DUAL EXPERIENCES

from Art Department Weekly | Issue 93 Vol. 9

MOST IMPROVED

Kal trained to be a Padawan, but Boom wasn't able to do anything

Every year we see members of the Empire advertising Blast-a-Trooper. This was the year we’d actually do it, I thought. But even though Boom and I got in line fi rst thing, the line was already closed. We came back later to get in line for Padawan Training and that was also closed. Kids Day is always the most crowded of day of NYCC, but there had been empty spots in Padwan Training on Saturday. A Sith wrote on the board we should direct our complaints to Reed Pop who didn’t provide enough space or time.

**Boom hearing that the line for Blast-a-Trooper is closed and he can't do it**
Madeline Strum Photography

**A Sith directs families to share their feedback with Reed Pop**
Madeline Strum Photography

When I asked Kal if he remembered it, he immediately started rubbing his hands together—the first thing trainees did to help them feel the Force. Then Kal watched the videos to help him remember more of the experience. “At Comic Con, after a, let’s say 1.5 hour (or felt like that) wait, I went to a Padawan training activity that I happened to be dressed for,” he wrote. “I learned to dodge, block, attack, Force push, and many more skills for fighting Sith.” As I remember it, we came back from lunch, went to the sign-in table, got a ticket, and sat in the hallway for maybe 10 minutes. All the trainees were given lightsabers that lit up and learned a set of moves before Sith invaded the room and needed to be defeated. All the participants received a certificate. Boom being denied access twice was more rough when he knew how much fun his brother had had there. —MV