Paintball is like a drug because it's addictive and you'll want to do it all the time (I dream about it!)

I've been a member of the Paintball society for the last year (when I started my Criminology and Sociology course), but had paintballed on and off recreationally since I was 13, though I only took up tournament paintball seriously in the last year. I'm captain of the U.W.E. tournament team, treasurer, and tournament coordinator.

Recreational paintball (rec-ball) is the first experience of paintball most people have, and it was no different for me. It was during my rec-ball days that I first got a taste of the high-adrenaline rush that comes with the game, but it was not until I was introduced to the high performance electronic markers (paintball guns) and fast-paced technical side of paintball in the form of tournament paintball that I became hooked. Tournament paintball is played on flat pitches with different shaped bunkers in a symmetrical layout and could be compared to a high-speed game of chess and angles, but with guns that pump out 15 balls/second!

The most exciting aspect of the game has to be the tense moments after the ten-second call at the start gate when you are focussed entirely on your job: where you have to get to, what players you need to eliminate, and you're just poised waiting for the game-on call with your team mates before the game explodes into action. Either that or "mugging" an opposing player which involves leaving your bunker to run up on an opposing player and shooting them at close range. It's the “touchdown” of paintball and can go horribly wrong if it isn't timed right.

Tournament paintball definitely is a highly competitive sport, but rec-ball and woodsball are more about just having fun (although the atmosphere at tournaments is always friendly and we have a great time). So you can really choose your level of involvement in the Paintball Society. We also attend the Big Game every year which is the biggest paintball event in the UK at which 1000 paintballers are split into 2 teams and play in a huge forest, which is loads of fun.

The worst injury I've ever picked up in paintball was a pulled muscle from not warming up properly, and the only serious injuries I've ever heard of are due to equipment failure (or user error) and are very rare. You get a lot of welts and bruises though!

The most memorable moment I have in the society is at the last round of the inter-uni league. We played really well, had a great time, and won most improved team of the year (and one of our team won most improved player). All capped off with victory cigars!

I already play for another team in Bristol that isn't affiliated with any university just so I can get some summer 'ballin in, and I fully intend to continue playing after Uni. It's my biggest passion in my life, and nothing compares to the feeling of completely steamrolling another team through solid teamwork and training.

Related links

UWE societies