The greatest Water-Warriors - Begin training at a very young age.

[WaterWolf]

Soaker Identity file.

Name: ----------------- Hope.
Alias: ------------------ Beam-Baby.
Age: ------------------- 3 years old.
Weapons of choice: -- An SS-50 and an xp-215.
Location: -------------- Central Vermont.

Additional notes:

At the age of 4 months, her favorite toy was a squirt gun.
Her first word, was "Water Balloon".
Her favorite bed-time story is Zen of Soaking.
When she began mastering her computer at the age of 2, the first web-site she visited, was Isoaker.com
At her birthday parties, she insists that all balloon are to be filled with water.
Her goal in life is to help her team (the Maple-Mountain-Marines) to dominate New-England.

Available Pictures:
(Click to see the larger versions, PLEASE!.
The first one's bigger image is especialy fantastic)

Feeling the Zen of Soaking.




Go ahead, make my day.

[Adrian]

Good job getting the younguns involved at an early age. It's a great sport.

Adrian

[isoaker]

Awesome stuff! The best water warriors DO start young!

Soak on!

[SilentGuy]

Uh...interesting. Is this real?! I'm a bit incredulous, but if so, then that's a great start! The Maple Mountain Marines might indeed be one of the teams of the future.

[WaterWolf]

Its partly a joke.
She's my younger sister and she does have a great interest in water guns, but the stuff in the "Additional Notes" area is made up.

A part of my team that I'm experimenting with is having a few people in it, who are much younger than usual, such as six or eight. While the rest of the team is much older.
These "Apprentice Soakers", are mostly kept on the edges of the battles, but still are a part of the meetings and stuff.
My thinking, is that, they will develop physically stronger from playing in the battles, while their minds are also being trained by listening at meetings and battle planning.
When they are finally strong enough to carry their weight in the middle of battle, they will already be trained and have the knowledge they need, but it will be much more strongly imprinted than normal.
This will hopefully result in much better water-warriors, since they have been trained from a young age.
And, it means that when the older players get too old and retire, there is already a batch of younger players, who have the experience needed to run the team.
This strategy could result in the team lasting for much longer than most teams, perhaps even decades, if the replacement troops keep following the same system of recruiting some younger players every batch.

This whole idea is based off the Greek Spartan solders, who also began training at a very young age, and thus, became some of the best fighters in the world at the time.

[Rook]

Jeez, what are you, a cult leader? :p You thought all this out rather well.

Still, an interesting idea. Pretty cool that your little sister is in "Soaker Preschool."

[SilentGuy]

I dunno...that's making a ton of assumptions about the training methods and all. I wouldn't be concerned about the future or developing little kids at this point...after all, we all just want to have fun. But it is good that everything has been well thought out.

[DX]

Not everyone defines "fun" the same way. Trying to get a team to regenerate itself over time can be very important to someone. For example, you'll see a very different Duxburian when hardcore war dies out in Ridgewood next year. I need a team, and a highly tactical, organized, and serious one at that. I wouldn't call random soakfests "fun", as I get bored incredibly fast. Without that intellectual level of soaking, for me it would revert back to child's play.

[WaterWolf]

Actually, the main reason that the idea for this system came up was, some of the players had younger siblings and they were a package deal, so I'm trying to make the best of that.
But after I started planning it out, I realized that this could allow the team as a whole to last for many "Generations" of water-warriors. So any thing that I build, design, buy, teach, will have long term applications.

That upper picture of "Beam-Baby" reminded me of this one:
http://www.isoaker.com/Assets/Images/Hu ... kerado.jpg

[isoaker]

I like the pics and the ideas so long as it's not taken overboard! If you start throwing your lil' sister in a room with other kids to have them soak each other until only one is left dry, that's probably too hard-core in terms of training!

While part of me would love to ask to repost a couple of these pics on iSoaker.com, I've decided not to simply for fear of stalkers and sickos out there. I've also chosen to remove the links to the pictures showing her full face, too. Hope you understand! Great stuff, though!

[WaterWolf]

Ya, okay, I guess, you can take the two lower pics. The top one is the best anyways, It just looks great with her bowed head, closed eyes, the gun, the light, everything.
The only thing missing would be some darker cloths.
I'd have loved to see them all reposted in Isoaker.com but I understand your reasons.

I am being very careful not to take the "young-soakers" idea to far. The kids aren't forced in any way to participate, and as I said, they are kept more on the edges of the battles.
I would never have somebody Beam-Babies age on the team. My two current "Spartans" are both six years old and both have older brothers on the team.
Six is the lowest age that I would ever want to start them at.

[isoaker]

@ WaterWolf: I really liked all the pics, but I suppose I'm just paranoid which is why I decided to remove frontal views.

I like your line of thinking in terms of getting the next gen interested in soaking. Sure, it'll be awhile before they can appreciate the longer, more intense battles,but it's good to start earlier so they associate water fights with fun times.

[Rook]

I doubt anyone would stalk her (especially since there isn't much info to use), but it's better safe than sorry.

I really need to start a team... Or have a major water war so I can have a reason to have a team. Unfortunately, the last time I planned one, about three people out of twelve were going to show, so I cancelled.

[forestfighter7]

Rook, even if only 3 out of 12 show you can still have a great time! Besides, if 3 come then possibly they will tell their friends and eventually you'll have 6 showing .

[DX]

Exactly! Even if it's only three, you should still go ahead and have something, especially for a new team just starting out. Your early reputation can help spread interest, in fact, without you having to do a thing other than fight wars. Eventually, through word of mouth, your team will advertise itself. Those 3 will build to 6 next time, then 10, then 20... :laugh: Although even I haven't seen an organized war larger than 7v7. The RM averages only ~1/5 of our roster per war, Waterbridge averages ~1/6. Then again, you'd be surprised how intense a 2v2 or 2v3 can be.

[WaterWolf]

If you want a team, your going to have to take what you can get when not everybody shows up. Building up slowly is a good idea too. That makes it easier to get rid of anybody who joins who doesn't work out with the team and allows you to grow more knowledged about your current team member, rather than suddenly having a team of twelve people, but you know nothing about any of them. Encouraging them to spread the word to their friends might be the best way to advertise that your recruiting for a team.

[WaterNapoleon]

I let my sister use a Max-D 4k when she was 2 and 3 and now she is proficient with a Flash Flood and Water Balloons and can quickly master any Water Weaponry you give her.

And if you've ever seen Star Wars III you should know if you tell an apprentice everything you know they can easily defeat you.

Grand General Napoleon out.

[WaterWolf]

There is also Yoda, size is no sign of weakness.

And Anakin didn't defeat his master, remember that Obi-Wan cut him in half.
Then in SW-IV he tries to kill Obi-Wan, but Obi didn't die.

[WaterNapoleon]

No I was talking about the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise. Plagueis tells his apprentice everything he knows, then his apprentice defeats him.

Grand General Napoleon out.

[WaterWolf]

Ahh yes, I remember that now.