The briefing was very detailed but it
boiled down to this: Santa’s sleigh had come
under attack and had been shot down. It
was known that he had survived and was
hiding somewhere on the site, waiting to be
rescued. ‘Santa’s Little Helpers’ were tasked
to locate and rescue the bearded-one, while
the ‘Bah Humbugs’ would do their best to
prevent this from happening. To complicate
matters further Santa had been injured and
could only be carried on a special stretcher,
by five Santa-hat wearing Little Helpers. Just
in case they thought they could sneak him
out quietly, a couple of dozen sleigh bells had
been attached!
One of the most bizarre sights I have ever
seen during a game of airsoft has to be a
full-size mannequin dressed up as Santa,
being carried through a forest on a stretcher
by five camo-clad, gun-wielding, red-hat
wearing guys, to the accompaniment of
jingling Christmas bells! Hysterically funny
and bloody good fun!
At the end of the day there were no
winners or losers – everyone had had a
brilliant time and airsoft had gained a few
SITE REVIEW
more converts. I also noticed how the more
experienced players treated those who
hadn’t played before, or as often. Not once
did I see any sign of ‘better than you’ – in
fact quite the contrary. On more than one
occasion I saw and heard new players
being given helpful advice by players and
the marshals were more than willing to aid
less experienced players, with words of
encouragement and guidance.
As I said before, I believe that the future
of our sport lies in encouraging as many new
players who try it, to stay. Down at Skirmish
Airsoft in Billericay, Essex, Jim Sidroy and his
marshals are doing exactly that. ■
SKIRMISH AIRSOIFT
BILLERICAY
Billericay, Essex, CM11 2TX
www.airsoft-billericay.co.uk
01277 657777
Prices
New players: £17 (includes
automatic membership)
Members’ walk-on: £15
Rifle hire: £22 (from Action Gamers)
10 per cent discount at Action Gamers
on all sales over £25 at Airsoft
Billericay site shop
GAME DAYS
Rookie Day (16+ years old): First
Sunday
Boot Camp Alpha: Second Sunday
Boot Camp Bravo: Third Saturday
Walk-On Day: Last Sunday (gun
rentals not available)
www.airsoftactionmagazine.com
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