Think I'm creating a monster...

[PBGunny]

Last fall my friend brought along his step-son to The Ft Knox event in Oct.
He wasn't doing real well in school... grades were slipping and he was talking back to teacher.
We set him up with some leftover gear and he went out with us and played the whole day.
We started showing him some stuff and kept an eye on him.
He went on a mission for the "Young Guns" and he did pretty good.
He ended up getting a trophy at the end of the game.
That day has changed him, the grades are coming up and he has changed his attitude.
Every time I see him, he asks me when we are going to go play again.
I figure it was time for him to have his own marker, so Saturday he got his own.
I think he likes it.

[iamthelazerviking]

That's amazing. And makes me think...psychologically, what about paintball (or maybe any sport or hobby) helps individuals with improved behavior?

[Chappy]

As someone who wasn’t particularly athletic in my youth and who also preferred hide and seek to baseball, I know that paintball changed my outlook on what I could accomplish as a teenager.

[Cdn_Cuda]

Self esteem and confidence. When a kid or adult feels confident, they do better. They trust themselves and don’t second guess constantly and start having success and little wins.

[glaman5266]

While I can't say paintball helped my grades, it provided a physical exercise/game/sport that I could actually excel at. That is something that none of the jocks, bullies or anyone else could take away from me. It was something I could pour my heart and soul into. And given that my parents didn't much encourage us to do extracurriculars, I really felt the need to take & run with it.
And here I am 22 years later, still playing.

[Meleager7]

This is the way.

[MrKittyCatMeowFace]

NAHHHHH YOU GOTTA BEAT HIM!!!! /s booooooooo XD

Great video to watch in whole. But skip to 11 minutes. Just makes you want to go give your own kids the biggest hug.

[iamthelazerviking]

Good ol Sam Hyde

[packersrule729]

Ghost of Kiev dropping some truth

[Chappy]

My heart has been warned for the day, thanks

[Jimmydee]

I agree mine too! I also never played other sports but paintball

[maggot]

Awesome story, glad you posted this

[Cdn_Cuda]

This is awesome!

[PBGunny]

His biological father is... Well he is non-existent.
I think this is the first time in his life that he has had someone in his life to even pay attention to him.
His new step father and his step uncles will be there now along with Ol' Gunny.
He had a really good day Saturday.
New marker, gun show where he bought a throwing knife and a new boonie hat.
Makes me feel great too.

[Trbo323]

Great post thanks for sharing.

Also, show him this thread. Let him know we are all rooting for him and glad he enjoys the sport

Sent from my motorola edge 2024 using Tapatalk

[Chuck E Ducky]

Arm the Children!

That’s a sweet setup!

[PBGunny]

I sure hope he likes it. He and his step-dad are going to have to come up with a loader and a tank. I was told that we will be taking a road trip to PB Sports in the next few weeks.

[Psycho91]

PB has always been my outing, like glaman said it was one thing no one could take from me and I was really good at it it was the one sport I didn't get demolished in, plus iv always been really small and always got picked on in PB no one did that it was one place I fit in it made me feel good about myself, it did help my attitude a little bit but home life was bad so school still suffered lol guess that's why I got into PB so hard here I am 20 years later at least still collecting markers and gear

I'm hopeing my niece wants to play at least once even if it's one game and she says no more, she's a mean little tyrant so she might be good at it 😂

My parents didn't like PB to much but I got a little obsessed with it it's all I talked about and did/wanted to do, I drove them nuts with my pump gun shadow snap shooting around everything in the house, I bet they wish they would have encouraged it now though as I haven't made the best choices in life lol