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Here we see the blue team well into preparing their fortifications for the red teams impending assaults. |
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They opt to build their main line of defense in front of this large wooden sign on an otherwise empty field, allowing free movement behind their lines. |
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Their key defensive feature: this trench. It's a depth which allows the kids to stand upright and throw exposing only their heads and shoulders to enemy fire. The rising wall in the foreground extends to directly in front of their fpole, which is protected by another, wrap-around wall. |
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not to be outdone, the red team builds fortifications of their own. |
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It's hard to see, but rather than one large trench, they opt for a set of thee walls: one directly in front of the pole, and two others set forward a bit and slightly to either side, allowing easy movement for the defenders through their lines, but requiring attackers to run a gauntlet before hey can grasp the flag. |
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At the last minute, they decide to build another forward fortification on the left flank, the side from which most attacks would be coming by vitue of a highway of packed snow left by the snowmobile. |
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Soon, the pre-battle meting begins. There will be three battles, whoever wins the most is declared the winner. |
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The blue team mans its defenses and prepares for the opening whistle. |
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The red team does likewise. |
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A fatal flaw soon becomes apprent: with both teams set up to defend their pole, neither team has bothered to prepare an offense. The lines are too far apart for their arms to reach. Someone must go over the top for king and country! But who? |
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A few members of the blue team seize the initiative and storm red teams fortifications. |
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Despite fierce return fire, they soon make it past red team's walls and seize the pole! While it is almost certain they would not have made it out alive, their sacrafice claims the first win for Blue Team. |
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Red team gets the hint: wars are not won from behind your walls. When the whistle blows beginning the second battle, they march forward en masse to challenge the blue team. |
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Not content to sit in the trench and wait, blue team sallies forth to meet the challenge. |
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Making good use of covering fire, red team advances with a will, driving blue team back to their fortifications. |
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Blue team maks a heroic stand, but their depleted garrison is insufficent to hold of the waves of red descending upon them. Their flag is soon torn down. (Note the snowball in midair in this shot... very cool.) |
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The defeat strengthens blue team's resolve. they come out hard for the final fight. Their first assault is rebuffed (you can see a downed team member in the back center), but they are not beaten. |
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This one is closer than any of the previous battles, with offensive parties from both teams getting through, but blue team made it first, claiming the battle and the war. Only one face-shot casualty throughout the entire war. Pretty good odds. |