Tensions are high in the halls of Terra Linda as students plan their strategies to win. It’s that time of year: senior assassin. Senior assassin is a game where students divide themselves into groups, typically consisting of three to five students. They are then assigned target groups, where they need to eliminate a certain amount of students using water guns to progress to the next round. In order for the elimination, also known as a kill, to be considered legitimate, it needs to be caught on video and uploaded to a shared app. The app is used to track kills as well as to share the live location of participants. The only refuge from getting out is either by being in a ‘safe zone’ (somewhere like school, dances, sports events, etc.) or by wearing goggles. Students wearing goggles cannot be eliminated, but they cannot eliminate opponents either. But even goggles cannot save a senior assassin player on a “Purge Day”. Once everyone else has been eliminated, the winning team gets to split the prize pool, which sits at around $2,500 this year. Senior assassin dates back to the 1970s, and has gained popularity over the years.
The game gets heated, especially because of the amount of money on the line. Teams need to get creative to ensure they get enough people out while also staying safe themselves. Senior Mia Schlotman, who was a member of the first group to get eliminated, explained her group’s experiences. “Our first strategy was to work together with one of our friends,” she started. Schlotman’s friend gave her one of their target’s work schedule. Schlotman continued, “We went to [the target’s] house about 15 minutes before he got off work, and waited for him.” Another strategy they attempted was taking advantage of a Purge Day by getting up really early in order to eliminate the targets when they were leaving their house for school. Unfortunately, this plan was unsuccessful, as their target got up even earlier than them. Not only did Schlotman’s group have to worry about getting their own targets out, but they also had to try and not get out by the team that was hunting them. “They didn’t just follow me to my home, but even when I went to visit my grandma,” Schlotman said of the team who was hunting her.
The moment the game ended for Schlotman’s team was when the team hunting her forced her to forfeit. “I left my car at my friend’s house and had to go pick it up after school. When I arrived at my house, we noticed there was a car behind us. We realized it was them and tried to get away,” Schlotman said. While attempting to escape, the opposing team used their car to block Schlotman and her friend, and then someone got out and stood in front of the car. “We were there for probably around 30 minutes trying to negotiate. They were unwilling, as they wanted an entire squad wipe,” Schlotman said. Schlotman’s team eventually had to give up, with Schlotman needing to walk her dog and her friend needing to go to her internship.
Senior En-Yu Liu’s team was the one hunting Schlotman’s team. Liu explained that his team initially employed an offensive approach to the game, evident through their early elimination of Schlotman’s team. They later moved to a defensive approach, only eliminating the necessary amount of players to stay in the game. Not only did Liu’s team have several impressive kills, but they also experienced some from the teams trying to eliminate them. “One of the days I was getting a ride to school with a friend, and he had a member from the team trying to get me out in his trunk,” Liu said. The opposing team was successful, and Liu was out the rest of the round. Despite this, Liu’s team persevered, and they made it to the final three.
In the end, Cooper Gillespie, Aidan Clark, Migue Hernández, Jesse Rodriguez, and Mo Cupul were the winners. They each got $500, evenly dividing the $2,500 prize fund. Cupul remarked, “Our main strategy was to use trap phones so our targets didn’t know where we were.” This allowed them to freely move around without worrying about their opponents knowing their location. They played for a long six weeks, staying dedicated to the game for the entire month and a half. “My favorite memory was getting another player out on a Saturday at a restaurant after our whole team was almost out,” Cupul shared. This kill helped save the whole game for them. After weeks of perseverance, Cupul’s team finally secured their victory and the money.
All in all, senior assassin has brought excitement, fun, and friendly competition to Terra Linda. Whether it’s hiding in a car or waking up at the crack of dawn, unforgettable memories have been made.
