The Nerf war begins

The parking lot at Pinehurst Park saw more action than a McDonald's drive-through Tuesday night, with numerous cars parked in clumps around the lot while other vehicles moved through slowly.

Each car contained at least one teenager armed with a Nerf gun. Some of them were full of teenagers, Nerf guns and the foam darts or balls that they fire. None of them wanted to roll their windows down, but when they did, the atmosphere inside the cars was electric with the excitement of youth.

The Nerf war is here, again. Although not unique to northern Carlton County, this rite of spring is a big deal. Each spring, some 200 kids or so form teams, pay their entry fees, dig out their Nerf guns - or buy the latest models - and prepare for battle.

While it makes many adults uncomfortable in a world where public shootings happen far too often with real guns, the kids say it's fun, and much of the money raised goes to charity, specifically the REACH Mentoring program, which has gotten thousands of dollars from the Nerf war over the past few years.

"It's really a way for older kids to feel like they're a little bit younger again, because they just run around playing with Nerf guns," said Cloquet junior Elijah Halli. "I also like that when you're on a Nerf team you really bond with those guys, because you're pretty much with them every day, trying to work together to get something done."

That something would be scoring "kills." When a player shoots another one, they take a photo to document the hit and post it to the CEC Nerf@CloquetNerfWars Twitter page so everyone knows. The rules of the game and a spreadsheet of safehouses and businesses that are off limits are also posted there. Rule No. 3, for example: "Siblings can't kill siblings. If you have a problem with your siblings, figure it out yourselves." Rule No. 5: You cannot steal guns, but you may steal ammo. Also: "No black Nerf guns AT ALL!!! If painted, must consult a commissioner before using." The list goes on.

The last player standing wins the game on behalf of his or her team - for boasting rights and money - although it's more complicated than that, because a player can "die" multiple times and buy back into the game to play another day.

It's a game with lots of rules, designed to keep kids safe and keep things from devolving into petty squabbles.

Halli is a commissioner this year, along with CHS senior Denny Genereau and Esko High School senior Logan Grayson. (They did have a fourth commissioner, but his mom doesn't approve of the game.) It's the job of the commissioner to resolve disputes, crack down on bad behavior and collect money.

"When people have problems or they're arguing, they call me," said Halli, who was sitting in his car, observing all the cars cruising in and out of the parking lot. "I take care of a lot of the money, so if people die and want to buy back in, I meet them somewhere. Or if they want to have a safehouse - so their entire property is safe and no one can shoot them there - then they come and pay me the money."

The start to this year's Nerf war was a little shaky, Halli admitted. He said commissioners cracked down after the Cloquet police department sent an alert to parents to talk to their kids because the Nerf war was getting out of hand.

CPD commander Derek Randall - who has worked with past Nerf war commissioners on rules of the game - said his goal is to make sure the kids balance safety and fun.

He didn't like it when kids could creep into someone's house unannounced - they can't anymore - or when kids would shoot out of moving cars, which is actually illegal. (It's also now against the rules of the Nerf war.) He worries most about kids getting excited and driving recklessly.

"I'm on the side of dealing with things appropriately. We don't want to see what happened in Lakeville," Randall said, referring to a fatal accident during a Nerf war several years ago when a truckful of boys flipped over, and several weren't wearing seatbelts. "I also don't want someone at gunpoint in a bush at night because neighbors called the cops about someone prowling around and the officer doesn't know what's going on."

At the same time, Randall commended the commissioners for changing some of the rules, pointing out that much of what they do in the game involves behaviors adults want to see in kids: mediation, leadership, managing money, donating to charity.

Commander Carey Ferrell agreed and said he hopes that parents of every teenager involved in the Nerf war are talking to their kids about being safe, whether they're on the road or just running around.

"I'm a parent too, and I know you can give only so much advice," Ferrell said. "You have to hope your kids listen to you when they walk out the door."

Back at the parking lot, it was a waiting game. More cars had arrived, and everyone was sitting there, windows up.

Cloquet junior Cal Pertler rolled his window down and said another player had parked his car there and gotten into another one. Everyone was waiting for him to get out of the car and back into his own. They wanted to ambush him, although it's hardly a secret attack with so many players gathered in one spot.

Just down a few spaces, Dirty Darts team members Dalton Bottila and Trevor Olson were waiting for the same kid.

"He eventually has to go home, and I got time to waste," Bottila said.