Nerf Wars is a spring tradition at the high school my oldest daughter attends. It’s mostly a Juniors vs. Seniors thing, but other classes participate, too. There are teams and brackets, rules, Twitter feeds, and commissioners. And there are Nerf guns. The goal is “shoot” your opponents so your team “survives” through the various two week rounds.
My daughter, a sophomore, has not participated but is an avid follower of the action on Twitter. She tells me what’s going on, who has been “killed”, about the latest showdowns.
I don’t know what to think of this all. I know it is all in good fun. It just seems odd to think about bands of teenagers running around with Nerf guns outside of school hours. I guess in some instances neighbors have called the police because they didn’t know what was going on. I would think this tradition might make our neighborhood police a little nuts, or make them shake their heads a lot.
When I was in high school, we raced cars on deserted roads or Downtown on the Loop. That was our spring rituals. And yes, I participated. I lost a race to a male opponent, when I knew the road was ending soon and dropped back so I could stop in time. My opponent sailed past me, over the hill, and wound up in the ditch at the end of the road. I lost the battle, but I won the war.
The occupants of the other car were OK, but the driver had to explain the grass stuck in the car’s grill to his dad.
My kids know all about this racing story. They know I’m no angel. They also know that I played it smart and didn’t let my ego get in the way. While high schoolers will do dumb stuff, I also hope they don’t get hurt.
What bit of high school insanity did you participate in? Let me know in the comments.