On Monday, September 1st, the first round of Senior Splashdown started here in Woodford County. Senior Splashdown is an elimination game that began around 2017 and has taken high schools nationwide by storm. This year is the second year the WCHS senior class is participating in the well-known tradition. There are 2 people per team and a 10 dollar entry fee per person. The last team standing splits the money collected from entry fees, which adds up to 1,000 dollars this year. Every two weeks, your team is assigned a different team that you need to eliminate, unless the organizers specifically announce differently. In this case, the people who are running the game can randomly announce a purge night. This is done through the app, “Splashin” which also shows the locations of your targeted team. To get your target out, you have to spray them with a water gun or hit them with a water balloon. However, you can’t get them out if someone is wearing goggles or a floaty. Players are also safe if they are on school property, at a school event (sports, band, club meetings, etc.), if they are clocked into work, or at religious gatherings. On purge nights anyone can eliminate anyone, even if they have goggles or a floaty on. However, on purge nights the safe zones still apply.

There are 2 students who are running the game this year, Clark Kissick and Matthew Mitchell. When asked why he wanted to take the leading role of Senior Splashdown, Clark said “I’ve always been exposed to organization from a young age and thought it would be a fun way to bring our class together for our last year.” You can find Clark at any WCHS sporting event, he is one of the most spirited and passionate people our school has had in a long time. He is also very involved with youth football in Woodford County, so organization is something Clark has been perfecting for a while. Last year, Splashdown ended very abruptly and many members of the ‘24 graduating class felt that the students running the games made it unfair. I asked Clark what he thinks went wrong last year and how he can improve on it, and he said “ I think there were people who ran it who cared more about money rather than memories. I had a couple of bumps early on as the organizer but I believe I am doing my best to provide a fair game for all of our participants.” Both Clark and Matthew are taking a big chunk of their time to make sure the game runs smoothly, and they have done a great job so far.

To keep up with the game, you can follow the Instagram, @wchs25_seniorsplashdown. There have been 11 players eliminated in the first week of the game, so make sure not to miss any of it.