Given the saying “no news is good news,” then clearly a little news is great news, right? Well, here’s hoping. After it came to my attention that the Virginia Beach, VA recreation centers still hold Nerf skirmishes, I sent some emails and made some phone calls to find out more. In summation, here’s what I now know:

If you’re in the general area of Virginia Beach and have children aged 6-13 who may be interested in playing with Nerf blasters with other children, the Bow Creek, Bayside, and Great Neck locations all hold “Nerf Strike” events in their gymnasiums about once a month, usually on the afternoons of the second or third Saturdays. Dates and times vary a little by location, especially in the winter months, so call ahead just in case. These events do require Rec Center memberships or day passes, as well as usually an additional $4 fee per participant. Additionally, they can provide Nerf entertainment as a private party for children, but that gets more costly. However, don’t let that stop you. They sound really fun. While I don’t have much footage to share with you, there’s at least this one YouTube clip that gives us a brief idea of how things flow.

So, what shall your child do in a Nerf Strike event? Judging by my conversation with the delightful coordinator of the Great Neck events, they get to spend a couple of hours having great fun, firing away at other children and ducking between large paintball-style inflatables. The centers do indeed provide equipment and darts, and as of currently ask that people only use the darts provided. From what I can tell this means that blasters are limited to only those capable of firing Dart Tag whistlers, but hey, it’s a start. There’s even been special “zombie attack” events lately, with just that little bit of extra flair.

The rules are pretty straightforward, which can definitely help your kids get in to the fun quickly and still remain safe. Essentially, “all recreation center and gym rules apply,” and then add “no hitting, no shoving, no wrestling, no aiming for the face.” Easy. The staff at the recreation centers of course strive to teach the children good sportsmanship and delight in good behavior, but that goes without saying, right? Again, since they’re aiming for the 6-13 crowd (or 8-13 at Great Neck), they want to aim for fun, safety, and simplicity over complication and drama.

As it stands, they’ve been doing this for “quite a long time,” but we may just now be seeing the dawn of adult events. Until I contacted them, they never really tried to organize things for an older crowd not only because of “gun violence stigmas” but also because they didn’t think any adults would come. How crazy is that? Still, the representative I spoke with was very much open to the idea of possibly working in a monthly event for adult participants as well (also “just a couple of hours,” because their calendar is rather full). The first litmus will be at their Open House event in January, so I’m marking my calendar. There’s a few things to consider, though:

1. They really weren’t aware that modders even existed until my email caught their attention. After researching, they’re sticking to an “off-the-shelf only” rule for now, so “bone stock”-class.

2. Chances are they’ll want us using their darts, so you’d better start thrifting for those Quick 16’s we all threw out years ago! Oh, and you know those taggers most of us have probably chewed through or sold off? We’ll need them again.

3. If they commit to adult events, the prices of entry may raise juuust a little bit for extra staff attendants. Moreso if there’s special thematic events that may run up additional set-up fees.

I for one find it cool that there’s a safe, structured place for kids to be introduced to Nerf, even if it’s just a couple of hours per month. I already had a small idea that these events went on, but I’m so happy to hear they’re still a regular thing. If you have kids in the age range – or are an adult interested in the open skirmishes in the Open House – please swing by! I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you.

MONDAY, 7 DECEMBER UPDATE: After being contacted by another Rec Centers rep, I have even more exciting news for you and your kids. I’m now under the impression they might get a League going! So far, it looks like a team (or set of teams) from one center might occasionally play other teams in some manner of contest format. That could be really neat. I’ll keep everyone posted!