I get suggestion...

I've fallen behind on responding to suggestions I find in the suggestion box. I’ll try to catch up with this post!

Let groups of 5 or 6 play what they want.

Sorry. Not going to happen. A group is 12 or more players. Then if you can get the 12 to agree on what they want to play before the sun goes down we will set you up with what ever you want (within safety limits)! There is a post somewhere in the archives that further explains why I can’t cater to small numbers.

Make group discount for 8 or 10 people. Not 12!

Here is an explanation that is included in the archive post I mentioned above. With a group of ten I lose money. With eleven I break even, and with twelve I make just enough profit to take my granddaughter to McDonalds on Friday night! Twelve is the absolute minimum I can afford. I actually count on groups to bring 15 to 20 or more players.

Limit feet per second, not balls per second.

By show of hands - who wants to be hit by 10 or 12 balls per second by some punk with a DM4? We limit feet per second (under 280fps) AND balls per second in the interest of safety and fair play.

Moving targets.

Yeah, I agree. I’ve seen some games where the opponents are pretty non-aggressive. What would you suggest? Maybe some kangaroos? Or how ‘bout some goats!

Easier to use grenades!

Hmmmm. Shake. Pull the pin. Throw. Maybe I could have the refs shake them and be standing by to pull the pin!

Rearrange the fields.

Ok, lets move the fort field over where the tower field is and let’s move the tower field over where the badlands was and, oh wait. You mean, like, move the trees around and stuff?

I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. We are making it a priority this year to add more bunkers, change up some shooting lanes, etc. C’mon out and check out the work that is being done.

Takes to long between games.

When I decided to open the field back in 1995 I made quick turnarounds one of my top priorities. I’ve had over 50 people working here at one time or another and have only had to fire three. Two of those were for sitting on their butt. My refs know I insist on keeping the games moving.

Now with that said let me throw it back at you and ask, "Why was there a delay?" If it was the ref why was I not informed before the end of the day?

Maybe there was a break while more players were inserted. Or maybe the ref is waiting for a field to clear. Or maybe half your group decided to take a break leaving not enough players to start a new game. Or maybe your ref had been reffing for 4 hours before you got to the field and needs a break! Or maybe an unusual amount of people need to be cleaned up or have equipment checked.

Or, maybe you have a ref who is sitting on his/her butt. Ten minutes max - that’s how long it should take to get the next game going. I will say this, though, at some of the bigger fields, Skirmish, S.C. Village, Challenge Park, etc. it is normal to wait 40 to 50 minutes between games.

In my not so humble opinion my refs deserve a whole lot more pats on the back (and an occasional tip) from players than they are getting now.

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Sorry VW...

When folks ask me about putting an electronic grip on a Spyder or Tippmann or Piranha or similar rec ball gun I use to say, "That would be like supercharging a Volkswagen". To be fair to the Volkswagen people I really need to find a new analogy. I've seen some pretty fast VW's out there lately.

Actually my analogy works if you remember I'm 50+ years old. My idea of a Volkswagen is the OOOOLD style "Beetle" (Does anyone remember the split rear window model?). I think those things topped out at about 40 horse power. The thought of supercharging something like that was akin to putting a supercharged engine on a roller skate.

Ever hear the expression, "The mind is willing but the body is weak"?

My mind might think I could finish a triathlon but I doubt my body would allow it. Putting electronic brains on a rec ball gun might send "shoot fast" signals to the gun's body, but it won't be long before the body wears out, you chip the sear, ding the hammer catch or crack the grip frame.

Tournament players shoot $2500 dollar electronic guns for reasons that actually exceed their egos. It takes that kind of money to buy a gun that has been designed and manufactured to truly be capable of shooting, and sustaining, the rate of fire that rec ball players are trying to achieve with Wallymart guns.

Do you really need a high rate of fire paintball gun? If you think you do you might want to examine your motives.

Are you trying to keep up with your high rate of fire friends?? Maybe you need some new friends. Come out to T-Square where high rate of fire is not allowed and aiming the paintball gun is encouraged.

Are you wanting to hit someone with 10 or 15 balls per second? I suggest you find a new game. Sadists and psychos don't do much for the game's image.

Are you trying to increase your accuracy by way of volume? May I suggest practicing with a pump gun!

Are you trying to make me rich through paint sales? Sorry, you're on the wrong track. It's the smile of a young player who just took out a "big gun" with one, well placed, orb of yellow paint that fills my coffers with gold!

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I get suggestions...

I like suggestions. I encourage them with a suggestion box outside the pro-shop. Some of the suggestions leave me grumpy. Here’s one that left me baffled:

"You need a vat of ice water for high pressure fills - gives a cleaner more accurate fill."

I actually know where this suggestion is coming from. It’s the cleaner more accurate part that leaves me scratching my head.

When you jam air under a lot of pressure into a metal tank it will expand in size. You can’t see it expand but to the bazillions of molecules that make up the tank its a veritable earthquake. Anytime you go jostling molecules around you get HEAT as a by product.

When you have a scuba tank filled the shop owner has two options - fill the tank very, very slowly so you don’t have to carry the tank back to your car wearing oven mitts, or put the tank in a vat of cold water to cool it down while it is filled. Scuba shops fill using cold water. Keeping the tank cool also reduces the wear and tear on the tank.

To get a clean fill you have to have a clean source of air. Scuba compressors are strictly filtered for particles as well as moisture. To get an accurate fill you need accurate gauges.

Which brings me to paintball high pressure tanks. The gauges on these tanks are not very accurate. They are known to vary as much as plus or minus 500psi. If you want an accurate gauge the price of your tank will almost double. Since no one’s life is at stake (as with scuba air) and since the tank will not blow up with 500 extra psi*** the paintball industry can get away with a cheaper gauge.

Cold water fills are not required for paintball tanks. Sure the tank gets warm, but the level of molecular jostling is much smaller. Good thing, too, since I doubt you would want to wait in line behind people filling their tanks very, very slowly or using a cold water vat to cool them down. A particle and moisture filter on our compressor assures a clean fill and the gauges on our compressor, regulators and fill station are much more accurate than the gauge on your tank.

Now, it’s true when you leave the fill station with 3000 psi and a warm tank you will read around 500 psi less when you get to the field. But this is a matter of air pressure vs. temperature rather than accuracy. When you fill a tank it heats up, which heats up the air inside and increases the pressure. As the tank cools, the air cools and your gauge will read lower. But who cares? You have plenty of air for a couple of games and an unlimited supply for the $5 all day air fee! If you stop by for a fill up to take home we fill the tank slower to insure a true 3000 psi fill.

***Just a "DUH" note: I DO NOT suggest you put an extra 500psi in your tank. A 3000psi tank will actually take an accidental 9000psi fill without catastrophic failure but I DO NOT suggest trying that either!

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Rules are what make a game fun!

Imagine playing Monopoly without rules. You can move as many spaces as you want, can take money from the bank anytime you need it. To an immature mind this would probably be considered nirvana. Someone who enjoys the game would wonder, “What’s the point?"

It’s this idea that makes me crazy when someone asks, "Why can’t we play free for all, not be out when hit and just shoot till we run out of paint, no rules?"

What would be the point?

When you have nothing of something a void is created and the first thing that will fill a void when there are no rules is chaos. Safety would be non-existent, since safety is created by the enforcement of rules.

I’m an excitement junkie. Chaos, however, gives me headaches.

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