10 Things I Miss About Paintball

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to hang out with a good friend and Frostburn teammate, Dan "No Shoes" Sanders. Through the course of the weekend, many memories were brought up concerning our glory days together while wearing the Frostburn blue. I haven't played paintball on a consistent basis since 2005, which was also my last year with Frostburn. I've been thinking about what I miss most about playing paintball during the past couple days. My old teammates will probably understand all of these and be able to add to the list themselves. Here we go...

10. Driving to Ramsey at 6 am on a tournament morning with Kevy and listening to Booker T. and the MG's, "Green Onions." This would be higher, but having to wake up at 5:30 am every tournament morning still pisses me off. In fact, that is the ONE thing I hate about paintball. Which brings this memory all the way to number 10.

9. The butterflies. At the time I played, I hated them. When I first started playing tournaments, my stomach would get tie itself into knots just on the way to the field. After a year of playing steadily, that changed. But what never changed is the feeling I felt when stepping on the field and the anticipation during the 10 second countdown. I was nervous, almost always had to take a piss and was super excited. I suppose that all can be contributed to my adrenaline coursing itself through my body. I hated the jittery feeling, but it's what made paintball real to me. It's what signaled my brain and body to say, "let's do this."

8. "The Turning Point." Frostburn was an aggressive team. However, we didn't always fire right out of the gates. But, no matter how bad or quasi-bad we were playing, there was a moment during the tournament where someone would make a big play and it would turn everything around. Once that turning point happened, we became a steamroll that demolished everything in our way. It didn't matter if it was a better team, worse team or even a small child. We'd dominate.

7. Comradery with other teams. All things considered, when it comes to competition, it's a pretty cool thing when you can be at a level where all you want to do is destroy the other team but when the dust settles, you can still be good friends. Frostburn had a lot of rival teams, but with most of these teams it was a rivalry with respect for one another. That's a pretty cool thing. On a personal level, I built a lot of lasting friendships through paintball and these rivalries and I know I'm not the only one. It's awesome to be able to win a nail-bitter and tough game against a big rival, but have them cheer you on to win the next game.

6. Watching movies with teammates, then quoting lines during games. I still laugh just thinking about it. The best instance ever was when we were in Duluth watching "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." There is a scene in the movie where Jay and Bob are extras in a movie starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon called, "Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season." The line is: "What do you think about them apples?" Matt Damon picks up a shotgun, shoots the guy and says, "Applesauce, bitch." Quite naturally, after 8 beers, that's pretty friggin hilarious. In fact, it's still funny sober. The next day, in the very first game, I ran the field shooting out 3 guys in the move and yelled to my teammates, "Applesauce, bitch!" Laughter ensued.

5. Winning in a clutch situation. Man that felt good. Words can only describe so much when it comes to the feeling you get. It's like this warm tingly feeling in your neck, right above your spine. Oooooo, I'm getting it now. My favorite moment was the last NLPL with Frostburn when we won our last two games in the finals, against the two toughest opponents, to take home 1st place. What a feeling!

4. The Frostburn parties. Granted, these parties never happened while playing paintball (except one time when Kevy, Corky and Wischy and I polished off a 24-pack in 30 minutes at one tournament. However, we were not playing as Frostburn), but it's because of paintball that these parties happened. Whether it was a bon fire listening to Zeppelin tunes at BJ's house, or a New Years party at Kevys, or even a full-on weekend binge fest and BBQ at my parent's house, these parties left lasting memories and lasting friendships. These are the things that made Frostburn what it was.

3. Reminiscing with teammates. Kevy and I always used to say, "try to remember being at a tournament and having the time of your life. It's impossible. The only time a tournament became fun is when you're done with it and talked about it with your teammates." And it's so true! I'm having fun now reminiscing about the things I miss about paintball. Memories last forever and talking and sharing them with someone who experienced them too makes it 10 times more enjoyable. I can't even tell you how many good times were had on the drive back from a tournament, no matter how good or bad it was, the reminiscing made it fun.

2. The competitiveness of the sport is at a high level. That's just a fact. It doesn't matter what skill you are or the skill of your opponent. When you strap on your goggles and hit the field, it's on. I LOVE that about paintball. Being a very competitive person myself, playing paintball was just a natural fit. I still haven't been apart of something or played another sport where my competitive streak smeared as much as it did with paintball.

1. Winning. Isn't the what most people equate to success? Winning? I'd definitely agree to that to a certain degree. It's not everything, but it's something. And winning a game/tournament/showdown or whatever it may be was the one thing I miss most about paintball. Winning and competitive spirit go hand-in-hand. Which also explains why I have them #1 and #2 in my list of 10 things I miss about paintball.

Labels: Frostburn, memories, paintball

posted at: 8:29 AM, by: Mikey

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