BB Guns home > BB Guns
News Center > A game of a Different Color: Paintball Makes a Splash
A game of a Different Color: Paintball Makes a Splash
Click
here to see our selection of BB Guns.
 By
Michael Gleason/ Correspondent
Friday, August 4, 2006
FOXBORO - Instead of footballs, the only things whizzing through
the air at Gillette Stadium were gum ball-sized pellets of paint.
The stadium’s parking lot hosted the National Professional
Paintball Tour recently, marking the first time the tour has come
to the Boston area.
"All the local teams and vendors are excited (the tour) finally
came to Boston," said John Vitale, general manager of Boston
Paintball and a Pembroke resident. "I just hope the sport keeps
on growing, with bigger events, bigger venues, more teams and better
representation of New England."
The games are intense seven-on-seven capture-the-flag matches.
Players run, duck and dive from the barrage of paint-filled pellets,
taking cover behind inflatable stands, known as "bunkers."
A hit means elimination from the game.
Teams are awarded points for eliminating opposing players, retaining
their own players, being the first to pull the opposing team’s
flag and being the first team to return the opposing team’s
flag to their base.
"(Paintball) is the best sport in the world," said Mike
Murphy, of Walpole, a member of the Boston Villain team. Murphy
added that his favorite aspect of the sport was what he called "bunkering"
someone.
"It’s when you run up and shoot someone in the face
from about two inches away," said Murphy.
Despite the prospect of such a painful encounter, paintball is
gaining in popularity.
"The younger kids are starting to play a lot more. It’s
safe and fun for everybody," said National Professional Paintball
League President Chuck Hendsch. "There are 10 million people
who play paintball in the U.S. alone."
Hendsch estimated the turnout at 12,000-15,000 during the three-day
Foxboro event, and is very optimistic about the future of his sport.
"The league’s been around since 1992," said Hendsch.
"It started with about 12 teams. We grew over the years and
now we have close to 600 teams that compete on the circuit, but
we do around 220 teams per event."
Neil Coburn, of Wareham, an employee of Cape Cod Paintball, started
playing 10 years ago.
"When I first started playing, I’d say I played paintball
and people would be like ’What? What do you do?’ Now
I say I play paintball and people say ’Wow, what’s that
like?’"
Not all the teams are professional.
"It’s sort of like European soccer," Hendsch said.
"We have 18 pro spots, and those are the teams that compete
throughout the year. At the end of the season, there’s a points
race. There are five events, and the bottom three teams get relegated
to semi-pro, and the top three semi-pro teams get promoted up. There’s
excitement at the top of the bracket as well as the bottom."
George McMahon, another Boston Villain player and a Walpole resident,
was not happy with his team’s performance.
“I don’t want to talk about it," he said.
The tour’s next stop is at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
"The fifth stop is still to be announced, but we’re
looking at the Rose Bowl and the Forum in L.A.," Hendsch said.
http://www2.townonline.com/bellingham/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=549391
|
