The capture the flag injury crisis

Photo courtesy of Alan Rengel

Capture the flag is a pretty simple game; you have a flag, you try to take other people’s flags and the goal is to end up with the most flags. Who knew that such a simple game could turn violent? 

Bennett Resident Assistant Joe Corbin managed to gather 28 people to play in his program from all over campus, not just Bennett Hall residents. 

“Capture the flag is a classic game that requires speed, agility and quick thinking,” Corbin said. “It’s pretty easy during the winter time to be in our rooms and not do much, so I figured I would give students a fun game to get people moving around, relieving stress and having fun.” 

But despite how fun the three day long program was, many players collected a selection of injuries – some self-inflicted –  in an attempt to keep their flags from getting stolen.
“When my partner (Sierra Rettele) and I planned the game, we knew that injuries would likely occur,” Corbin said. “Unfortunately, we were right. Thankfully no one has been seriously hurt. A pinky finger that is still numb, a couple of scratches, a sore hip and a bruised knee; I’ll be sure to tweak the rules to make it more safe, more fair and more fun [next time we play].” 

Each flag has passed through several different hands, with almost no one maintaining their flag from the start of the game. The game began Tuesday, Jan. 28 at precisely midnight. Safe zones in the game included private bedrooms, all bathrooms, classes, practices and Chapel. This was to ensure the safety and privacy of the players and make the game as inclusive as possible. 

“While thinking about safe zones, I took into consideration privacy (hence bathrooms and bedrooms), schooling (hence class), faith (hence Chapel) and sport/scholarship-related events (hence practice times),” Corbin said. “I figured those covered the bases as far as safe zones.”

Even with the injuries that were sustained, players still had fun and enjoyed the friendly competition and paranoia that came with their three days of possessing a flag (sometimes multiple flags). The game ended Friday, Jan. 31 at midnight; first, second and third place all got prizes. 

Junior Alan Rangel won the game overall.