This time when it came time to play it felt
considerably different. As the only "Zone player" on our team this
was the system I was to take more of a lead with, but for as many Zone sites as
I have played I realized it has been quite a while since I've actually played
the tournament format. So this was both a rare treat and a chance to rack my
brain for something beyond "Elmo, Elmo, Elmo!" (shout out to RivalBlue,
Diz, Razz, Threl and Bubblez with that one...miss you guys!) It also makes me
stop and consider why I identify as a Zone player when I don't have any access
to playing the tournament format locally (even though I do have a home Zone
site in Albany). Unquestionably, I play in our local Force site more frequently
than any other location and yet I don't call myself a Force player because I
don't regularly play the SM5 tournament format. In fact, I have deliberately
made that distinction, so why do I think of Zone any differently? I think it
comes down to having played Zone first before experiencing anything (and almost
everything) else. But I digress...back to Armageddon.
We started the day with breakfast quite
literally calling my name...
And then the bus took us to this familiar
destination to start a full morning of tag.
They use Helios Pro and have briefing room art
to reflect that (which I'm reasonably certain was updated since my last visit
here in 2015).
Then of course it's on to the vesting room.
And then on into the uniquely shaped arena
with bases in three corners.
Because these are three-team games we had
longer windows of continuous time in the arena. If your team isn't playing then
you're in there reffing. Once again, I'm going to just gloss over the
challenges and focus on some positives and a few moments of personal
accomplishment. I was pleased to learn that I pulled the top Zone average for
our team, even though it was by a lesser margin than I hoped and was not enough
to counter the wallop we took for much of this system. And yet, I still love it
and if given the choice I still would have played more of this over any other
system we played. But every tournament gives you a chance to grow, so I count
that as one of the benefits of playing with people at this level. Especially
bearing in mind that most of them have been tagging for a considerably longer
time than I have with systems they are able to practice regularly. A few even
work for laser tag companies or own/manage laser tag businesses. So considering
all that I think my team played with heart on a system that some were playing
for the very first time ever, so I congratulate them for working together and
making some strides and adjusting the tactics throughout the events that
resulted in us taking second out of three teams in a third of these games. Not
as good a showing as at Tron, but still something.
After Zone we headed for a popular local
restaurant right in that same plaza called Taranova's...excellent food!
Then we headed for Wyomissing where I broke
off from the group for a visit with a friend for whom I'm doing sound and
voiceover work on an animated movie. How nice that this tourney took me right
to his hometown with a nicely spaced break so we could have sushi and chat!
Then came time for Laser Quest Wyomissing.
Hunter and I got our "arts and
crafts" time taping the LQ arena codes onto the "surfboards"
(activators) before the rest of the group arrived.
Keeping with my "t-shirt for every
system" theme I sported the latest LQ wearable gear.
Meanwhile the guys were doing their
Ghostbusters thing...
And we played. And we groaned. And we tried to
keep track of the packs. And we groaned some more. And we took heart again that
we had points on the board...although clearly not enough.
But at the end of the night we mostly enjoyed
the camaraderie of the group.
Well, I enjoyed the camaraderie right up until
it manifested into a pillow fight in the hallway of the hotel keeping me from
getting to my room and getting some sleep! But nobody really expects much sleep
at an Armageddon. That will have to wait until after the Force events tomorrow!
Comments or Questions?
Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com
and www.photonforever.com
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