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Paintball: It's Not For Sissies
By Nick Diamantides
Nick Diamantides / SouthernOregonNews.com
Medford, Oregon Shot from short barreled semi-automatic rifles, paintballs fly through the air at about 200 miles per hour and they can travel up to 100 yards. If one ever slams into your bare skin at close range, just pray that you're not a sissy because it's going to hurt...a lot. In the last 15 years, millions of people in the U.S. have participated in paintball games, and the sport shows no signs of fading. Here in Southern Oregon, with thousands of square miles of wide-open spaces and rough, undeveloped terrain, some of the sport's enthusiasts go to elaborate extremes to simulate an actual war environment.
"The anticipation of killing or being killed is a hair raiser and an adrenaline rush that I haven't experienced in a long time," said 46-year-old Ashland resident Richard Doyle. "What other game allows middle aged men to run through the woods like little kids shooting at each other with guns without anybody getting seriously hurt?"
Doyle recalled a recent paintball game in the Applegate Valley. He noted that all the men dressed in camouflage clothing loaded their rifles and were carrying lots of extra ammunition. "Just as the game got started and the two sides were shooting at each other, a helicopter comes over the mountains and lands in the field where we were," he said. "We didn't know what was going on until all of a sudden a guy jumps out and starts shooting at us with a paintball gun!"
The sport appeals to all age groups as 12-year-old Kevin (last name withheld at his mother's request) of Medford testified. "It's really exciting because you kind of have the fear of getting hit, but at the same time you're doing everything you can to hit the other person," he said. "You never know what's going to happen."
David Mitrany, owner of Splatt Paintball in Medford noted that the popularity of paintball is widespread in the Rogue Valley. In addition to running his store, Mitrany leases a large field in White City where he organizes group games. "Almost every single church in this valley comes to play paintball here," he said. "It's the adult version of hide-and-seek and tag and it gives grownups the chance to have as much fun as kids."
Mitrany explained that paintballs are the size of marbles and made of the same kind of gelatin used to make bath beads. "The paint inside the balls is water soluble and biodegradable and it breaks down when exposed to sunlight," he said. "It doesn't harm the environment at all. In fact you can even eat them without getting seriously ill - although they will give you the runs."
When a paintball hits a person or object, the gelatin disintegrates splattering the paint. Paintballs can leave welts and they can cause serious damage to eyes. That's why enthusiasts wear face shields during the game, and most players also wear two or three layers of clothing to minimize the pain of getting struck.
"The guns are powered by liquid CO2 and fire under 700 pounds of pressure," said Mitrany. "Each gun has a hopper that holds 200 rounds of ammunition."
At the field in White City, Mitrany rents out guns for $10, supplies ammunition, and charges $5 per person for the use of the field. "They call these speed courses," he said. "Here your adrenaline starts pumping from start to finish and each game lasts 10 minutes." He noted that at times as many as 40 people will be on each side during the square off.
Mitrany noted that most of his business comes from churches that want to provide exciting recreational opportunities for their members. "Our second biggest volume comes from birthday parties and our third comes from private groups that organize games," he said. He noted that Splatt Paintball conducts many fundraising events for charity groups during the year, and holds special paintball games for military personnel. "For the military we have Miles Gear games where they fire big guns loaded with blanks while the paintball game is taking place," he said.
"The games are just hilarious fun," said Doyle. "You can have a 245-pound man hiding trying to hide behind a skinny bush staring down a group of make believe enemy combatants. It brings back childhood memories. It's like hide-and-seek, but in this game there is a price to pay for exposing yourself to the other side."
http://www.roguerivernews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=285680&cp=11029
Churches organizing paintball matches? cool! Kinda reminds me of a church I went to for a while, that organized a game of Assasination! for all the college members one summer.
By Nick Diamantides
Nick Diamantides / SouthernOregonNews.com
Medford, Oregon Shot from short barreled semi-automatic rifles, paintballs fly through the air at about 200 miles per hour and they can travel up to 100 yards. If one ever slams into your bare skin at close range, just pray that you're not a sissy because it's going to hurt...a lot. In the last 15 years, millions of people in the U.S. have participated in paintball games, and the sport shows no signs of fading. Here in Southern Oregon, with thousands of square miles of wide-open spaces and rough, undeveloped terrain, some of the sport's enthusiasts go to elaborate extremes to simulate an actual war environment.
"The anticipation of killing or being killed is a hair raiser and an adrenaline rush that I haven't experienced in a long time," said 46-year-old Ashland resident Richard Doyle. "What other game allows middle aged men to run through the woods like little kids shooting at each other with guns without anybody getting seriously hurt?"
Doyle recalled a recent paintball game in the Applegate Valley. He noted that all the men dressed in camouflage clothing loaded their rifles and were carrying lots of extra ammunition. "Just as the game got started and the two sides were shooting at each other, a helicopter comes over the mountains and lands in the field where we were," he said. "We didn't know what was going on until all of a sudden a guy jumps out and starts shooting at us with a paintball gun!"
The sport appeals to all age groups as 12-year-old Kevin (last name withheld at his mother's request) of Medford testified. "It's really exciting because you kind of have the fear of getting hit, but at the same time you're doing everything you can to hit the other person," he said. "You never know what's going to happen."
David Mitrany, owner of Splatt Paintball in Medford noted that the popularity of paintball is widespread in the Rogue Valley. In addition to running his store, Mitrany leases a large field in White City where he organizes group games. "Almost every single church in this valley comes to play paintball here," he said. "It's the adult version of hide-and-seek and tag and it gives grownups the chance to have as much fun as kids."
Mitrany explained that paintballs are the size of marbles and made of the same kind of gelatin used to make bath beads. "The paint inside the balls is water soluble and biodegradable and it breaks down when exposed to sunlight," he said. "It doesn't harm the environment at all. In fact you can even eat them without getting seriously ill - although they will give you the runs."
When a paintball hits a person or object, the gelatin disintegrates splattering the paint. Paintballs can leave welts and they can cause serious damage to eyes. That's why enthusiasts wear face shields during the game, and most players also wear two or three layers of clothing to minimize the pain of getting struck.
"The guns are powered by liquid CO2 and fire under 700 pounds of pressure," said Mitrany. "Each gun has a hopper that holds 200 rounds of ammunition."
At the field in White City, Mitrany rents out guns for $10, supplies ammunition, and charges $5 per person for the use of the field. "They call these speed courses," he said. "Here your adrenaline starts pumping from start to finish and each game lasts 10 minutes." He noted that at times as many as 40 people will be on each side during the square off.
Mitrany noted that most of his business comes from churches that want to provide exciting recreational opportunities for their members. "Our second biggest volume comes from birthday parties and our third comes from private groups that organize games," he said. He noted that Splatt Paintball conducts many fundraising events for charity groups during the year, and holds special paintball games for military personnel. "For the military we have Miles Gear games where they fire big guns loaded with blanks while the paintball game is taking place," he said.
"The games are just hilarious fun," said Doyle. "You can have a 245-pound man hiding trying to hide behind a skinny bush staring down a group of make believe enemy combatants. It brings back childhood memories. It's like hide-and-seek, but in this game there is a price to pay for exposing yourself to the other side."
http://www.roguerivernews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=285680&cp=11029
Churches organizing paintball matches? cool! Kinda reminds me of a church I went to for a while, that organized a game of Assasination! for all the college members one summer.
Boy, was he MAD! A quick fire fight and E took out S, while I took out E.
