Hello everyone!!! I created this blog site as a way to share all of the fun stuff I've been able to do and will do in the future. I think it's only fitting to start with the name that I created for this site. Shadowuz was developed from playing lasertag. Yes lasertag. I know what you're thinking... "Been there, done that. Yeah, yeah, black lights and shooting each other. No big deal." Well maybe or maybe not. Ultrazone was the name of the franchise. From the first moment I put on one of their packs I was hooked. I had played other systems, but there was something about it that immediately grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Maybe it was how solid the pack felt once strapped in and ready to go when other systems felt like toys or how the laser fit so perfectly in both hands. Maybe it was how the arenas were so well built while others looked like someones home in a failed attempt at a Halloween haunted house. Maybe it was the people--the employees and members (or regulars) who you could tell also loved it. There was something and I couldn't get my fill.
I played and played until I too became a member. Membership had the reward of giving yourself an alias or nickname that you would be known by. My alias was S H A D O W. All caps, spaces in between. I played more and more until I was spending so much time and money at the Sherman Oaks site the only reasonable thing to do would be to work there and get free games. I kept working and playing and made the site team (at that time every Ultrazone site had their own team). I kept playing and played in national tournaments, won huge trophies and didn't stop until I was one of the best. The different sites became homes away from home. We all knew each other, probably hated each other at first, then over time, developed respect and strong friendships that have lasted years. We were/are zoneheads.
So that's where shadowuz was developed. A reminder of all the fun had through playing Ultrazone lasertag.
With every post I'm gonna try to add a video clip. All of the other reasons I listed were part of the reason I was initially hooked to Ultrazone, but this clip shows what kept me going. The ultrazone packs were the only ones I had ever played with that you could stand off right next to another person when your lights were off. The lasers were accurate, not wide-spread and you only had 1 shot a second in an advanced game. Instead of running away and trying to hide I would be right up on you. When the pack was ready to come back on it would make a sound and the lights would come on almost simultaneously. In that moment it was a test of skill who could make a move to position their body so that your opponent would miss (shoot your arm, head, etc.. and not the lights on your pack) and you could land a shot on their pack. Covering your lights intentionally was cheating and not allowed. There were gray areas. In the motion of firing if you extended your arms across your chest it wasn't called. There were those who outright cheated and those who perfected the art of speed and motion of firing. If you were one of the best you didn't outright cheat, but you were damn close. This clip was some of the best west coast players and some cheaters of the time standing off in the lobby of the Alhambra Ultrazone site and showing off a little for the camera. Please understand that this is not the inside of an arena. The real games are in a real arena in black light with bases. In every one of those real games you would find the best players in the same area of the arena doing this and trying to prove they were the best by beating the best. Thanks to shade for the editing and putting together an amazing video even though you were also one of the best and deserved to be playing, not filming.
If you live in Southern California and are interested in playing Ultrazone then play in Sherman Oaks. Especially if you want to have a birthday party or special event! The site owner Mark is an amazing, nice man. He was in charge of running almost every major tournament I was in over the years and took over the Sherman Oaks site. Those tournaments weren't cheap and the players weren't rich. Every once in awhile a zonehead wouldn't have all the money for entry fees, etc... but if Mark was around he would find a way to get that kid playing. There's also a site in Alhambra and one in San Diego.
Url for the Sherman Oaks Site
http://www.zonehead.com/
I have to warn you that the packs have changed a bit since this was filmed. It's still a fun game, but the newer version packs shoot a more wide spread laser that doesn' t miss. It's more of a battle who can pull the trigger first and it's one of the reasons I'm almost fully retired. Almost.
