Paint Ball and Such

So Paint-ball is actually really fun. I wasn't sure how Kristin and I would take to it, not being the angry, shoot-things-with-guns sort of people, but we ended up enjoying it overall.

So you are probably wondering what the 'hey' I'm talking about at this point, so I'll try to cover the W's.

Who?

Kristin's lab and the neighboring Chem lab all know each other and are not only very scientific but also very competitive...

Why?

The idea of a paint-ball game sparked the interest of the labs initially. When Dr. Brooks jumped on the 'bandwagon' all of the interested parties followed suit, and a date was set...

When?

A large group of scientists and significant others' used carbon dioxide powered rifles to batter each other with hard, breakable, pellets over the labor day weekend. The competition lasted from about 3pm till, oh, say about 7pm. Or there about. And it was held at...

Where?

Guru Paint-Ball. Not the best named place we'd ever heard of, but we played on a course/field that was well set up for ducking, hiding, and generally avoiding the shots from ones opponents. To get there, just follow University Parks west of campus (past the Ferrel Center) for about 10 miles. Not quite the boonies, but certainly out of town.

...

ok, I know I'm missing a W...

Oh Right!

What?

Paint-Ball. We set the teams based on lab affiliation and shot at each other with little breakable pellets that left a visible mark to indicate if one had been hit or not. We played with elimination as the goal. Last team to have one or more players without a hit won the round. I had a good time trying to scope out new vantage points, but I also got hit a lot. Movement seemed to be key, though and it proved to be an excellent use of an evening.

So yeah.

The actual, 'getting hit' part was something that, yes, did hurt. But I think because so many people had always said that it would hurt, I was almost too ready to take a shot to the leg/torso. It really doesn't hurt that bad. I mean it stings, leaves a welt, and bruises after a spell, but it is not disabling or anything. I didn't ever want to sit out a round because I had been shot.

In Sum,

I know Kristin and I had a great time, and I'm pretty sure everybody else did too. It was fun to finally try paint ball, and I'm sad that I never played it sooner. It was really fun trying to guess where your opponents were, trying to figure out how to get the best shot off, and trying to keep yourself paint free. And, even though we were sore for a few days afterwards, it was fun being reminded of the weird/exciting activity that is Paint-ball.