Since the days of yore, from the hunters of the Paleolithic Era to the soldiers of the Third Crusade, everyone has always loved a good game of dodgeball.
Most people also agree that archery is really, really fun.
Well, now Torontonians can enjoy the glorious lovechild of those two beloved pastimes at their nearest game of organized Archery Tag.
Places like Archery Terminal – opening up this weekend in Mississauga – and Archery District, with 6,000 sq. feet of space in Scarborough, are officially here to help you live out your fantasy of being a modern-day Robin Hood; gliding across olde English AstroTurf and diving behind inflatable trees as you pick off the Sherriff’s men, one by one.
Well, something like that.
The game is pretty much dodgeball in that the goal is to eliminate all players on the opposing team by hitting them with stuff and then pretending like it was an accident when you plug them in the face. Except instead of throwing balls at retirement speeds, you’re shooting foam-tipped arrows at a pretty good pace.
There’s also the additional option to win by snipering all five plates on a stationary target that sits in your opponent’s half of the field.
Like dodgeball, if a target plate is knocked out or someone on your team catches an arrow in mid-air (i.e., they’re a straight-up ninja), a tagged player can come back into the game.
The team that has eliminated the most targets/players at the end of regulation time, or gets them all before time is up, is declared the winner.
So if bowling isn’t your bag and you think axe-throwing has lost its edge, you might want to consider a friendly-to-not-so-friendly game of Archery Tag.
Protective masks and archery equipment is provided. Green tights and suede booties are up to you.
Oh, and here’s a little inspiration for you courtesy of Lars Anderson…
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