UC Irvine sets Guinness World Record – this time for capturing the flag

Battling in a sometimes rough competition, both teams captured each others flags as students from UCI tried to set a Guinness world record for the largest game of capture the flag at UCI on Tuesday.
The blue team surrounds a gold team member stealing a blue flag as students from UCI tried to set a Guinness world record for the largest game of capture the flag.
A member of the gold team gets corralled while leading a charge into the blue teams territory as students from UCI tried to set a Guinness world record for the largest game of capture the flag.
Members of the gold team charge toward the blue territory at the start of the largest game of capture the flag at UCI on Tuesday.
Members of the gold team try to push their way into the blue area to capture flags as students from UCI tried to set a Guinness world record for the largest game of capture the flag.
The action got rough at times as students as students played for a Guinness world record for the largest game of capture the flag.
Some students needed assistance leaving the field as students from UCI tried to set a Guinness world record for the largest game of capture the flag.
The gold team turns away a would be flag grabber from the blue team as students from UCI tried to set a Guinness world record for the largest game of capture the flag.
The blue team runs down a gold team member who was trying to get away with the blue flag during the largest game of capture the flag according to Guinness.
A gold team member makes a break into blue territory as students from UCI tried to set a Guinness world record for the largest game of capture the flag.
Both team's players "zot" before the start of the game as students from UCI tried to set a Guinness world record for the largest game of capture the flag.
The yellow team takes up defensive positions around one of their flags to protect to protect it from the blue team.

By Brooke E. Seipel | Orange County Register

September 23, 2015 at 8:25 a.m.

IRVINE – At UC Irvine, setting world records is a tradition.

Tuesday afternoon, 2,888 students gathered at the Anteater Recreation Center Field and played capture the flag – the most ever for one competition.

Guinness World Records’ Michael Empric was there to make the ruling – the first time Guinness had ever accepted a record for the game.

“This is an all new record,” he said. “We’ve had capture the flag guidelines for a while, and a lot of groups have tried to break this record but haven’t done it correctly.”

This is the sixth straight year the university has set a world record. As part of Welcome Week, the university organizes such events to bring students together and allow some to sell water and snacks for charities.

In 2010, it was dodgeball – and in subsequent years UCI students broke their own record twice. There was a pillow fight and a water fight.

Parshan Khosravi, a senior who is the student body president, said the university chose capture the flag because it was a friendly competition anyone could be a part of.

At 11 a.m. students lined up to enter the field, receiving blue or gold T-shirts, the school colors, depending on the team. Some danced to music. Others talked strategy.

“I’m going to stay in the back for a while, because the first 10 minutes will be crazy,” sophomore Johnathan Tran said of his strategy. “I’m not just running in there.”

At 1 p.m., the 30-minute game began and students charged the field.

Each team had a home base with flags on its side of the field. The goal was to collect as many flags as possible from the other team while protecting your own.

Once an opponent crossed the midway point, he or she could be tagged out of the game by the other team. If the tagged-out player had a flag, that flag had to be dropped – either picked up and returned or carried to the other home base for a point.

“It’s a fun activity,” said freshman William Schallock of the winning gold team. “I’ll probably do it again next year. I tagged four people and helped with a lot more.”

For next year, Schallock said he is pulling for a water-ballon fight.