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What
is Paintball?
In
15 short years, the sport of paintball has become recognized
as one of the world's most exciting outdoor participation
sports. Paintball is a sport played by people from all
professions and lifestyles. It is a sport where women
and men compete equally, and where age is not dominated
by youth. Like a game of chess, being able to think
quickly and decisively is what makes you a star in paintball.
Intelligence and determination, not merely strength,
speed or agility, are key to success in the sport.
Paintball
is a character-building sport. Players learn about teamwork,
gain self-confidence and develop leadership abilities
while having fun and getting welcome stress-relief.
Increasingly, corporations are finding the benefits
of having their staff and management participate in
paintball games.
Paintball is an exciting sport, and above all paintball
is fun! It's a chance to shake off your day-to-day responsibilities
and rekindle your spirit of adventure. When the adrenaline
starts pumping, you can't help but love the thrill of
the game!
Capture the Flag
Paintball
is a combination of the childhood games "tag"
and "hide & seek," but is much more challenging
and sophisticated. Although there are many different
game formats, typically a group of players will divide
into two teams to play "capture the flag."
The number of players on each team is limited only by
the size of the playing field.
The object of the game is to go out and capture the
other team's flag while protecting your own. While you
are trying to capture a flag, you also try to eliminate
opposing players by tagging them with a paintball expelled
from a special air gun called a "Marker."
Games run from 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size
of the field and the number of players.
Once you have been eliminated or between games, players
take a break to check their equipment, get more paintballs
and have a snack or soda while they share stories about
the thrills of victory and the usually funny agonies
of defeat. Win or lose, everyone has a good time and
there's usually the next game waiting for you.
Paintballs
A
paintball is a round, thin-skinned gelatin capsule with
colored liquid inside it. Paintballs are similar to
large round vitamin capsules or bath oil beads. The
fill inside paintballs is non-toxic, non-caustic, water-soluble
and biodegradable. It rinses out of clothing and off
skin with mild soap and water. Paintballs come in a
rainbow of bright colors, when a paintball tags a player,
the thin gelatin skin splits open, and the liquid inside
leaves a bright "paint" mark. A player who
is marked is eliminated from the game.
Paintball
Markers (guns)
Markers
come in a variety of shapes, styles and colors. They
may be powered by carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2)
or compressed air. Many have power systems that use
large refillable cylinders called "tanks"
or "bottles" that give hundreds of shots before
needing to be refilled.
Paintguns range from simple to sophisticated, but what
they all share in common is a limitation on their power
and range. The international safety limit on the speed
(measured in feet per second, "FPS") at which
a marker shoots a paintball is 300 fps.
Our rental markers are all semi-automatic with 20oz CO2
tanks that shoot approximately 600 to 700 rounds before
they need to be refilled. These markers can shoot paintballs
as fast as you can pull the trigger.
Safety
For
safety, paintball players always must wear goggles specifically
designed for paintball to protect their eyes. Goggles
must be worn during a game and at all times when a person
is in an area where shooting is permitted, such as the
target range or chronograph area. A protective facemask
is mandatory nearly everywhere, and should be worn regardless.
Paintball is a very safe sport as long as safety rules
are followed. Insurance statistics have shown that paintball
is safer than golf, jogging, tennis, swimming and many
other sports.
Referees on the field enforce safety and game rules.
No physical contact is permitted in the game, and players
are ejected from games or the play site for breaking
safety or playing rules. Fields have boundaries, and
a player who steps outside a field's boundary is eliminated
from that game.
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