Smakman
01-31-2002, 03:43 PM
If I know that they are hardcore against paintball, I avoid the subject, because they have made up their minds and, most likely, aren't going to accept anything I say positive about it anyway. On the other hand, if they aren't sure.......... I usually start out with statistics. Did you know that, statistically, paintball is less dangerous than bowling? That usually gets some curiosity.
I had one teenager, 16 I think, come out to play with some of his friends. His dad didn't much care for the idea. When he showed up to pick him up, we talked some and he was pretty blunt about not liking the idea of teaching kids to shoot at each other, period. I mentioned that, as a wrestling coach, (he was) he was always teaching kids to fight hand to hand and was it much different, really? He didn't like that much either, but as he thought about it, I asked him if he would like to play the last couple of games with his son, free of charge. I even gave him a couple hundred paintballs. Guess what. He had FUN! Now they come to play together every once in a while. He's become pretty good too.
I had one teenager, 16 I think, come out to play with some of his friends. His dad didn't much care for the idea. When he showed up to pick him up, we talked some and he was pretty blunt about not liking the idea of teaching kids to shoot at each other, period. I mentioned that, as a wrestling coach, (he was) he was always teaching kids to fight hand to hand and was it much different, really? He didn't like that much either, but as he thought about it, I asked him if he would like to play the last couple of games with his son, free of charge. I even gave him a couple hundred paintballs. Guess what. He had FUN! Now they come to play together every once in a while. He's become pretty good too.