Paintball - It's Not a Game For Sissies

Paintball: It’s Not a Game For Sissies

by Candice J. Wanner

While running through the woods carrying a semi-automatic paintball rifle and dodging airborne globes of paint is my idea of fun, it may not be yours. The reason why it might not be your cup of tea is because those *@#% paintballs sting, leaving some nice size welts and bruises. And I wouldn’t suggest a round of paintball before heading off to the beach to try out your new bikini, because after a particularly grueling day of paintball you may look like someone beat you with a stick. But, don’t let me scare you off from trying paintball, it really is a lot of fun and is quite exhilarating. However, if you fall anywhere under the categories of “Wuss, Sissie, or Wimp” you may want to find another sport … although as Don Heintzelman, owner of The Foxhole Paintball Store and Field says, “it doesn’t hurt nearly as much when you hit the other person.”

The first time most people play paintball, they often try to be heroes. You see them running through the fields, screaming and shooting everything in sight. After they get hit a few times, however — and they realize that being a hero can be a painful experience — a remarkable transformation comes about. They start doing rabbit imitations where they run like mad for the nearest bit of cover and dive into it headfirst. The only thing you’ll see of them after that is the muzzle of their gun as they take potshots at anybody foolish enough to go by.

The basic equipment involved in paintball is your gun, face protection, clothing, and paintballs. Most people use semi-automatic guns, which means that you don’t have to pump a paintball into the firing chamber but you do have to pull the trigger every time you fire. An automatic gun continues to fire as long as the trigger is pressed. Each gun has a reservoir that holds a certain number of paintballs. You can keep others on your person, of course — to be used when your supply runs out. But, I’d try not to throw yourself down on top of them when dodging incoming fire — it creates one unholy mess.

Eye protection is required and it’s a good idea to have a full-face mask, although they do tend to steam up on the playing field. A neck protector is also a good idea since your neck is one of the places where it really, really stings if you get hit. Wearing a hat to protect your head is also a good idea, as is a … ahem … a cup for men.

The clothing you choose to wear is up to you, although long sleeves and pants are recommended since being hit on bare skin will give you a nasty welt. The paint is easily removed from clothing by washing, so you don’t have to worry about staining your clothes with paint — however dirt and grass from crawling along the ground is another matter. Camouflage is helpful, of course, though not necessary — common sense would tell you that wearing a bright red shirt in a green forest is probably not the best way to blend into the background, but you’d be amazed at what people will wear.

The paintballs themselves come in several different colors. Most playing fields require that you buy your paintballs from them, but you can also buy things such as paint grenades and bombs at the different paintball stores or over the internet.

Starting in September, the Foxhole at 5951 Linglestown Road is offering a $40 package that will include the day’s entry fee, the rental of a semi-automatic paintball gun, goggles and mask, 500 paintballs, 2 sandwiches, a soda, and a jumpsuit. If you’re playing all day, you can probably count on using 800 – 1,000 paintballs, so you’ll probably have to purchase some additional balls at the cost of 100 for $5; 500 for $20; or — for those Rambo wannabes out there — a case of 2,000 for $65. And, believe me, it’s not hard to go through a hundred to two hundred balls, which is what the basic reservoir on a paintball gun holds, in the heat of battle. When the paint is flying and the adrenaline is pumping, your trigger finger just takes over.

The Foxhole’s fifteen fields are open seven days a week from 8:30am to 4:30pm. You need a group of at least 10 to 15 people to form teams, most often two teams facing each other. But, if there’s already a group playing, anyone’s welcome to join. Call them at 541-9430 to see if anyone’s playing. On a good day, Don states that there could be anywhere from 150 to 200 people spread out of the fields, where there is usually one referee per ten people. The referees give the safety briefings and enforce the rules such as “no removing your facemask on the field of play and no shooting another player from within 10 feet.” Each of Foxhole’s fifteen fields have a different set-up which provides different scenarios. On some fields you try to capture the other team’s flag and return it to your home base, while on other fields there is only one flag and both teams are after it. Some fields provide cover and some don’t, but they all provide the opportunity for fun.

A game is usually for a set time period in which the field’s objective must be accomplished, whether it is to capture the other team’s flag or to clean out a fort of snipers. You usually have time to stake out a piece of territory before the game is started and it really is best to have some sort of team strategy, whatever it may be. If you’re marked by a paintball anywhere, even your little finger, you’re dead. As Don stated, “We don’t play John Wayne and try to see how much damage you can take before you’re dead. Once you’re hit, you’re out.” But you should always check to make sure that the paintball actually broke before you call yourself out, because, at times, they make a habit of bouncing off without breaking. Glance down to see if you’re splattered before shouting, “out,” because once you say it, there’s no going back. If the paintball happened to hit the tree in front of you, however, and broke open and splashed all over you, that doesn’t count as a hit — it’s just a nuisance and you can keep on soldiering. I can guarantee, however, that by the end of the day you’ll look like a Jackson Pollock painting because no matter how good you are, some paint will always find you.

So, if you’ve got a dozen friends and some time on your hands, head on out to the Foxhole and see if you’re Rambo’s long-lost twin. Crawl through some dirt, get smeared with some paint, zap your friends, and have a rollicking good time swapping war stories afterwards. I know I did.

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