Cooper Kaawaloa Hulse and Christopher O’Farrell had a vision — to bring to life a military simulation, or MILSIM, exercise in Waimea.
Cooper Kaawaloa Hulse and Christopher O’Farrell had a vision — to bring to life a military simulation, or MILSIM, exercise in Waimea.
On Sunday, May 18, they did it, with a lot of help from a lot of friends. It was the first Airsoft MILSIM ever held there. Hulse posted the idea on Facebook and created a page: Big Island MILSIM. One thing led to another, and interest and support came in from many entities, including the Hawaii Army National Guard.
“The tremendous support and passion to play Airsoft led to more than 80 participants for the event. It brought together Airsoft ohana not only from the Big Island, but Oahu and Maui as well,” said spokeswoman Tina Kaawaloa.
“With safety as the first priority, and passion to play the sport, players participated in ‘War Games’ that tested every player’s ability to work as a team and test their tactical skills,” said Kaawaloa. “The event was such a success that it left everyone asking, ‘When is the next one’?”
“We thank everyone who helped make it possible,” said Kaawaloa. In addition to the National Guard, this included Liwai Kaawa and sponsorship from Epower Sports Inc., Power Edge, Advanced Airsoft, Living in Airsoft, Bev Grinds, Coletrain Tactical, MoJo Tactical, Stylin Clothing &Accessories and Abunai Concepts.
To learn more, contact Hulse at bimilsim@gmail.com or 238-4049, or visit the Facebook page listed here.