Paintball
by Alex

One thing many of you don’t know about me is that I love to play paintball. What is paintball, you might ask? Paintball is essentially a team game of tag or “capture the flag” using paintball guns and little balls of paint. The fields have bunkers to hide behind as you “hunt” down the other team.

I first played years ago when a friend had his birthday party at Extreme Paintball Park (between Turlock and Oakdale, in the middle of an orchard). What’s better than getting to run around and shoot people with paint! I started playing a little more frequently and seriously when I was a junior in high school when a friend of mine invited me to go out with him and some friends. Playing at least once a month led to me becoming a “card” referee one day of the weekend. The “pay” was a free box of paint and day pass which was perfect so I could play the other day. I’m now a paid referee at least one day a week.

As a referee, I inform groups of the rules, and take them out to the field. While out on the field I check if people get hit with a paintball and make sure they leave the field if they have been ‘tagged’. I also make sure people are following the safety rules, especially the one of keeping their mask down as long as they are in or near the field. At times, the players want to argue with me regarding a call. I have had to learn to stay calm and diffuse the situation. There have been a few occasions where I have had to ask people to leave the park due to their behavior. Being a referee has somewhat started to prepare me for my future career in law enforcement.

This past winter I decided to try out for a competitive paintball team. I am a member of one of the 3-man squads. We practice at least once a month and have attended two tournaments in Sacramento so far. At both tournament, my 3-man squad took home the first place trophy. Being on a team requires you to communicate well with the other 2 guys on the field with you. We are constantly yelling back and forth about where the other team is. In watching other teams play, the better the communication, the better we do.

Paintball is for all ages who like a fun, fast-paced game. You can check out the park at Extreme Paintball | The Central Valley's Best Paintball Park & Store Better yet, come out and experience it for yourself.