WELCOME PARENTS
Being parents ourselves, we understand that paintball can cause some anxiety. Darran's son has been playing since he was 9 years old and his daughter has also played. We want you to feel confident that paintball is safe, fun and worth your time!
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BENEFITS OF PAINTBALL
Paintball is a unique alternative sport. Any person can play on the same field regardless of age. These are some of the benefits for you and your child:
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Confidence
Handling stress
Critical Thinking
Team planning & strategy
Hand eye coordination
Communicating
Athletic crossover training
Body awareness and control
Individual drive to help team success
HEALTH & SAFETY
There is no age, size or muscular advantage to paintball. In fact, smaller players have an easier time because they fit behind bunkers much easier. Everyone is shooting paintballs at the same speed so literally everyone is on equal playing ground.
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When played with proper masks and with markers at regulated speeds, paintball actually has a considerably lower rate of injury compared to football, soccer, baseball or hockey. Tripping or running into a bunker too fast is the likely source of injury, NOT from the paint itself. Paintball speeds are regulated by the field and strictly enforced.
WHAT SHOULD WE WEAR?
Consider that you will be playing outside in a wooded area, on a grass field and on a turf field. We recommend that you have some sort of fabric that covers your legs and arms. Gloves are great also to protect your fingers.
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You'll want to be comfortable. We don't recommend you wear anything "nice." You may tear something and if you don't wash it right away...you may find a slight discoloring in your clothing. All paint is washable. Wear shoes, rubber cleats or boots that can get dirty. If it rains the day before or the day of, you'll probably have to scrape off some mud.
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If its warm or hot, wear something that helps with the heat. Nothing is worse than getting yourself out to the field and then you become exhausted because you have too much on. Until you become comfortable with getting hit, definitely have something covering your arms and legs, even in the summer. But please, hydrate yourself before coming out when it's warm!
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If it's cold, layer up. Hoodies and beanies work great. Extra socks? Sure! There are no rules against how much you can wear outside of tournaments, so stay warm!
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Finally, think about what you'll wear home. You're likely going to be dirty and smelly and be smiling too much. Action Town has indoor bathrooms in which you can change for the car ride home. Towels you can put on your car seats will help as well if you sweat. I always brought a change of clothes to tournaments because some days, I smelled really bad at the end of the day. Deodorant might be a good choice also.
THE BIG PICTURE
Memories: Paintball is something that unique that can really give you great memories with your child. Even if you don't play, being there with them and watching them react is something you'll remember forever. So will they.
Cost: You can bring your own gear or rent from Action Town Park. AYP staff does not purchase nor provide paint to play with. AYP will not ask you to share with others who are running out of paint. The cost of paintballs is yours alone. AYP can give basic lessons on technique that will help maximize the use of your money. Action Town Park has all the costs on their website https://action-town-park.square.site/
Pain: Does it hurt to get hit? Sure. Is it startling? It can be. But it all depends. Getting hit in the goggles like the picture shown on this screen is actually painless. The mask takes all the kinetic impact. I've been hit so many times I'm more involved/frustrated in the thought of being eliminated than I am with the paint hitting me. I always found my back and inner thighs stung the most. For others it's their fingers or neck. You never really know until you finally get hit. Which is why we highly recommend parents play with their child the first time they play. Action Town Park has their own policy as well with regards to adult supervision and you'll want to check with them.
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Play for Fun: You can take paintball as seriously or as casually as you want. This group's vision is to grow a community of kids that can get together and enjoy a large group experience. Emphasis is on enjoyment of the game. We believe that children playing with other children close to their own age makes the experience less stressful and more exciting. There's no commitment so you can continue in other team sports and jump in and play paintball when it fits the schedule. If you want to play more competitively than AYP offers, speak with the AYP staff.
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From Darran: I have been able to watch my son play since he was 9 years old. At first I basically held his hand and never left his side. Now, he is completely independent and I have complete trust in him to safely do anything at the paintball field. I love seeing that independence in him. Also, we've yet to get into hunting. So I've been able to present my children with an alternative way to respect guns. Even though paintball markers are not guns, they can be dangerous if you don't treat them with respect.
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