By: Sid Raghunath and Mason Machiran

   As the weather gets warmer and senior year nears its end, students across Howard County are occupied with more than just finals and graduation. Senior Assassin, a water gun game played off campus, has quietly taken over neighborhoods, parking lots, and social media feeds. With eliminations happening at the most unexpected times, what started as a fun tradition is quickly turning into one of the best events of the year among the senior class.

   The opinions on Senior Assassin are widely mixed; with many students think of it as exciting and fun, while others believe it is a waste of time and money when you have to go to extreme measures to even earn a revival back into the game. 

   “I mean it’s a fun game and all, but you have to be committed in order to win. Would I drive to Ocean City and swim in the freezing cold water to revive? No, but I do still think the idea is fun,” senior Jack Sloper said. Sloper’s perspective shows the middle ground of where most seniors stand: they enjoy it but don’t care to commit to it. 

   While there are many students who take the game at a slower pace, many go the extra mile for $850. Some go out of their way to camp at people’s workplaces and homes, waiting for an opportunity to ambush.

    “I am very competitive, and I wouldn’t mind winning some money, so I take the game seriously, hunting my victims every day,” senior Yusuf Azamy stated.

   Due to the competitiveness, senior participants need to be on high alert to stay in the game. Wearing floaties on one arm or wearing goggles on the face gives a player immunity from being eliminated on non-purge days.

“To stay alive, I keep my floaties and goggles on, no matter what, and don’t trust anybody, even my friends,” senior Henry Phillips stated.

   While many, like Philips, are determined to survive every round, many feel relieved to be eliminated from the competition, as it is an added layer of stress, distracting them from other priorities.

   “I’m glad to be out, the game was pretty stupid anyway, I don’t feel like stressing about someone shooting me before a lacrosse game when I need to be focused on the game,” senior Cooper Ellis explained. Ellis’s focus is elsewhere and to him the game was just one more thing to worry about.

   Every player must get at least one elimination before the round ends to stay in the game, so eliminations occur frequently throughout the week as participants are eager to eliminate their target before the timer goes off. To speed up the game and to make things more interesting, a purge day occurs every Saturday, where participants can eliminate people who are not their target. To really make it interesting, on Sundays, goggles and floaties cannot protect players from being eliminated. Many students strategize with these purge days and the no-immunity-Sundays unique plans to help them proceed to the next round.

   “My goal on the purge day is to get to my target, that way they don’t find out who has them and I can try again on Sunday if needed,” senior Zach Skinner said.

   There is no definitive answer for if Senior Assassin is worth it or not, and students at Marriotts Ridge High School have a variety of different opinions on the game. Overall, Senior Assassin is a delightful time-pass to the seniors who will soon be saying farewell to the school and class they have been with for their academic life.