The name sparks fear into the hearts of many, yet it gets dozens of signups every year. This year’s match has been surrounded by fun and drama, and honestly, it seems a lot like a reality TV show. The pot is huge! Only one team will reign victorious! Suspense, Drama, and Super Squirters! This is: Water Wars!!

  As of now, only 8 teams remain in the water-fueled race that began with a whopping 31 groups. At four players per team, that adds up to 124 people, and if you want to do even more math, that means a prize of $1,240, not including buy-ins. However, many know that water wars is a highly intense and stressful event for those participating as well as those who are not.

  The Juniors and Seniors look forward to water wars seasons every year.

  “It’s a right of passage for upperclassmen and a fun way to end the year,” senior Savannah Mendoza says.

  Many people are involved in the big match without participating and follow the shenanigans of water wars on social media, retweeting and quoting tweets on Twitter with reactions of shock or happiness. It’s quite easy to tell who is participating around town, seeing cars full of people who aren’t usually in your neighborhood. However, this can have some dangers.

  “People not involved are not aware that kids are playing a game and could mistake them as a burglar. The use of vehicles also creates a hazard. Winning at all cost harms any game,” Ripon Police Department Sergeant Meece said.

   Authorities in the community are not the only ones with concerns.

  “People take the game too seriously and too far to the point where it isn’t fun and they aren’t willing to own up to their mistakes,” Savannah Mendoza agrees.

  Though the game may start out fun for some, it can quickly turn into a stressful situation in which road safety laws are ignored by some and people can get hurt, making the game a controversial issue.

  “Anything involving money or shooting at someone brings controversy, therefore water wars is a steaming stew of the two,” senior Tim Cribbet stated.

  This year, the game was even covered by the news, warning residents to be careful of people trespassing or speeding on the roadways. Someone was even cornered in a Ripon resident’s driveway and backed into their garage, denting both the garage and the resident’s car, and another participant also hit a tree. Needless to say, it can get a bit hectic and out of control.

  However, many players still manage to have fun while still maintaining the rules. Water wars gives seniors one last hurrah with their junior buddies before graduation and juniors a chance to get involved in upperclassmen activities before their final year of high school. When done correctly, water wars is a super fun event that people can play without worry for their safety. At least, physical safety. Safety from the water guns go out the window as soon as people sign up, and that’s why it’s such a good time.

  “The fun thing about water wars is that it gives people an excuse to do something together,” Tim Cribbet said.