The other day, I drove up to my local field to visit and say hello to a few friends, who had come out to play.  I couldn’t play, as I had just purchased another gun (so I was broke), and my knees were still not back to 100%.  So I sat down in the staging area and talked, while everyone had lunch and prepared for the afternoon’s stock games.  Then it hit me… this is the best part of paintball for me!  The socialising and the camaraderie that is associated with this sport are my favourite parts.  This is the biggest reason why I play paintball!  This is why I’m writing this very article right now!

        Let me tell you a bit about me, and my introduction to the sport (to explain what the heck I am getting at).  I grew up as an only child on a farm, miles from town.  So socialising was something that I wasn’t very good at.  I was shy and withdrawn, and found it hard to make friends.  The one thing saving grace, was the fact that I showed horses all summer.  This gave me a good sense of sportsmanship and public relations (I ran my own stable).  However, I had no friends in the industry!  Only acquaintances that I saw show to show.  Needless to say, even though I eventually got out and lived on my own, and my social skills improved, I still found it hard to make friends and be comfortable in groups or crowds.  I was a “follower”.

        I met Steven (my boyfriend), the man who has given me more confidence than anyone – when I was living and working in Oshawa, Ontario.  He introduced me to the sport.  The first taste I had of paintball was Skyball 98, where I surprised Steven by travelling in on the train to see him and got there in time to watch him play!  Well, once I had found him (in the huge expanse that is the Skydome), he introduced me to all of the people he had met.  I was immediately welcomed, and no one was snobby or aloof or treated me like a “newbie”.  I really enjoyed myself!  I believe that if I had gotten a different reception from these people, I wouldn’t be playing today, or at least not have engrossed myself in the sport like I have.  They loved the game, and they shared their enthusiasm with me.

        Nowadays, I look back on the year or so I have been actually playing, and I see what the sport has given me.  I am much more confident in myself and I have more guts to try new things.  I find it so much easier to fit into groups and crowds.  I have made some wonderful friends and don’t feel like the tag along anymore! The reason for this isn’t just out on the field; it’s with the people associated with the sport in general.  I enjoy the social aspect as much as the adrenaline rush when the buzzer goes at the beginning of the game!

        So, you ask, what does this have to do with me?  Well… everything!  Now that I have shared with you why I play, I want to ask you...Why do you play paintball?  I assume because it’s fun, and you love the thrill of hanging the flag, getting that hard elimination, crawling and running through the bush, or from bunker to bunker. You do it for the glory; you play for first place!  It's what you and your buddies do on weekends to relax and have some fun. There are probably a million different answers to that question.  I guess a better question would be “What does paintball do for your soul?”

        Again, you ask, why are you asking all this touchy feely stuff?  I already know why I play!  I’m asking to help you to improve your game on a psychological level and enjoy it more.  I’m also asking so I can show you ways you can improve paintball for everyone else.  So before you grunt and turn the page to the article on how to change a spring in your gun, hear me out.

         I believe that as a paintball player, I should be able to show the dubious parent, and the new player (as well as the general public), all the good aspects of this sport.  Some of the good aspects are the sportsmanship, teamwork, and social skills it provides, the physical activity, the responsibility to others, the way the sport can fulfil someone the way it does for me.  One reason I do so is because I want to see the sport grow.  I want to see the bad reputation for violence and “war games” disappear.  I want to show that this sport isn’t a bunch of rough, tough, testosterone toting guys out in the bush “killing” each other.  It’s a sport that requires the same amount of dedication, skill, and training as hockey, football, or any other organized sport for that matter!  I think it’s worth it, because of what the sport has given me already.  I also know that there are other players out there that feel the same way!

        So, if I know why I play paintball, and take the time to share how much it has helped me, I can be a better example of the sport.  So can you.  You can show what it can give the average teenager, or executive team in terms of usable life and work skills.  As well, it can make you a better player. Not just on the field, but in the staging area too.  Now, I’m not saying you have to be ambassador extraordinaire, and always show a "sparkling" attitude (because we all have our bad days). Maybe you like to play simply because it lets you blow off steam from a bad week at work.  Or you play once a month for the heck of it.  What I am saying is: If you know and love this game, share it with others so they in turn can do the same.  That’s how great organizations are founded, and grown into something the entire population can have fun and participate in!

        Well, hopefully I have got you thinking about what paintball means to you.  Maybe it won’t help you all that much in terms of personal gratification, or improve your game (although I hope it has), but I hope it helps you see the game in a new perspective.  Either way, I hope it got you thinking!  If you have stories, want to tell me why you play paintball, or when and how you got started, email me at crichardson@thempn.com. Also, take the time to tell someone else what the game means to you.  Trust me on this one, it’s worth it.
 

Caroline “Sabrette” Richardson
MPN Columnist