In an annual tradition, hundreds of Leesville younglife students reported to the Lake Lynn park on September 13 for the annual “Muck Wars”: a ginormous food fight between the classes. Younglife, a nationwide Christian organization, puts on many fun events, such as Muck Wars, to bring Christian teens together.
As students arrived to Lake Lynn, they were painted with colors to represent their grade. This face and body paint would eventually be a sole form of recognition under layers of muck.
The notoriously gross competitions of Muck Wars began almost immediately after 7:00. One student was chosen from every grade to compete in competitions such as: finding a gummy worm with your face, pushing a race car with one’s tongue and completing the traditional “dizzy bat” competition, all through piles of disgusting muck.
After the competitions are completed, the “free-for-all” stage commences. The free-for-all is what one would imagine when picturing “muck wars.” Students fling handfuls of the provided goop, which consists of old bread made mushy with nasty condiments such as mayonnaise and ketchup.
Many Younglife members brought their own concoctions from home– anything from spaghetti to tuna to molasses to raw eggs to pickle relish. Many chose to use bottles of ranch or barbecue sauce as squirt guns rather than condiment dispensers.
Some students stood crying on the sidelines by the war’s end (too weak to handle the foul smell) while most stood coated in a thick layer of brown stinky goop. To the students relief, the Raleigh fire department provided one fire truck and three volunteer firemen to spray down the students with a high power hose, removing many large chunks.
Students all recieved an adequete spray down and then climbed into their cars to sit upon tarp covered seats, anxiously awaiting their multiple showers.
While gross, Muck Wars was a great bonding experience between the classes of Leesville, and a great way to start the Young Life season. The first Younglife Club of the year is Thursday, September 22.
Katy has been on staff since her sophomore year, starting as a staff writer. With hard work and diligence, she earned a junior editor position and ultimately became Editor-in-Chief her senior year. She will pursue a degree in journalism in college.