turn it into a TV show,” Case explained. “I met with a producer who is preparing an agreement. We have interest from all over the world. We get e-mails every day from Ireland, Germany and South Korea about franchises and television rights. The key to all of this is television.”
Well, it's not like croquet and tug -of-war haven't been Olympic sports before, so maybe pillow fighting will eventually join their ranks. But as for right now, the league is content with the steady increase of interest and popularity, and planning on putting on a good show at Fanshawe.
The PFL will be on campus November 7 in Forwell Hall, tickets are $8 for students, and $10 for guests and can be purchased in the Biz Booth.
For more info on all of the PFL competitors, including won-loss records, visit www.pillowfightleague.com.
“For me it ties into being a life-long fight fan; like wrestling and boxing,” explained Stacey Case, the leagues founder. “I discovered the term ‘apartment wrestling,' and it's not about the sex appeal, it's because I'm a pop-culture nut. So just the idea of creating something called ‘apartment wrestling,' was very amusing to me.”
Apartment wrestling first appeared in the back pages of 1970's wrestling magazines, according to Case. And it was from there that the idea for a pillow fight league started, officially starting during a European concert in 2004 where his band, the Tijuana Bibles, were performing with a burlesque troupe.
“I asked the troupe if they'd be pillow fighters,” Case said. “They agreed, so they fought while we played. And the audience went crazy, so we premiered the PFL. They weren't scripted, so the girls fought until they won.”
After that start he realized that women would be interested in joining, so the first ‘amateur' fight was held during a performance in 2005 where the band asked the audience for participants and got a very good response.
“I just had a feeling that the two girls in the front row would be willing to do it,” Case explained. “And one of the girls is one of the original members of the league called Eiffel Power. And the crowd went wild, so a couple days later I started on the league.”
“We train, we have three practices a week,” explained Tina, who goes by the stage-name of ‘Scrapula.' “Some [fighters] are really motivated to win, some of them just for fun, and some for a combination of both, which is the category I think I fit in.”
The fighters all either work or go to school, or in Tina's case, both as she's an architectural technology student at George Brown College in Toronto who also spends time every week working in an office.
When asked about whether some people would think that the league is sexist she stressed that she thought the complete opposite was true because it played off the popularity of wrestling without using ‘fake' women.
“I think when a lot of people here about us they think it's women dressed in lingerie cat-fighting,” she explained. “Because although a few of the women have a somewhat sexy personality the rules are no lascivious behaviour. So this is an option for women to enjoy the sport of wrestling in much the same way as guys do.
“And I think that it only makes sense that women have that option to do something that men do, because otherwise it is sexist.”
“They hear the words ‘pillow fight league' and everybody thinks the same thing,” Case said. “That it's going to be boobs and bums and sorority girls in negligees. But what it actually is, is a squad of female professional pillow-fighters trying to win a fight for real. It's not pillow fighting, it's fighting with pillows.”
And the key to the leagues success according to Case is not just building a good product, because he believes that the attention the league is getting world-wide is proving that they're already on the right track, but to get some television deals cemented in the near future.
“Right now I'm currently pitching Canadian broadcasters to turn it into a TV show,” Case explained. “I met with a producer who is preparing an agreement. We have interest from all over the world. We get e-mails every day from Ireland, Germany and South Korea about franchises and television rights. The key to all of this is television.”
Well, it's not like croquet and tug -of-war haven't been Olympic sports before, so maybe pillow fighting will eventually join their ranks. But as for right now, the league is content with the steady increase of interest and popularity, and planning on putting on a good show at Fanshawe.
The PFL will be on campus November 7 in Forwell Hall, tickets are $8 for students, and $10 for guests and can be purchased in the Biz Booth.
For more info on all of the PFL competitors, including won-loss records, visit www.pillowfightleague.com.
