WHAT PAINTBALL ISN'T

Paintball is not a violent sport, despite its appearance to the uninitated. It involves less physical contact than other team sports like football, soccer, rugby or hockey, and is considerably less dangerous and violent than any of them. Paintball is an active sport, requiring players to move, run, duck and crawl - good outdoors cardiovascular exercise. It also rewards players who think ahead, who pay attention to their senses and most of all who develop good team-oriented strategy, planning and communications.

While Rambo may have a certain popular following among the movie crowd, the 'lone gunman' style of play is seldom a success in paintball. Team cooperation pays off more than macho posturing and aggressive solo activity. Remember that a single lucky hit, even on a shoe or hand, can disqualify even the toughest, most experienced player. And a one-man charge into the enemy is guaranteed to send the charging player off the field in a blaze of paint splatters. It's not like the movies. Players quickly learn to work together and plan their moves if they want to survive and win.

Paintball uses a well-designed and engineered COz-powered gun. This should not be mistaken for a real weapon. It is the tool of a specialized sport. It does not, nor can it be fitted to fire, anything but paintballs. Laws prohibit it from being carried or used openly in most municipalities You won't see people shooting their paintball guns at home in their backyard. Paintball guns are not lethal weapons, but they are not toys. They are products of considerable ongoing manufacturing experience, research and development, and field testing. Players are shown how to handle their guns properly before they step into the playing area. They are very sophisticated devices and considerable expertise is required to maintain them in top form in a field operation.

A hit by a paintball is very unlikely to break the skin or bruise, and is considerably less traumatic than being hit by a slap shot or line drive. Paintball is a safe sport. Unfortunately, many people mistakenly make an association between paintball players and military or paramilitary groups, with guns and criminals, or with war and violence. This is a hard image to dispel.

Paintball, despite outward physical similarities (clothing, guns, etc.) to some of the above, has more in common with children's games such as tag. It does not in any way glorify or condone violence any more than a baseball or hockey player does because he or she uses a specialized wooden club in the snort. It does not glorify war any more than any team sport. A hit is no more symbolic of death and killing than a penalty in hockey. And there are no formal group associations between paintball and rifle associations, the military or armed criminals. For that matter, paintball is banned from the SHOT show, the USA's largest shooting and sports trade show.

"The media's anti-gun attitude has a bad habit of slapping paintball players foe," writes Jessica Sparks, columnist for Action Pursuit Games. "Many fimes a reporter will listen while we explain that the game is called paintball and we play capture-the-flag, not war, games. Then the reporter slams the words 'war games' all over his or her article and talks about paintball with words of violence and death."

Today's paintball games are supervised by on-field referees who control the game, watch for infractions, perform paint checks, mask-wipes, judge situations and help with mechanical problems. Games have defined objectives and ends. Tournaments sponsored by major manufacturers and distributors attract teams from around North America. The sport is well-organized and well- managed by its aficionados. Many firms send their executives out to play paintball regularly and there are even church groups with their own paintball teams.

Most of all, paintball is supposed to be fun, not violent. It is exciting, tense, wild and a test of nerves, it is hectic bedlam attimes, confusing and noisy at others. It is a sport where people of all ages, sexes and training can enjoy themselves, relieve their aggression and stress in a safe, educational activity.