War Zone Has Entered the Atrium

Rachael Coleck (red), Hope Cordoviz (blue) and Rose Heurtelou (blue) battle it out in the Waldorf Atrium. Photo by Tina Somchit

By Tina Somchit

On Feb. 15, Student Activities brought The Battle Ball Mania and The Zorb 360 Racing Track to the Atrium to commence the first day of Winterfest 2016.

Clayton Gibson, the Company’s organizer, said about a hundred students participated. The two games filled the entire Atrium, making it hard for students to walk by, especially as they tried to avoid getting shot. However, it gave free entertainment to those who attempted to get through, as well as the participants.

The point of Battle Ball Mania is to shoot people from the other team with an air rifle that has tennis ball sized rubber balls as ammo. The person who gets shot once has to be out of the game. There are masks and armor for protection.

Some students who did not participate, but had to walk past that area, had the challenge of making it through unscathed.

“I was a little scared, walking past the Atrium, thinking the ball would hit me,” Meha Ahmed, a sophomore student, said.

Three students who played The Battle Ball Mania,sophomore Hope Cordoviz, sophomore Rose Heurtelou and junior Rachael Coleck said it was their first time playing. Despite the small amount of people in the teams, they still had a great time. Cordoviz and Heurtelou teamed up against Coleck.

“The school should do this more often,” Coleck said.

The Zorb 360 Racing Track involved two players, with each getting into a Zorb inflatable ball, and racing each other. Each player would go through the track of their color in a race to the opposite corner and back, which involved them passing each other once each way.

When asked about how she managed to bring this event to the Atrium, Amanda Aberle, Director of Student Activities and Orientation, said “A lot of company’s contact us through email to arrange an activity at school.” She also likes the fact that the students enjoyed it. “I thought it would be a fun kickoff for Winterfest,” she said.