Some people like to paint with brushes. Others like to paint with their fingers. Those who enjoy painting with guns meet every weekend in an open field to practice.
The championship-winning Ohio University paintball team formed 1998 but became an official club sport last spring. Clad in special clothes made from synthetic materials and carrying guns ranging from under $100 to over $1000, the team of about 25 members suit up each week to practice their expertise on the field.
The OU paintball team competes in the National Collegiate Paintball Association. Chris Raehl of the NCPA said the organization gives teams a creative environment in which to play the sport.
NCPA competitions work in a round robin style with five-on-five squads. Players shoot on a flat, open field space. The goal is to eliminate opposing players and to take a flag from the middle of the field to the opposite end of the field. Teams are awarded points and the top ranked teams progress to higher rounds.
The OU paintball team recently won first place at the conference championship Midwest Intercollegiate Tournament at Purdue University. OU will host the championship next year. The team has also clenched titles in local tournaments in Cleveland and is ranked fourth in the Class AA (Short Format 5-man) in the NCPA. The team also plans to attend nationals in Texas.
Jonathan Brown, a senior engineering major and captain of the team, joined up in 2002 when the team became more competitive, he said. Brown played paintball a few times in high school with a cheap gun he bought.
Robert Williams, a professor in mechanical engineering and adviser for the paintball team, is proud of the team, he said. Though he was originally not a fan of paintball, many of Williams' engineering students approached him several times, asking him to be their adviser. He is amazed at the athleticism of the OU team, he said.
They've really risen to the occasion
he said.
OU paintball team president John Moorehead became interested in paintball about 10 years ago while playing in a friend's backyard, he said. The senior civil engineering major looked up the team as a freshman and joined it. Club members hang out together often and have grown to be pretty close friends, he said.
We're all pretty much obsessed - paintball has ruined our lives Moorehead said.
It also puts quite a dent in their wallet. Brown spent about $1000 on his gun, $180 on the tank that holds air and $120 on the hopper that holds the paintballs, he said. Special clothes are also worn. Brown guessed he spent $3500-$4000 on paintball equipment, he said.
The OU paintball team recently gained sponsorship by Smart Parts, one of the biggest names in paintball, Brown said. The team hopes to finish high enough to join the X Ball League, in which only a few college leagues compete, to gain media exposure, he said.
The OU paintball team is a general paintball social club with a walk-on basis, Moorehead said. Anyone can pick up and play as long as you shoot the other guy before he shoots you Raehl said.
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Tyler Claudepierre, Bryce Barber, J. Brown, Brent Wiley, and John Moorehead (left to right) square up in anticipation of the break and the beginning of another game of Speedball. The above mentioned players make up OU's Green (starting) Line, which wo
Bobcat's club squad wins Midwest tournament, hopes to compete at national level
