Arrows flew in all directions while students took out their opponents from their inflatable bases and students in giant inflatable balls ran towards each other. The sunny atmosphere provided an opportunity for attendees to have fun on March 16 during the Archery Tag competition hosted by Seasider Sports and Activities.
Archery Tag was proposed two years ago as one of the activities BYU–Hawaii could do, but it was not until last semester they started planning for it to happen, according to Seasider Sports and Activities. Mason Baird, a senior from Washington studying finance, said they wanted to do something new every semester and researched if any companies in Hawaii could cater to the activity.
Baird shared they found Archery Hawaii and reached out to them. “They got back to us, and we just made it happen. We're really grateful because with a new event, we did not really know what equipment we needed or what was safe for students. When we have an outside company like this, it makes things a lot easier.”
Trying out archery
Many of the students who came to the activity shared it was their first-time doing archery. Micah Gallano, a sophomore from the Philippines studying elementary education, said she heard about the event from one of the employees in Seasider Sports and decided to give it a try since she has not played archery before.
Students were advised to create a team before the event so they could play immediately when the games started. There were more than 24 teams who signed up, and Baird said three of those teams were composed of the people who had no groups.
Gallano shared she was nervous at the beginning of the activity and said, “I did not have a team, but luckily they gathered all those who did not have a team and created one… Everyone was accommodating.”
Her face lit up when she talked about her favorite moment of the event. She said, “[During] the first game, I was able to hit the first circle of our opponent's board right on my first shot. I found it fun [even though] I was not that good in hitting other players or catching arrows. My team didn't win, but it was all worth it.”
Crashing Zorb balls
In addition to archery tag, Residential Life also hosted an activity the same day involving Zorb balls, giant inflatable balls made of transparent plastic. To play the game, people have to wrap themselves in a ball and try to bump others by running as fast as they can to get their opponents out of the circle they are supposed to stay in.
Hirini Wikaira, a junior from New Zealand studying social work, was lying down in the grass after playing a game with the Zorb balls. He was panting by the end of the game but described the experience as “solid.” He smiled and said, “[It was] pretty fun. I had the most fun in those [Zorb balls] playing sumo.”
The event also included refreshments such as pizza and a variety of fresh fruits like watermelon, honeydew and grapes. Seasiders Sports ordered more than 25 boxes of pizza and gave away a few whole boxes to some of the attendees.
Wikaira recalled attending various activities organized by the school during previous semesters and said he loved how pizza is always served during the events.
Challenges regarding the activities
With over 150 students in attendance, Baird said they had minor problems. “When there's a lot of people involved, it can get chaotic, but when everyone just does their part, I think today went really smoothly.”
Kendall Oliver, a senior from Illinois studying political science, said he had problems with keeping his mask on his face. “Even though each arrow has a foam protector on the end, I promise it still hurts to have an arrow hit your head,” he explained.
Students also made comments as they looked for paper towels to wipe the sweat off from the masks used for the games. “After a few hours, the equipment was covered in sweat and dirt, and very few ways to clean it off. Ample amounts of cleaning supplies are a must,” Oliver added.