by Charlene Chew, staff writer

Cal High’s seniors have been frantically reloading their Nerf guns with extra ammunition to accommodate the paranoia of being stalked that began early last month.

This anxiety overwhelmed 200 seniors who have been trying to survive the popular tradition known as the game assassins. Last week, there were fewer than a dozen two-person teams still playing.

Assassins is a student-run Nerf gun tournament for seniors that is organized and administered by two student “Godfathers.”

Seniors make teams of two and each week every team is assigned a target team to shoot with Nerf guns, said senior Godfather Joe Pearson.

While pursuing their targets, a team must also carefully avoid the team pursuing them.

If a team hasn’t shot both people in their target team by the end of each week, they get one more week to “kill” their targets before being eliminated.

Each of the roughly 100 teams participating this year paid a $10 entry fee, raising about $1,000 dollars.  Half of this money will be donated to the George Mark Children’s House for terminally ill children.

Teams are aggressively competing for the other half of the prize money.

This year’s Godfathers, Joe and senior Kyle Alvarez, required all teams to sign a waiver agreeing to the rules they had established.

The Godfathers’ long list of rules put limits on where, when, and how seniors can and can’t play the game, leaving them to get creative with their strategies.

In order to shoot their targets, players have to find out as much information as they can about their targets’ whereabouts and schedules without letting their targets know they are after them.

“It’s good to know people, but not be known,” said senior Sara Manansala, who was “killed.”

The game is played at all hours except certain designated times, including during school, 40 minutes before and after school, and during players’ work shifts.

The game is also off limits at certain locations, including anywhere on campus and inside vehicles.

If a target is hit by the team pursuing them they are out.  If a player is hit by the target they are pursuing they are temporarily frozen for 24 hours.

All hits are reported to the Godfathers, who keep record of all players’ status.

Dealing with the game has taken up a lot of time during the day, said Joe.

The Godfathers are also responsible for settling disputes between teams, since attacks and assassinations can happen anywhere, often times without witnesses.

“We just try to hear both sides of every story and be as fair as possible,” said Joe.  “We get a lot of complaints from teams.”

But for the most part, students of all grades enjoy this longtime senior tradition.

“As a freshman, sophomore, and junior you watch and think ‘I can’t wait to be a part of that’,” said Sara, who finally gets to play as a senior.

Several seniors agree assassins is a good way to end their senior year because it allows them to do something fun and  come together with friends.

“Everyone gets a bit competitive and it gets the spirit going,” said Joe. “And you don’t get to run around shooting people with Nerf guns all the time.”

Although many seniors complain about the paranoia of always watching their back, the adrenaline rush is what draws senior Mario Teixeira into the game.

“It brings back childhood memories of playing with my cousins and friends,” said Mario. “I feel like I’m in some kind of movie or video game where I’m actually the main character.”

Mario has recently engaged in several stakeouts and has spent a lot of time with his partner looking for their targets.

Teams often try to catch their targets off guard when they are least equipped. This forces targets to develop their own defensive strategies.

Senior Brian Souza was unexpectedly chased out of the gym after volleyball practice one night. He was unarmed and without a plan, so he resorted to jumping into a stranger’s car in the parking lot for safety.

The stranger drove Brian to his car and he was able to successfully escape his determined pursuers.

Brian recommends always parking in the garage as a safety precaution. Joe, on the other hand, doesn’t leave home without his protective umbrella.

Seniors have been going to great lengths to be better predators than prey since assassins started.

Senior Katie Smith almost had the police called on her by nearby neighbors when staking out her target’s house.

Mario and his partner chased their targets from San Ramon all the way to Alamo and back, and did not succeed in shooting them.  But they continue to be on the look for them around town.

Staying within all the rules limits time and location of play, making it difficult for teams to get their targets.

“I’m always trying to remember if what I’m doing is legal or not,” said Mario.

The many rules have complicated the game and disappointed some seniors, who feel as if there are more rules than in previous years of play.

The rules were created to make the game safer and avoid trouble with school administrators, said Joe.

Despite the Godfathers’ efforts, Cal’s administration is not pleased with the existence of assassins.

Principal Mark Corti sent out an e-mail to the parents of all seniors on Feb. 10 expressing his thoughts about the game.

“The concern is that there are some safety issues, even though it’s well organized,” said Corti.

Although Corti approved the waiver that included safety provisions, he insisted that there was still potential danger in the game. Corti said potential for car accidents is a major concern.

Since the game  lasts until midnight of May 31, it may be a long-term distraction for students.

Many seniors disagree, saying assassins is perfectly safe and the school shouldn’t have a say in the matter.

“They can’t do anything about it because it doesn’t have to do with school and we keep it away from school,” said Joe.  “It’s a harmless game. I don’t see what the problem is.”

Joe thinks students know their limits and when to stop in order to stay safe.

Corti said if given the choice, he would definitely put an end to the game. For now, the game goes on despite opposition.

“It’s just a fun thing for seniors to do before we go off to college or move on,” said Joe.  “And it’s a good thing we did to raise money for charity.”