Paintball offers more than just recreation

  At 280 feet per second, paintballs slide through the air while a person sits behind their marker. Paintballs are shelled bullets holding a pouch of paint about the size of a marble. Anxiously awaiting the words "I'm out," two teams compete for victory.

  Paintball is a recreational sport where two opposing teams seek to eliminate each other through gun battles. In most games, getting shot one time anywhere on the body or marker (gun) counts as an elimination. Sometimes a player may be hit with a paintball but it does not burst. In that case, they are still in the game. This sport can be played in the woods or in an organized field set up of bunkers.

  Woodsball is a slower paced style with certain elements such as stealth and camouflage.  Because Woodsball could cover many acres, games could last anywhere from ten to thirty minutes. 

  There are normally two teams and the amount of players on each team depends on the size of the property as well as the number of people playing.  

  "I enjoy the rush," said sophomore Cody Meoglin. "When you are playing in the woods you are always vulnerable to a surprise ambush. It is kind of a scary feeling not knowing where the other team may be hiding, however it is amazing to be the one popping out of the bushes and surprising an opponent."

  In the woods, Capture the Flag is a commonly played game type. There could be two flags or one flag. If the players decide to play with two flags, they are hung at both teams' starting point. The goal with two flags is to capture the other teams' flag and return it to your starting point. 

  "We normally play Capture the Flag in my woods," said avid paintball player Josh Dush. "We use two flags because it makes the game interesting. You have to play offense and defense at the same time."

  If the players choose to play with one flag, it is placed in the middle of the wooded area. The objective is to get to the flag, and take it to the opponents start point without being marked. One flag is also common in speedball games, however, the flag is normally hung after every player on the opposing team is eliminated.

 Speedball is a game played in a field of simple solid bunkers. These games normally don't last more than five minutes.  The game is quick because the playing field is small enough that it isn't that hard to lose the location of the other teams' players. Speedball focuses more on gun battles as well as position control. 

  "I would rather play speedball than woodsball," said Dush. "The adrenaline rush in speedball is addicting. Hearing paintballs whistle past the bunker you're hiding behind constantly reminds you that you could be shot at any given time."

  Paintball demands team building as well as good personal relationships. 

  "Awhile back our wrestling team actually took a day and went paintballing at one of the other wrestler's house," said senior Tommy Patterson. "It's a good team building activity, it makes you work as a team together and it's really fun."

  The sport of paintball is a beneficial form of entertainment as well as something to do for a special day.