by Dean Dzoja
The aim of the game was hide and seek – But with the added touch that once you’re caught, you had to help find the remainder of the players. The rules were simple, don’t get caught, and don’t leave the boundary area. Other than that, if it wasn’t locked up or out of bounds the hiding place was fair game. It was a game of wit, speed and cooperation.
The year was around 2010. The game formed organically, from my knowledge, and encouraged participation from people of all ages, but most players were in the under-25 category. The person who was in charge of being “it” was sometimes chosen at random and sometimes based on the conclusion of other games. I remember the countdown being 100 seconds with people scrambling in all directions. There was a lot of creativity. Players were found in bushes, behind barns, inside pickup trucks, and even hiding amongst the crowd. It always ended the same, once you were spotted it was time to scram! The game got harder as more players were caught because of the ability to surround and out-maneuver your final opponents. Sometimes it wasn’t the fastest that won but the smartest.