Paintball's In The Can

Here are a couple of things I learned over the weekend:

1. Paintball can be fun, but it's important to have the right mix of people in your group.

2. If you want to win, it's important to have someone who knows what they're doing, has a better gun, and knows the course inside-and-out. And who has perfect vision and aim. The team with that person will win all the time.

3. If you really don't care and just want to have fun, that's allowed, but you still have to spend money to do it.

An eclectic group of guys and I went paintballing (is that the right verb even?) this past Saturday as a celebration and last hurrah before Brian's upcoming fatherhood. Paintball was quite the craze back in high school, I remember, but I never bothered to go. From what I remember, there were no real rules in the games the people at school played, just free-for-alls in the woods and creeks behind Crum and Fort Gay. People got shot point-blank, and people got hurt.

Now, I'm glad I went this time - it's one more thing I can check off the life list, the weather was nice, and it was an excuse to be outside. My nerves and I quickly realized, however, just how seriously some people take this sport, if the alternating groups of folks in BDUs and nylon supersuits were any indication. I also realize how much money can be poured into it. It really didn't seem like we were out on a field shooting each other for as much time as we paid, though I managed to ration my ammunition pretty well.

My final takeaway from the experience is that I tend to be an impatient player, wanting my paintball matches to be like a Bond game, where everyone is constantly running and dodging. I could've done that, but I would've likely broken my ankle on a stump or rock if I did. I'll take hunkering down in a sand pit or behind a pile of tires if it means not giving myself any more permanent injuries than the few bruises, welts, and scuffed knees I was expecting anyway.

In short, I would do this again if we got more time out in the field for the money. As it stands, I couldn't make it a hobby - I'd rather spend all of that cash on guitars or something.