It was a fun war!

It was a fun war!

A great and glorious battle raged on a field at Jerabek Neighborhood Park the morning of Dec. 29. Children squealed in delight as they gleefully fired their weapons at one-another, filling the blue sky with colorful Nerf darts.

A few dozen youngsters turned out for the prearranged Scripps Ranch Nerf War, organized by Stacy Plotkin-Wolff, a Scripps Ranch mother of two young boys. All local elementary children were invited, as were their friends, no matter where they lived.

Nerf weapons of nearly every description were brought by participants for this highly-anticipated battle. Combatants were divided into two teams, one wearing red arm bands and the other sporting blue arm bands. Upon the signal, both teams dashed toward the enemy, firing their weapons as quickly as possible.

Plotkin-Wolff must be credited for a gargantuan effort, organizing, publicizing and executing the event. She made arm bands for each child, brought extra water for the kids, explained the rules and refereed each battle under what became an unexpected broiling sun on this beautiful morning for war. It was an exhausting endeavor, but she pulled it off, much to the delight of the children.

Each battle was played out in capture the flag-style. Instead of flags, there was a red baseball cap and a blue baseball cap at opposite ends of the field. About four individual battles were fought in this way. A separate and final bit of mayhem was played as a “death match,” bringing an end to two hours of Nerf war.

Parents encouraged their children to be more assertive and to gather their expended darts to reload. Adults were occasionally spotted fiddling with jammed Nerf weapons, attempting to clear them so their children could return to the battle.

Before the final match, one small boy was overheard asking his mother: “Can I play in the death match?”

Her reply: “Yes, go fight.”

The happiness was contagious as the pandemonium broke out. It was especially delightful since, as everyone knew, it was only a game.