Paintball

From the beginning of recorded history it has been brought to light the constant need for man to quench his thirst for combat. From the blood soaked floor of the Roman coliseum to the grassy knolls of middle age Europe where noble knights fought for fame and country in tournaments, history is full of occurrences such as these where one man and sometimes women were pitted against one another in friendly combat. Society and civilization has come a long way, but the need for man to flex his competitive mussels still lingers. This urge is now quelled by a series of extreme sports including snowboarding, skateboarding, and paintball. To some these activities don't deserve the title sport. But the people that enjoy these pastimes believe that they have every right to be ranked along side football, baseball, and basketball as recognized sports. Paintball had a modest beginning as a method used by farmers to mark trees and live stock for farming purposes. It wasn't until June 27 1981 that the first official paintball game was played. (Isaac & Ella Kennen) Paintball has come a long way since then but the dilemma of weather to categorize it, as a sport is still alive and strong. Certain aspects must be examined to solidify an activity as a sport. Do you need equipment to play? is there an official set of rules, and does it take a certain amount of physical fitness to play? Paintball fulfils all of these requirements thus giving it every right to be called a sport.

In paintball the equipment plays as important a role in the method in which it is played, as does the equipment in all other sports. You wouldn't expect a football player to run out onto the field to make a play with out his pads on would you? Paint ball is no exception, there are a few pieces of equipment that a successful player cannot do with out. Firstly and most importantly is the mask. Not the gun as many assume. In other sports such as foot ball the helmet is also the most important piece of equipment, not the ball. An activity must have the players safety in mind at all times for the activity to be categorized as a sport. The same applies for paintball. In the paintball world safety is held above all, abusing the safety regulations can lead to being kicked off the field, or even death. The mask protects your eyes, throat, and face and is invaluably to a player. Secondly is your gun, there are several types of guns that you can choose from. Pump, seethe vast verity of gun is due to the different types of game play available to the modern player. I will get further into detail about these different types later on. Next is your tank. Your tank caries your gas that propels your paint. These come in two kinds Co2 and nitrous (high pressure air). Nitrous is more popular due to its price, and overall performance benefits. (Andrew C. Syren) Other part includes the hopper witch is a large holding container that is located on top of your gun and holds your paint. Neck and chest protectors, and knee and shin protectors are available if you chose to use them but aren't mandatory on most fields. Just like football the equipment in paintball can mean the difference between a good game, or a trip to the hospital. (Tony Kirk)

Equipment is a monstrous waste of money if you don't have any idea how to play. In sports such as basketball and football there are many different ways to play. From two on two in basketball, and touch and flag football, the variety of game play is endless and is always giving people different options on how to enjoy their favorite sports. The same holds true for paintball. The first and most popular type of game play is woods ball, or scenario ball. This method employs a more covert and patient type of player. The goals can be as straightforward as simply eliminating the opposing team, or as complex as capturing specific locations for set amounts of time to achieve victory. Scenario ball has been used by our armed forces since the 1980s as a safe way to teach tactical maneuvers. The gun of choice for woods ball is the semiautomatic and pump action marker due to their overall accuracy advantage over the electronic gun. On July 15 in Pennsylvania at Skirmish USA the worlds biggest scenario game will be hosted for the 9th year running. It is a 24-hour scenario game reenacting the d-day invasion of World War II. (http://www.skirmish.com) I have been competing in this event for the past two years and intend to go this year as well. If sitting in the woods and planning your attack doesn't seem thrilling to you then many you're a speedball player? Speedball is the worldwide recognized form of paintball and is more geared toward competition and torments. When you think of paintball the sport you think of speedball. Speedball is played on a field varying in sizes form fifty yards to a hundred yard depending on the size of your team. The objectives are simple, eliminate the other team or, capture the flag before the opposing team eliminates you. The average game last no more than ten to fifteen minutes, giving its disserving name. The marker of choice for this type of game play is the electronic marker. The electronics allow a player to shoot at incredible speed; 32 balls per second is the record. In theory the more paint you have flying through the air the more eliminations you'll get. You have to remember that it is the player not the gun that wins games. Like in all sports you are the winning factor not the things you use.

Since its beginning paintball games have evolved from farmers using farm equipment to make a living to support they're families, to a worldwide event with torments held annually with thousands of participants. Due to the size and complexity