[Chsmadden]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and I'm 15 years old. My friend is going to start a paintballing team and I really want to join in. I asked my mom and she said I'm not going paintballing until I'm 18. Is this sport really as dangerous as it presents itself (to her). I've been trying since January to change her mind.
I'm absolutely obsessed with this even though she wont allow it, I've already picked out most of my gear and am saving to buy it (some day soon).
Like I said, is this a dangerous sport? Or are the sites she found about the horrors of paintballing true?

This was the site she found: WARNING! YOU MAY BE AT RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH
Logic tells me if you protect yourself completely, death, loss of sight, ear injury, and throat trauma can all be avoided. Is that true?

[martix_agent]

looks as if it's a warning, meaning anyone reading it is safe. I'v never heard of a co2 tank doing that though. to be safe, use a pen and draw a line down the top of your tank onto the threadded end. if the line ever is not straight, stop immediately and take it to somebody who knows what they are doing.

your logic is correct. if all safety measures are taken, it's very safe to play paintball.

[Chsmadden]

Thanks for the fast reply. So paintballing is actually a really safe sport? I just need some good, reliable dirt to show my mom that it's safe.
What else do I need to start paintballing other than a mask, marker, tank, hopper, oil and squeegee, and barrel condom? Or is that it? I've found all my equipment at Zephyr Paintballing and it totals $174.92, -shipping. Does that sound right? I don't want to wring my wallet dry the very first time I buy equipment. The marker I picked out is a Kingman Spyder Sonix 07 in Silver. Is that a decent marker or would I expect it to fall apart in my hands?
Sorry about the barrage of questions,
Chris

[martix_agent]

that's a pretty decent price for starting off, but i'm curious to see what it entails.

the kingmann markers are all solid markers. it's a great choice.

Make sure you get a nice, anti-fog mask. there's nothing worse than playing with a cheap mask that's uncomfortable and keeps fogging up.

[Chsmadden]

This is the link to the starter kit I lined up for purchase
1 Star Nitro Starter Paintball Pack

That's as much as I can afford, I could wait a little longer and splurge for a 2 or 3 star, but that's as high as I think I need to go

Thanks,
Chris

[Uphoria]

since you are starting off, and your mom is a little worried about the possible things that could happen to you. I would recommend adding a neck protector in there as well.

[Chsmadden]

Originally Posted by Uphoria

since you are starting off, and your mom is a little worried about the possible things that could happen to you. I would recommend adding a neck protector in there as well.

(slaps self in head) I meant to get one of those.

Maddog Designz Paintball Neck Protector
Is this one a good brand? It's the only one I could find on Zephyr Paintballing.

[Uphoria]

Im not too familiar with brands of neck protectors, so if there is a store near you I would go in and take a look and try some on.

[Chsmadden]

Originally Posted by Uphoria

Im not too familiar with brands of neck protectors, so if there is a store near you I would go in and take a look and try some on.

Alright, thanks again. I'll try to do that this weekend.

[din_blix]

Originally Posted by Uphoria

since you are starting off, and your mom is a little worried about the possible things that could happen to you. I would recommend adding a neck protector in there as well.

and maybe a cup?

[Chsmadden]

Originally Posted by din_blix

and maybe a cup?

Ugh, I'm just not on top of it today , forgot about the family jewels.

[martix_agent]

naw, cups are annoyign and hurt. wear loose pants and you'll be fine. you can pick up some used paintball pants that have groin padding or thicker material in that area for $25-$30 if you look hard enough.

[Chsmadden]

Or as my friend who got me into paintballing suggested, stuff your pants with cardboard or newspaper. Hey, it's free!

[txaggie08]

Hang a towel out the front of your pants....better than a cup and also free.

**edit**

I was drunk(er) when posting above so I didn't go into the OP's problem.


You can tell her this bro, in five years of operation, we have never had a major paintball gun related injury (ie one that required a trip to the ER) at panthercreek. Now we have had a borken bone and a few sprains, but that was people falling down while running.....guess what you do that in your front yard. We routinely quote the fact that paintball is safer than bowling statistically.

The worst injury I ever saw was someone being an idiot with no mask and no barrel (at the time plug) bag. If your SAFE with the guns, and follow the common sense rules set down by the field.

I issued a standing offer a while back that still stands. If she wants to speak to an adult who's been balling for more than a decade, who works at a field, and who will talk straight about reality with her, contact me and I'll even give you a phone number. I'm always willing to shoot straight with someone worrying about there kid.

[Dark.angel]

I'd say about a month or two ago, from my local field. I witnessed a kid sliding to a bunker, and his mask flew off. Ended up taking one to the eye, he ended getting surgery and now only has one working eye. Paintball is dangerous.

[splatterboi7]

ya bro dont worrry bout it if u really wanna get a neck protector maddogz designs,reds,jt,and a couple other brands make them. if u really want u can get a chest protector 2

[Chsmadden]

Update: +saftey equipment, the total is now $202.90.

[Chsmadden]

Also, she's not big on paintballing because it takes guns and turns it into a game. I'm going to try to solve that by using subliminal messaging. And then the problem still stands of her thinking it's dangerous. She doesn't want to be talked into letting me go. She doesn't want to hear from anyone that it's not dangerous, she just hates guns. Which is a BIGA$$ problem for me

[JeSTeR_1269]

well, your first problem is you keep referring to it as a "gun". Most of us will tell you its a Marker.

[2.0]

I started paintball when i was 14 (when pump markers with 60 ball loaders were all there was) and played 2-4 times a month until i was 21. Played 2 times a year until i was 25, picked it up again and ever since I've been playing 2 times a month. That's about 13 years of paintballing in 4 countries and I have never seen any accidents like those described in that website you provided, nor had any accidents myself other than bruises here and there and once an ear full of paint but that didn't cause any damage at all.

Then again i've always played with responsible people and have disengaged in games where safety is disregarded, which is pretty much the mindset of any serious paintball player i know.

I have encountered many irresponsible kids and tried to educate and introduce them to this culture of safety serious paintball players have, since the more one is aware of the hazards of paintball, the safer one is. And it only takes 1 person that doesn't know the risks to get a whole lot of people hurt.

I see where your mom is coming from, but giving her the a real, unbiased view of paintball is what you need to stop her fears. That website you provided is overhyped and only have a few isolated incidents caused by lack of proper education, safety protocols and just common sense. The dangers are real, but there's very simple things one can learn and apply to prevent disastrous scenarios like those described on the website.

-CO2 tanks flying? EDUCATE yourself and new players, and remind old players the rules of proper tank handling, attaching and detaching, gassing and degassing and maintenance. Respecting dates on tanks is important and having them tested regularly is a must. They're very simple things to learn.

-Eye injury? Enforce wearing masks and commit yourself to stay safe and do wear your mask whenever there's loaded paintball markers around. There's also mask and lens maintenance to consider, so reading the manual/instructions/maintenance guides helps in every instance with that.

- Ear injury from getting shot? Lots of quality masks cover your ears as well. And good paint is made from edible products, so you will not get chemical burns or anything of the sort.

- Neck injury from getting shot? Neck protectors, decent ones go as low as $5.99 a piece and they're not bad at all to play with.

- Getting shot anywhere where it might hurt? Long sleeves, pants, gloves, cups for your nads (or a towel hanging from your belt as someone has already suggested)

- Getting hurt due to the physical strains of the sport (not getting shot at but by doing the rest like running, jumping, crouching etc) The risk of getting hurt with a sprain, spasm, bone or joint damage, etc, is not any higher than with most contact sports like soccer, football, basketball or ice hockey.
I started playing soccer in august 2006 and by february 2007 already had a knee crippling injury that took me 3 months to recover from. Never had that with paintball.

As long as you're safe and you actively promote a culture of safety with the people you play with (i.e. no idiotic stunts), you can go as long as i have playing and never getting hurt.