On Sep. 4, 2014, UNB SRC’s VP student affairs Jen Brown organized a laser tag competition for Orientation week. The event, which started at 7 p.m. and ended at 10 p.m, took place in the Athletic Center of the Saint John campus.
The equipment for the event was provided by Ground Zero Entertainment INC., a well-known and well-run laser tag company located in Saint John.
While the event kicked off at 7 p.m. sharp, many first year students and volunteers were arriving early in anticipation of the popular activity. When asked if an event like this has ever been done for orientation week before, and whether or not it was a success, volunteer Jess Buck explained, “They always do an athletic orientation. It revolves around the gym, and this year they did laser tag. It was more successful (than other years).”
As more and more first years filled into the gym, the excitement started to build. Orientation leaders and frosh were put on teams together to encourage bonding. Once the teams were chosen, it was game on!
While some participants played on the court, others watched and strategized. One team, comprised of Conner Moore, Kaitlyn Clark, and Jayme Dixon, watched and took cues from other teams on what works, and what doesn’t. The three teammates stated that not only had they seen what works, but that they also had their whole game plan mapped out. Evidently, some teams were determined to win.
In the end it was team “Not B” that won the grand prize of $1000 to be split between the ten team members and crazy bragging rights for the rest of the year. Winning by a total of five points, the members of team “Not B” were ecstatic after finding out that they were indeed the winners of laser tag. Even though his team did end up winning, team member Michael Simmie was not optimistic going into the final round, “As soon as we lost our team leader, we thought we were going to lose. But then our team pulled it together and kicked some ass”.
The consensus was unanimous; laser tag was a success with 100 first years and orientation leaders attending. Many believed that it should definitely be brought back next year, not only for orientation week, but for everyone to enjoy together.
