Over the past few years of Weddington High School, many things have changed. Students have graduated, teachers have left, new classes have been added, along with an abundance of other changes. But one thing that has remained consistent at Weddington is a senior tradition known as Jackal. Jackal, also referred to as senior assassin, is a grade-wide water gun fight in which one team comes out victorious. This game takes place during the spring semester, and can take a couple of months to complete. Teams of two battle it out with classmates, friends, or even strangers.

However, this year has differed from the other years because of one thing: an extremely high prize pot. Because of the high amount, people are going to new levels in order to secure a victory. Though some would find this whole situation crazy, many believe that the fun is worth it. 

The first round started with 79 teams. The teams were assigned another pair to eliminate, while being assigned to another team as targets. Throughout round one, many people grew weary and realized that this game is more than a game. Students had to dedicate countless hours to getting their targets, and this is not something for the weak. After an extremely tough round 1, 52 teams were eliminated, leaving 27 in the game. However, for week 1, teams could revive themselves and 19 teams continued. So, as week 1 concluded, 46 teams remained in the game, ready for an intense round 2. 

As the commissioner of this event, I can account that week 1 of this game was crazy and has had many difficulties. People did some questionable things (getting into people’s cars without consent, using splatter ball guns, and laying hands on other players) which have caused dilemmas for me and my other commissioner. Everyone has their side to a story, which often causes more questions and decisions. 

“I made it through the first round pretty easily, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t hear about other people’s stories and fails. I am excited to see what happens in round 2,” senior Matthew Powers exclaimed.

Now, as the first week of the game comes to a close, I realize how many people are very serious about winning for credibility and money. One thing is for certain: people will do whatever it takes to secure the title of “Jackal winner.” There have been some key takeaways I’ve noticed this week: you can’t make everyone happy, people are going to be mad regardless of what occurs, and everyone believes they are in the right. 

As we progress into the next week, we plan on enforcing the rules more strictly. We hope to keep everyone more on track and happier for the foreseeable future, and hopefully, this is something we can accomplish. 

“It’s impossible to keep everyone happy in this game. However, we can make sure we give everyone involved the same opportunity,” commissioner Kaley Leister stated. 

Even though we have attempted to keep an easy-going stance, many players have become angry after facing an elimination or disqualification. There have been many choice words said to us, and it is difficult to see how many people have become irritated because of the game and our commissioning. Because of the prizes  on the line, people will do whatever they can to remain in the game, and because of this, has become a lot to deal with.

“Me and my partner are really excited for round 2. First round, we had to work out the kinks and realize what did/ didn’t work, so I think round 2 will be really successful,” senior Tyler Gautreaux expressed. 

As we go into round 2, I believe the game will run much smoother. But for now, all I can say is good luck and happy hunting!