Your beginning in paintball.

[Hp_lovecraft]

In the 80s, the local gas station near me had a pretty good VHS section, with lots of 80s horror movies. In 1987, I grabbed a copy of "The ZERO BOYS". Its a generic "slasher in the woods movie", but it starts out with a paintball game. and it was amazing.

From that moment on, I knew that this was what I wanted to do. But back then, paintball fields did not advertise, so I had no idea where the nearest field was. By chance, my mother was a nurse at a hospital, and she was treating someone who happened to own a nearby field, and I was invited over. It was "Van Houtens Paintball". He was a nut job. Built the entire paintball field in a swamp to replicate the "rice patties of vietnam". But by luck, I met someone who told me there was a field literally 2 miles from my home.... never knew about it! Close enough that I could ride my bike to it.

So I spent the summer of 87, renting a splatmaster. Great times, but scared of the SMGs. In 1988, bought a used Rapide because I thought it was the greatest gun ever made. I was wrong. I dumped a ton of money into upgrading to the full alligator package... and it still sucked. Eventually spent $200 on a brand new SL-68. With inflation, thats almost $550. That gun was amazing.

I think the greatest paintball day I've ever had was in 1989, at a big game at Triad Paintball in NH. Huge 1,000 player game. Long story short, I got lost, walked into the enemy base by accident, grabbed the flag, and got it back without ever firing a shot.

[JonM]

I got my start somewhere around '97 give or take when a guy at work held a team building event at what's now OXL in Linglestown, PA (it was The Foxhole at the time). From that point on, I was hooked. After that, I bought my first setup - a black Spyder TL+ along with a Scott mask, 4+1 pack, and all the other stuff I'd need. I played walk-on rec ball with that setup for a while before picking up my first Phantom and eventually my Bob Long Autococker (both of which I still have and use today). At that point, I was attending scenario games at Skirmish and EMR when I could.

As the years went on and responsibilities mounted - job, kids, bills... the usual, I had to hang it up for about ten years. Then one day, Lurchness Monster and I were talking at my place and he invited me to join a rec team (Hansbury's Horde - later renamed The Expandables). At that point, I joined MCB, started hanging around with the rest of the guys on the team, and the rest is history.

[Refoogee]

I think I was 11-12 years old, or so, when I started. I had some best friends that all decided they were going to ask for paintball guns for Christmas. I'd never heard of it, but they described it to me as laser tag, but way cooler. So, you know, what kid is gonna say "no" to that? Got a 98 custom, and that started a long love affair with the sport. Dipped out a bit in high school, when it just got to be too much to afford for myself, and got back into the game in my early 20's. Immediately got more involved with the pump/pistol scene, and discovered a side of paintball I loved more than anything else the sport had to offer. Dabbled in magfed, tried stock class, and have just pursued that limited paint playstyle ever since.

[PBGunny]

Spring of 1987, Was in college and a group of us got together and started playing Laser Tag on the campus Sunday nites when it got dark. One guy was working at a toy outlet and was getting all the returns and fixing them up again, so we had a big box of equipment and all we had to do was provide the batteries. It was a blast, but got way out of hand when people figured out how to hide and move so the sensors were covered. One guy in the group had played paintball when he was down in Texas and said that paintball was far superior because you couldn't cheat that way. So, we found a field nearby and arranged to have a game with the field team. We then went down to the local surplus store and all bought camo pants and jackets. After that, we started drilling and practicing moving as squads and getting codes and hand gestures. Was way out of hand.
The day arrived and we went out there, there was about 32 of us total. When we got there, we found out that the team was actually the Tippmann Factory team and they were wanting to practice for the upcoming season. There were about 14 of them total, 10 of them had these markers called SMGs that shot full auto and 4 of them had pumps. We thought we were going to just wipe them out with numbers... Boy were we wrong. We all had Splatmasters.
Everything we had prepared for and planned went out the door real fast.
Basically, they fell out into a line and started walking up the field, hosing down everyone in their way.
When they ran out of paint, the pumps would cover for them while they reloaded.
After 4 games of this, we were all tired and they decided they had shot us up enough, so we divided into teams and played.
That was much better balanced teams and we didn't feel so bad afterwards.
I got hooked and went out that summer and picked up a Rapide at the local gun store along with a box of paint.
After that, and another game that fall that started modifying it with a 7oz tank, longer barrel, a 60 rd hopper and better mask.
I picked up a Lapco Grey Spirit from a dealer down near Cincinnati, cause their field sometimes wouldn't allow semi or full auto markers.
Ended up with a PMI 3 shortly after that and got rid of that Rapide.
Since then, I did it all... Played 10 man tourney (MPA & NAPSA), big games, worked at 2 fields thru 3 different owners, captained 2 teams to championships in ICC, played @Skyball and around Chi-town.
Now I just go to shoot people and try to teach some of the things I had to learn the hard way.

[Pumps4ever]

Great thread, I am going to pull out some old photos

Started in 1989 myself in southern California

Playing at fields like Field Games, WarZone and of course SC Village.

Was there when the first Speedball field was put together at SC Village when we only played pump speedball.

Also bought my WGP Ranger off Bud at the WGP shop they had at SC Village inside a Sea Train Container.

The good ol days for sure!