Elimination

Well, I survived another year of Elimination.  What in the world does that mean? You may be asking.  That means that I survived the most paranoid week on campus without getting water splashed on me.  But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let me back up and explain what I’m talking about.  Every fall, Student Life organizes a campus-wide game called Elimination.  It happened a few months ago, but since no one’s written about it this fall I thought I’d share about it with you.   You sign up to play Elimination and receive the name of your first “target” Sunday night.  (The game begins at midnight Sunday night).  Your goal is to “eliminate” your “target” by getting that target wet somehow.  Of course there are rules about when and where you can do this eliminating.  The most popular way to eliminate someone is with water from a water bottle or cup from the cafeteria.

Of course, some people like to use water guns, or even a small rubber ducky that squirts water.  (No one ever suspects you to be concealing a small rubber ducky in your hand).   People cannot be eliminated on the way to class, inside buildings, or at campus sponsored events such as athletic practices and intramural games.  People CAN however be eliminated on their way from such activities.  Since one has to make sure their target is not on their way to class, you end up stalking a target and getting to know their schedule so that you don’t show your hand by attempting to eliminate them while they are headed to class.  It’s great fun to sit in the cafeteria and watch someone walk out the door, then a second person sprint out of the room holding a glass of water, then a third person run out after that second one.  Everyone stands up and cranes their necks to see out the large windows to watch the spectacle.

This year, I once again managed to survive the week without being eliminated (although it was close that time I sprinted from the cafeteria to the library after lunch).  I don’t think I’ve run that fast since freshman year in high school when we were doing sprints in gym class!  There was also a fair amount of duplicity going on as people used friends to lure others out of their dorm rooms into neutral areas where they could be eliminated.  I felt bad for locking my mod door and eliminating someone on the deck who was coming to study with my modmate for an exam.  (Stairwells are safe, decks are not).  And then, the best part of Elimination this year (beside the sense of accomplishment of being sneaky for a week) was a $5 giftcard to Mojos, the on-campus coffee shop, from Student Life.  What a treat!