Nothing falling here!

Almost everyday I read or hear something from some chicken little who claims the sky is falling down on the world of paintball. There is no doubt in the mind of anyone who has a stake in paintball that the past few years and especially 2008 has been rough on the industry as a whole. I feel bad for paintball company CEO's, Pro-Team owners and tournament promoters. I have empathy for the many who have been laid off or let go or fired from an industry that put food on their table.

At the same time I feel fortunate that the majority of the hand wringing is going on at a level way higher up on the pecking order from where I exist.

I live and work and play at the grass roots level of paintball - in a place far removed from the politics and corporate pressures and the win or perish competition. I sleep peacefully knowing that what is going on at the top will have little impact on my paintball world. It's a confidence fueled from knowing something many of them have forgotten and that is paintball starts at the grass roots level.

Paintball is church groups and birthday parties and rental guns. It's players from those groups that become regulars and buy a Spyder and later upgrade to an Ion. It's the field team that makes their local pro-shop owner proud when they bring back a second place trophy from a tournament held across town.

I'm grateful that my paintball world has nothing in common with the words in this editorial. I'm grateful for loyal employees - High Schoolers looking to make an honest buck and earn a good reference on their future resume. I'm grateful players in my world don't need to be agg or buy Hater Marmalade or install the latest cheater board in their markers.

I'm grateful that people, even in hard times, want to take a break every now and again and have some fun. That's my paintball world. Fun.

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