Just venting...

Like any industry or sport or hobby paintball has it's share of forums and chat rooms (not so many blogs, though). The forum threads I usually check out most are of the "Field Owner" variety.

It's a good place to pick up some fresh ideas, commiserate with fellow owners and sometimes do a bit of venting.

Unfortunately, everyday, without a doubt and as sure as the sun will rise and set there will be a post from some aspiring entrepreneur who dreams of making it big with a paintball field he wants to open up on Uncle Jack's back forty.

Here are some (unedited) samples:

"I am currently trying to start an indoor paintball arena in our town and was curious as to any advice you all might have. Also any information about the legalities and waivers that might be necessary when going into this business. Thanks for any and all help y'all can send my way!"

Fairly straight forward, polite - almost a request I wouldn't mind taking three hours to type out with everything it has taken me 12 years to learn. I wonder if it's someone planning to open a field next door to mine?

And let me point out, at the top of every "Field Owner" thread that I frequent there is a "sticky post" at the top titled something like "Stop bothering field owners with endless requests for information because every question you could ever think of is answered right here - JUST TAKE THE TIME TO READ!"

Anyway, more samples:

"Hey im starting a paintball field with some other people for a college project, could someone help me by sending me a layout for a good business plan. I have one made up but its only a lists of prices and mission statements"

Hey, cood sombody rite my term papirs??

"Hello, I am starting a paintball field and store. I need 100% everything but for less money, please give me a quote on how much you think I can get this for."

Would you settle for 97%?

"I have 11 acres that I'm thinking about starting a paintball arena. How do I go about starting and is this enough land to have a decent paintball facility?"

How big is the field in your area that you plan to put out of business?

"I have planned to build my field using my own home, and land that i already have. With a few bunkers and some netting i could have 3 really good courses, 2 speedball and a scenario field with a fortress(that being my actual house). From all the people i've talked to i'm crazy for wanting to do this, but i really feel like it would be awsome and i wouldn't mind having paint all in my house"

No way!! I call shens!

"I want to know how mush will this cost for a teen to start a feild? What is income, and how? Because their is only one place to play around here and its in niceville about 30 miles from where 3 cities play paintball. Now you can tell they are rolling in cash."

How do they profit when they're spending all that time rolling?

"Is there any field owner that is intersted in invisting in starting a branch of his in Cairo, Egypt. We are a group of Egyptian businessmen who are interested in that. We do not have any fields in Egypt at the moment. Thanks Saleh El Shobokshy"

ROAD TRIP!!

"ok ppl i just started and i have a open feild right behind my house that is mine... i was just wondering if any of u guys would no how many guns i would need paintballs co2 all that good stuff...and my insurance that i may need"

"I was wanting a little inpoot i got a field and i just need to set it up and have a few ideas but need to know what kinda setup would be best"

"how to start a paintball feild, and also good sites for feild gear and airball binkers. and also could you tell me if you have the phone number for supairball.com"

It's endless. Actually the requests for "How to Start a Field" that bug me the most are the articulate, well thought out ones. They should be smart enough to know nothing is free. Do your own homework/reading/research.

Later.

(Bring 'em home.)

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More Big Game stuff...

Here is a small sample of the many photos taken during the "First Contact - 2007" Big Game. To see more go to arkansaspaintballphotography and leave John a big thank you. Or better yet, order a few prints from him.

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Big numbers...

Here are some numbers from the 6 Hour Big Game we hosted here at T-Square Paintball on Sunday:

First, the really big one - 158 players. That's the most that have ever participated. In fact it was too many. I had people parking in my neighbor's yard. I hate to do it but I might have to have a sign-up/cut-off list next time.

The BLUE team won. Both teams played tough but it was obvious the Blue team had the upper hand most of the day. What wasn't so obvious was how close the score turned out. Blue Team's aggressive play almost turned out to be their undoing as they lost points as they raced around raising flags and stealing mission objects before they were actually put into play. After subtracting it was Blue 365 and Red 335.

There were 357 hot dogs and drinks consumed, 150 pounds of CO2 was used and the HPA compressor ran nearly non stop.

The Red team outspent the Blue team in paint purchases, suggesting maybe might doesn't necessarily make right.

Player's spent an average of $35. Not to bad a deal, if I do say so myself, for 6 hours of paintball.

Not counting the free one given to each player there was an extra 412 raffle tickets sold. Over $450 worth of items were raffled off. Tickets were 50 cents a piece - you do the math!! (Thanks to Springfield Paintball for the donations and great paint.)

The best number to me was the 158 smiling faces I saw when the event ended. One Mom was a bit upset. She said there was some beer drinking and cussing going on in the parking lot. I found this out at 6pm, a couple of hours too late for me to take the pleasure of tossing these people out. I do what I can when I can.

John Dougan braved the fire and took probably over 300 pictures. I'll get with him and figure out a good way to post them.

Thanks again to all who participated and to all that helped to make it a great day (and a special thanks to the hot dog cookers). The next one is in May, the Sunday after Mom's day.

Mick

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Left. Right. Left.

Please don't call for directions and then argue with us about the directions we've been giving out correctly for 12 years.

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Travelin...

I did indeed go to the World Cup in Orlando Florida as I mentioned a few posts back. Actually I hit the road for a break and ended up in Orlando. The World Cup was not particularly my priority stop since the intention was to get away from paintball for a few days.

Just past Birmingham Alabama I passed a sign for Talladega Speedway. I thought to myself that would be a great place to hold a tournament.

In Atlanta Georgia I visited the worlds largest aquarium. All the cool colored fish floating about gave me some great split shell, paintball, color combination ideas.

In Orlando I stopped off for a tour at Kennedy Space Center. I tried calculating how many indoor fields you could set up in the building that displays the Saturn V rocket (ten or more I'm sure). I saw a couple of great locations for scenario fields till I was told by the tour bus driver that rangers that patrol the area have security video tapes showing alligators climbing over 10 foot chain link fence just to get to a wild pig.

On the way back I decided in Pensacola that beach paintball would be tough on the equipment and hell on these old legs.

At Battleship Park in Mobile Alabama my attention was drawn to the signs that displayed the caliber of each gun on the Battleship Missouri. I'd hate to get bunkered by one of those big guns! (And as you might guess there is really only one shooting lane on the submarine I toured.)

In Biloxi Mississippi I tried to imagine a paintball field there and where it might have ended up after Katrina! Two years later there are still fresh signs posted everywhere reading "House and Foundation Demolition and Removal - $1 per square foot".

In Tunica I gambled away the money I saved for a new airball field (not really, but it sounded good).

And finally, back home, I pulled in the drive and congratulated myself for successfully dragging my butt away from paintball for awhile.

Can't wait to do it again.

Peace. Out!
Bring 'em home.

Oh, and the actual World Cup event? Just a bunch of boring paintball stuff!

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MOM. WOW.

You might think feed necks (the piece that sticks up from the top of a paintball gun that holds the hopper) would be a standard size or at least feed tubes (the part that sticks down from the bottom of the hopper and connects to the feed neck) would be a standard size but of course they are not. Hoppers will either fit loose, fit just right but become loose over time or they will not fit at all.

"Clamping" feed necks help. They adjust to fit. But even clamping feed necks vary in how large they open and how small they clamp.

It was considered just a minor frustration back when hoppers were just a simple, five dollar, gravity fed, tupperwear looking thing. Most of them fit loose but with enough black tape you could make it stay on long enough to get a few games in.

Now, with hoppers pushing the $200 range you might expect the darn things to fit the gun properly. But no, they don't. In fact, many hopper manufacturers give the tube a large diameter so you can modify it to fit your specific gun.

So watch Mom's expression when you take sandpaper to the $200 doodad she just bought here 12 year old. "OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO IT???"

Priceless!

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Name Game...

Here are some more paintball company names to add to the "Quick Quiz" from awhile back:

Hater Paintball
Monkey With A Gun
Deadly Wind
Full Clip

Which brings another subject to mind. Which one of the following is NOT a name of a paintball gun?

Invert
Closer
Nerve
Nelsplat 007
Cyborg
Fusion
Rail
Trilogy
Angel
EGO
Overlord
Pimp
Minion
Omen

Next time - classy tournament team names!

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