Kimberly Horton
As the instructor rattled off instructions for the upcoming battle, both teams fidgeted on either side of the courtyard--some of nervousness, others of eager anticipation. A group of over thirty seniors of the Class of 2017 were listening to directions in preparation for a friendly game of all-out paintball annihilation.
“... and to fire the gun, you pull the trigger like this.” Pop!
A small cry rose from the back--every girl present whipped around to make some sort of sympathetic cooing noise at Baby Isaac, who whimpered at the sudden gunshot. Babies weren’t cut out for paintball, it seemed.
As for the rest of the seniors present, paintball was assuredly the only thing on their minds. Many had played the game many times before; but others still had never shot any sort of gun, much less one of the paintball variety.
When asked for their best paintball advice for a beginner, Alan Luchtenburg (12), Josiah Brake (12), and David Unruh (12) replied simultaneously from the back seat of the van, “Don’t get hit.” This incredibly informative and insightful advice was taken to heart by everyone participating as the teams waged colorful war between jungle trees, old tires, and dented barrels.
“Aaron and I will push center,” Luchtenburg instructed his teammates as they gazed down the slope from the high ground. “A few people need to flank left while others push right.”
“Offense is the best defense,” chimed Emmett Balzer (12) as the teams sought to strategize the best way to defeat their opponents.
The opposite team also seemed to have a similar strategy to Balzer’s. One of the most memorable moments in the heat of battle was Sheldon Ang’s (12) daring approach of his opponent's’ base from behind, using a tree for cover when all six classmates in the base saw his approach and simultaneously opened fire.
“Why were there six people in the base?!?” Ang wondered aloud after the round was over and he—miraculously--escaped unscathed.
“How did you not get shot?!?” wondered everyone else.
The two rounds (and bonus six-on-six at the end) created many colorful--no pun intended--memories for all the participants. From class sponsor Jon Horton’s massive paintball bruise thanks to Luchtenburg--which he has no qualms about showing off to anyone who asks--to Dominic Fitzgerald’s (12) enthusiastic accounts about his suicide push uphill to victory, the afternoon brought with it sweat, muscle pain, more than a few bruises, and a treasure of memories.
It’s no surprise that, at the following Senior Class ExCom meeting, a cry was raised: “Let’s do paintball again!”
It seems the Class of 2017, against all human nature, indeed looks forward to the next time they might face what some call “a rainbow of pain”.
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