My previous post on "Change" (which I wrote before the Young Adults Weekend Away) more or less sums up almost everything I learnt from the messages at YAWA. Good news is that I've been thinking ahead. Very far ahead. So while the rest of the young adults recover from the shock of truth being thrown at them, I shall talk about other activities.
Namely, a Paintball Battle Report.
11 a side, over-grown rustic jungle terrain and high powered paintball guns- this was probably the biggest paintball battle I have ever seen and ever will see. It was the epic showdown between the 2 opposing factions with the most varying methods of leadership.
The two team captains were me and Maxim.
We receded the ground while the rest of the team suited up for battle. Then we were given 5 minutes to strategize before the start of the first round. Then we began our first round.
Round 1
Round 1 objective: Getting someone from our own team to touch the enemy white flag without getting hit. Same objective given to both sides. If the result is a draw because no one can get to the white flag, the winning team is the one which collects more of the 9 red flags scattered throughout the course.
Special rules: No kill. Getting hit by a paintball does not constitute getting killed. If you can bear the pain, you can push on.
I quickly split the team into 3 different task forces.
Strike force:
Daryl, Samuel, Cyril and Jeffery formed the attacking task force with Daryl at the helm.
Objective: Capture the flag from the right flank, using the heavy overgrowth for cover.
Defensive Force:
Sam Nee lead the forward defense with Dawn and the 2 Mariannes under his command.
Objective: Hold the line, provide reinforcement to the strike force.
HQ:
I stayed with the flag along with Chris, Amanda and Dad.
Objective: Intel gathering, early warning and communication.
(Though this happened in real time, I find it easier to make an account of the events in turns.)
Turn 1
With the sounding of the loudspeaker the first round kicked off and Sam lead the defense force forward and quickly formed up the defensive perimeter line. Marianne Hui and Dawn covered the right flank while Marianne Lee took on the left. As this was a "no kill" match, the defenders would need to pump enough rounds into the attackers to make them retreat.
The Strike force began their covert advance through the right flank.
Back at HQ Amanda was stationed behind cover as the last line of defense, while Chris was sent to cover the right perimeter line and dad was to cover the left perimeter line. The perimeter was marked by a drain and gave a very long clear view of the area thus they prevented our troops from getting outflanked, the biggest concern I had.
Turn 2
The defensive line began exchanging long range shots with the front line of the enemy force, but not significant enough to identify it as a main enemy assault direction. I pushed forward to find out what the enemy movement was and helped push forward our defenders who were still lagging behind the line.
The Strike force advanced unnoticed on our right flank. I shouted for them to slow down their assault to maintain the element of surprise but in their excitement they were already too far forward to hear me. Not good.
On HQ's side Chris advanced along the rear perimeter while dad advanced along the left perimeter. Amanda held her ground while I pulled back to dad to check out how were things on the left flank. With our main assault still untouched from the right and no sound coming from the left, I was worried this is the most likely direction of enemy assault. True enough, dad was one of the first to exchange shots with the enemy. "Someone's coming from the drain," Dad said. We were being flanked!
Turn 3
This was the decisive turn. I pushed dad forward along the left extreme to link up with Marianne Lee from the defense force. The left flank was now covered, but the line was stretched too much by Sam Nee's advance without the rest of the line. I positioned myself next to Marianne realising this is where the firepower would be needed. If this was a small group assault, we 3 would take them, but if it was a bigger force, this would get messy.
Heavy gunfire was heard on the right flank as our strike force made their early attack on prepared enemy. I shouted to Dawn (who was on the right extreme of the defensive line) to open fire in the direction to distract the enemy from shooting our attacking force but she did not have a clear shot.
Turn 4
Marianne Lee was advancing towards the red flag ahead of her when the enemy fell upon the defense force's left flank. Maxim and Christian rushed the positions of Marianne Lee and my dad, and because of the "no kill" rule, the 2 groups ended up in a fierce point blank firing that resulted in bloody wounds (literally here). I shouted for Marianne Hui and Sam Nee (who were way ahead of us) to fire to the left and the 4 or 5 guns made quick work of the 2 attackers and they pulled back in pain and still being pelted by rounds, but not before they captured the red flag.
Firing was still heavy on the right side and news was passed that all the 4 in our own strike force had been hit and thus cannot claim the objective. They proceeded to capture red flags while pulling back.
Turn 5
With the strike force unable to capture the objective (but still able to fight), Sam Nee, captain of the defense force, made a heroic charge towards the objective. But because Marianne Lee and my dad were involved in the rear left flank battle, they were too far behind to support him and he advanced alone. Furthermore, we realised that Maxim and Christian were not the only ones in the enemy assault team- Bryan was covering their retreat and was now positioned between us and Sam Nee, cutting off our support of his charge. Marianne Hui was open to fire from Bryan and I shouted to her and opened fire on his position, which she followed suit and forced him to pull back.
Turn 6
Sam Nee, unsupported and alone, took on the full defense of the enemy defense and was cut down. Referee called for a stop to the game as most everyone had been hit by paint and were unable to capture the objective. We counted the red flags and our team had collected 4 flags while the other 2 or 3.
Either way, round 1 went to our team!!!
Round 2
The bruised, bloodied and afraid fell out, leaving only 7 on each team to play out round 2. I spoke to the organizer to do away with the "no kill" rule which was bashing us all up and he implemented instead the "re-spawning" rule for the subsequent rounds. 3 who came into this round from my group were still unscathed. Dawn, Amanda and I. But to balance out the numbers, Amanda was sent to the opposing team. We swapped sides of the field.
Objective: Touch the enemy flag.
Special Rules: Re-spawn. Anyone who gets hit is counted as dead and should not fire or be fired upon. The player would raise the weapon and head back to his or her group's base and touch the base (the barrier behind the flag) which would render him or her back in the game.
There were too few of us for any significant strategy to be used so I just placed Jeff and Cyril in defense and lead the rest of the group consisting Dawn, Marianne Hui, Samuel Soon and Daryl forward. The opponents made the first few kills and punched a hole in our line. I was left unsupported and alone and was soon taken out with a shot to the chest that did not burst on impact, and one that did on the forearm. It hurt!
The opponent was relentless in their attack and Marianne was already having to hold the line barely one bound away from our own flag, which was too close for comfort. As I made a dash to support her, I twisted my left ankle in the muddy ground and collapsed behind the obstacle next to her. She thought I was so "drama" but my whole leg was numb.
The next thing I knew, the referee declared Marianne and I dead. As I stood up I realised why- Enemy Calvin and his partner were on the opposite side of the obstacle we were hiding behind, and were just about to take us out at point-blank execution style. I hobbled back.
All of our team had fallen back to our re-spawning base and we were still being shot at by enemy closing in. We were short of ammunition and taking many hits. Our flag was within the enemy's reach and I was losing hope and knew our end was near. Under these circumstances some brave members of my team like Marianne still fought on, shooting, getting shot at close range, returning a few steps to the base and shooting again. In this way we got revived very quickly, while the enemy took a long time to, having to walk to the opposite side of the field.
Then I saw the opportunity. There came a point that all the enemy were walking back to their base on the other side of the field to re-spawn. We could not shoot at them, but i realised they could not shoot at us either. "Now is the time to attack! They can't defend themselves!" I told the few with me. Samuel made a dash past all who were walking back. Enemy Amanda fired at him, but her shots went wide. Calvin, who had just re-spawned, opened fire too, but his gun jammed.
In a cunning and stunning counter attack, victory was snatched from the opponents as Samuel touched the enemy flag and round 2 went to us. Victory was ours again!
In a cunning and stunning counter attack, victory was snatched from the opponents as Samuel touched the enemy flag and round 2 went to us. Victory was ours again!
Round 3
Objective: Capture the central flag
Special Rules: Re-Spawn
Reduced to 5 a team, we swapped sides a final time for a battle over a single flag. In this round the winning team has to bring the centre flag to their own base. If they are shot they must drop the flag.
Knowing how the enemy territory was muddy and ours clear, and that our team members had fewer than 10 rounds each remaining, I formulated a very cunning strategy. At the start of the match, Samuel, who had left his gun at our base, made a sprint for the central flag. Carrying nothing and bounding over better terrain, Samuel took the flag before the enemy got into position and sprinted home for a stunning victory in under a minute. We screamed in elation!
Victory in yet another round went to us again! That's 3 straight wins!
Knowing how the enemy territory was muddy and ours clear, and that our team members had fewer than 10 rounds each remaining, I formulated a very cunning strategy. At the start of the match, Samuel, who had left his gun at our base, made a sprint for the central flag. Carrying nothing and bounding over better terrain, Samuel took the flag before the enemy got into position and sprinted home for a stunning victory in under a minute. We screamed in elation!
Victory in yet another round went to us again! That's 3 straight wins!
Round 4
This was the final round and was a repeat of round 3's setup. We attempted the same trick, having no time to plan another strategy, but Samuel was tired and the opponent was ready. Samuel got to the flag just in time for him to get taken out with a shot to the head. Not being able to see my team mates, I crawled closer to the objective to get a clear shot. I was alone and unsupported and saw enemy Christian get up to rush for the flag. I opened fire and he tried to return fire when his gun jammed. But before I could take him out, I was hit by two rounds from the back and I rolled over in excruciating pain.
Who in my team just shot me?!?
I looked back and to my surprise saw Maxim, who had just done a wide flank and taken out my entire team from the back. Victory went to the enemy as Christian pulled the flag back without any further hindrance.
Round 4 went to the Enemy!
And so that was paintball. Christian and Maxim were covered in bruises from their suicidal charge in Round 1, which also left dad and Marianne Lee with bleeding bruises. We had held them back, but at a high cost. My bruises were very painful, but none looked as severe. Samuel became known as the head-shot magnet because he was only shot in the mask, which meant he had no bruises. Amanda who kept behind all 4 rounds escaped unhurt.
I found the whole game fascinating because I saw how far I had come. Put me in the same position 2 years back and I would not have been able to command the way i did at this battle. But after enduring all the grueling training under my OC in the army I learnt strategy and learnt it well.
What we saw in the field was 2 forms of leadership going against each other. Maxim lead from the front, I lead from the back. With the benefit of time, planning and communication, my team could hold off any small scale attack Maxim could throw at us. He pushed the attack forward, while I waited for his first move, choosing to put command of the team over personal glory (unlike what I did the last time round) and it worked out well. I think my mistake was that I did not manage to synchronize the strike force with support from the defense force, which could have won us a clear victory in the first round. The match had to go to a tie breaking decision which was a close call.
Round 2 was a fluke. Maxim lead his force very aggressively and effectively. My team could not stand up against the raw power and aggression we faced and fell back till we were almost totally destroyed. But seeing the tiny opportunity, and Samuel acting on it (I actually just suggested it as a dying suggestion and didn't know Samuel had taken me seriously) gave us a surprise victory.
Round 3 was all strategy and good use of it. It was cunning and effective. Don't fight your enemy if you can win without doing that.
Round 4 was folly. Never use the same strategy twice in a row. After Samuel was taken out, I was tired, with hardly 3 rounds left and with a sprained ankle. I gave up communicating and leading and fought solo. That's probably what the whole team did. Maxim, who had taken his entire team's ammunition, made a flank when we were tired and stealthily took us out from the back, one by one. No one sounded off that there was an enemy behind our lines and we were all killed by the lack of communication.
What a battle. So much to learn. I realise that at the end of the day the youth spoke about who shot who and who made the most kills and no one really knew what I was doing, running back and forth behind our own lines and shouting my head off. But that's okay, I lead from the back, and accomplished not just the objective of winning the match, but giving my team, and the enemy's team for that matter, a battle that would be talked about for a long time to come. And that common binding experience of the group, was worth more than any personal glory.
Round 4 went to the Enemy!
And so that was paintball. Christian and Maxim were covered in bruises from their suicidal charge in Round 1, which also left dad and Marianne Lee with bleeding bruises. We had held them back, but at a high cost. My bruises were very painful, but none looked as severe. Samuel became known as the head-shot magnet because he was only shot in the mask, which meant he had no bruises. Amanda who kept behind all 4 rounds escaped unhurt.
I found the whole game fascinating because I saw how far I had come. Put me in the same position 2 years back and I would not have been able to command the way i did at this battle. But after enduring all the grueling training under my OC in the army I learnt strategy and learnt it well.
What we saw in the field was 2 forms of leadership going against each other. Maxim lead from the front, I lead from the back. With the benefit of time, planning and communication, my team could hold off any small scale attack Maxim could throw at us. He pushed the attack forward, while I waited for his first move, choosing to put command of the team over personal glory (unlike what I did the last time round) and it worked out well. I think my mistake was that I did not manage to synchronize the strike force with support from the defense force, which could have won us a clear victory in the first round. The match had to go to a tie breaking decision which was a close call.
Round 2 was a fluke. Maxim lead his force very aggressively and effectively. My team could not stand up against the raw power and aggression we faced and fell back till we were almost totally destroyed. But seeing the tiny opportunity, and Samuel acting on it (I actually just suggested it as a dying suggestion and didn't know Samuel had taken me seriously) gave us a surprise victory.
Round 3 was all strategy and good use of it. It was cunning and effective. Don't fight your enemy if you can win without doing that.
Round 4 was folly. Never use the same strategy twice in a row. After Samuel was taken out, I was tired, with hardly 3 rounds left and with a sprained ankle. I gave up communicating and leading and fought solo. That's probably what the whole team did. Maxim, who had taken his entire team's ammunition, made a flank when we were tired and stealthily took us out from the back, one by one. No one sounded off that there was an enemy behind our lines and we were all killed by the lack of communication.
What a battle. So much to learn. I realise that at the end of the day the youth spoke about who shot who and who made the most kills and no one really knew what I was doing, running back and forth behind our own lines and shouting my head off. But that's okay, I lead from the back, and accomplished not just the objective of winning the match, but giving my team, and the enemy's team for that matter, a battle that would be talked about for a long time to come. And that common binding experience of the group, was worth more than any personal glory.
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