Parents alert: Paintball tournaments popular with military recruiters

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/wcnc-050607-krg-paintball.42f11b91.html

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- When 15-year-old Chris Schehr suits up for paintball, he's just thinking about having fun.

"I just like to play with my friends -- shoot people," said Schehr, as he donned the padded shirt and helmet that protect him from 200 mile-an-hour paint-filled projectiles.

Schehr is just one of hundreds of players in full gear, with air-powered guns, taking part in the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Open at PBC Sports Park in Rock Hill.

But the skills he learns on the field – shooting, hiding from live fire, making tactical decisions – look a lot like another line of work: military duty. And those who play the fast-growing sport of paintball are catching the eyes of military recruiters.

"They like to shoot, which is a great way to gain camaraderie,” said Sgt. Patrick Campbell, a recruiter for the U.S. Army National Guard in South Carolina. “And not just that. While they’re gaining camaraderie, they’re gaining leadership and team skills." snip

Tournament organizers say they welcome military recruiters at games, and have talked to a few about setting up booths or talking to players. But at the same time, they’re cautious about the image of paintball players as “gun happy.”

[SoCalDem]

1. So are batting cages and video arcades..

:(

[Zensea]

2. well ... duh

When 15-year-old Chris Schehr suits up for paintball, he's just thinking about having fun.
"I just like to play with my friends -- shoot people,"

[JHB]

3. Paintballing will also teach you something else, if you give it the chance...

...and that's how easy it is to get hit by gunfire, especially when it takes more than a shrub or thin fence to stop a real bullet. And what kinds of wounds you might have when you consider where you were hit (it's rarely just the "grazing shot in the shoulder").

Paintball is a game and combat is no "game" at all.

[Catch22Dem]

4. Funny you should mention it...

One of the first times I played, I was out quickly. The "dead" had to walk to the staging area. So I was one of the first ones there. I sat there and watched a steady stream of people walk towards me and I thought, "wow, kinda eerie how they just keep coming."

I changed my tactics! :D

I think paintball is a blast. Hurts like shit sometimes, but it can be such a rush. As a former USAF NCO, I think targeting these places is bullshit. Recruiters need to stay in their fucking offices and let the people walk in off the street like I did.