From sprinting across campus, to wearing a wig around school, to camping outside targets’ classrooms until the bell rang, sophomore Liam Wong competed fiercely in this year’s Elimination. With 15 eliminations, Wong became the 2024 champion after the game’s conclusion on Feb. 20.

The victory was refreshing for Wong, especially following a final week of intense competition.

“It felt like all the weight was lifted off my shoulders,” he said. “I was so paranoid, especially the last week, because you could get eliminated at any time.”

As the rules intensified, Wong’s primary strategies were hiding in the bathrooms and finding targets through mutual connections. Teacher cooperation was also critical to keeping him safe from other players.

“My English teacher was really rooting for me, so she let me stay in class and wrote me passes,” he said. “All my teachers were very supportive of me, like letting me come to class sometimes a little late.”

This year’s calendar had its fair share of challenging, and sometimes humiliating, rules — the hardest being the day when players had to hold their plushie against a wall to stay safe, according to Wong.

“There are kind of these breaks in between (the walls), so you have to sprint through those and hope no one catches you there,” he said. “My hand also got really tired.”

Nevertheless, Elimination allowed Wong to find and meet many new people, particularly seniors and freshmen, whom he normally does not interact with. Thus, he encourages everyone to play Elimination, especially freshmen.

For future players, Wong recommends hiding in the bathrooms, cooperating with teachers and making as many connections as possible. He also advises following all the rules, despite how ridiculous they may sound.

“The second week, a lot of people didn’t wear wigs or ‘jorts,’” he said. “Even if you lose that little dignity, it’s worth it.”