Paintball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. It began in the early 1970s in California when a small group of people obtained air guns that fired oil-based paint pellets (called Paintballs), used to mark trees by the forestry industry. It took almost a decade for the game of paintball to grow into an organized sport with independent manufacturers of guns and other supplies, regular playing fields and recognized tournaments. Today paintball has millions of registered players worldwide. There are now thousands of paintball teams, associations and fields around the world.

In the years since it began, paintball and its equipment have grown considerably more sophisticated. Safety gear has evolved rapidly which has helped to create a safe and fun gaming environment for players of a variety of ages. International associations have developed official tournament and game rules as well as codes of conduct. Major tournaments can offer prize money as high as $1,000,000 +. There are at least three glossy monthly magazines on the newsstands, and thousands of websites dedicated to the sport. Many businesses cater to the sport by manufacturing paintball markers, paintballs, clothing, and safety gear, or by distributing and selling this gear in stores around the world. Our Paintball and Airsoft Pro Shop is at 7905 Flint Road SE. in Calgary at our Laser Trek location.

There are thousands of indoor and outdoor fields in operation throughout the world today. These fields are commonly set-up with a variety of obstacles including motor vehicles, tire towns, wooded bunkers and other realistic terrain features. Our outdoor field in Cochrane Alberta is 116 acres in size, has 19 different courses, and is one of the worlds largest fields!

Paintball is most commonly played in teams. Games run anywhere from a few minutes to 48-hour marathons with camp-outs. The games themselves are usually quite simple: Capture the Flag (either a single flag that two or more teams fight for, or each team has its own flag the other side tries to grab), Elimination (a knockout game where all members of the other side must be eliminated), Timed (winner is the team with the most players remaining). Individual-oriented games are usually simple elimination games(the last player left wins,) or may involve a point system for hits. Our instructors can help you play any of the above games on your game day or come to us with any suggestions for other "scenarios".

A 'hit' in recreational paintball counts if the hit stings a little bit ( like a bee-sting). Hits anywhere on the body count and the hit player must then yell "Hit! Hit! Hit!" and leave the field to a designated safe area referred to as "Heaven". If you are hit, you are not permanently removed from the current game, you need only return to 'Heaven' and ring the bell to "Reincarnate" and return anew to the game.

The paintball is a .68 calibre gelatin-coated ball filled with vegetable oil and paint, which usually travels at speeds of 240-300 feet per second (200 MPH). This is enough to sting unprotected flesh when struck, but nowhere near the speed - or danger - of a slapshot or a line drive from a puck or baseball. Nonetheless, players are required to wear a full safety goggle helmet to protect their head and face. The safety goggle helmet covers the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Players at Capture the Flag are also provided with protective camouflage coveralls and chest protectors, which not only makes the players harder to spot, but also absorbs some of the impact and most of the paint. The paint is vegetable oil-based and washes out of clothing and hair easily (it's fully biodegradable). Still wear older clothing and shoes when coming paintballing for the day. No player is allowed at any time onto the playing field or even the firing range without a proper mask.

Paintball is a safe sport. Statistics compiled by the National Safety Council (US, 1987) and Control Systems Inc. (administrators of paintball game accident insurance plans in the US) show paintball is one of the safest sports around, with only .24 injuries per 1,000 players per year, compared to 21.92 for hockey, 28.42 for baseball, 19.76 for basketball and 1.22 for golf. There are even more people injured bowling (.47) than playing paintball!! People 10 years of age and up enjoy paintball, especially if they play similar sports that have a 'bee-sting-like' effect such as hockey, soccer, lacrosse, etc.

Paintball is great exercise and is played by groups for birthdays, companies, stag or stagettes, churches, schools, and teams. It is a great team building activity that works to improve leadership skills, help with strategic planning, as well as dealing with pressure.