"Anything you can do, I can do better. No you can't. Yes I can!" The words of this song echoed in my mind as I prepared myself for the ultimate challenge: To prove my boyfriend wrong on the paintball field.
The past couple of months, all I have heard him say is that he didn't think it was a good idea for me to go paintballing with him because he figured that if I got hit, I would cry. Me? Cry? No way! "I think I am a little bit stronger than you give me credit for," I told him.
For any women out there who have been in a situation similar to mine, where your boyfriend, husband, brother, father, whomever, has told you that you can't do it, I'm here to tell you--FIGHT
ON! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, because I am living proof that the paintball field is made for BOTH men and women.
Don't get me wrong, I was scared March 6, 2004, when I set foot on my first field at SC Village, in Corona, California. I had a lot to prove on this day, especially to myself.
I was ready with my extra large gray and white camouflage pants borrowed from my brother. I had to wear other layers underneath. I wanted to be prepared in case I did get hit and the layers would cushion the blows. Those marks I have seen on my boyfriend and brother after paintballing look brutal. I also had a borrowed chest protector, which actually ended up being my savior. Ladies, I recommend you have one at all times!
Another "must have" item is the goggle system, that they call a mask or facemask. It may seem like a no brainer to all you avid paintballers, but new players need to know this stuff. You may get tempted to take off your mask as you are walking between fields, but don't.
I remember the referee saying, "Never take off your mask for any reason. I don't think any of you want to get your eye blown out of its socket!" For a split second I pictured a paintball heading straight for my eye, striking it, followed by the immense pain as blood is spewing over the dirt. I felt a shiver and decided that I was never going to take it off no matter how suffocated or hot I felt in it.
Now I was ready for what was to come on the field, but first all players had to convene in the main area of the park to hear the rules as established by the owner. I looked around and saw the eager faces of "wanna be" players like myself, as well as advanced players who were antsy about playing already. I noticed lots of men, a few women, a good amount of young boys, but no young girls, while being struck by the wave of colors, greens, browns, blacks that all the players were dressed in.
We ended our ceremonial gathering with singing along to our National Anthem as our right hands were placed over our beating hearts. GOD BLESS AMERICA! We were ready to play. Game on.
G.I Jane I felt like G.I. Jane crawling through the muddy trenches of South Vietnam and hiding in the desert hills of Iraq. That's right, the paintball experience for me was very authentic. I had fought in different "country fields" all in one day.
I started off in Russia, where I got shot in the face(mask). See, thank God that I had the mask on! I accepted defeat since it was my first time on the field.
Next field was Laos, where this time I got shot in the chest. It didn't hurt; I had my chest protector. So far not too bad.
Then all of a sudden, the infamous words of Forrest Gump bounced around in my head, "AAAHHH, something bit me!" Yes, I got shot in the butt as I was hiding behind a wooden barricade in South Vietnam.
From this point on, I had gotten the hang of this thing my boyfriend calls "paintballin." I no longer was the girl hiding cautiously in the trenches hoping the guys would cover me and shoot down all the enemies. I took control.
I remember the ecstatic feeling that came over me after shooting down my first victim. By the way, my first victim was a man! He was in shock that I had shot him straight in the mask from quite a distance away. Shoot and Score. I had done it! I had managed to eliminate a player.
By the end of the day I had eliminated two other male players and I never got shot again. Not bad for a girl's first time, right guys?
I liked the feeling of being able to shoot with such precision. I was hooked!
Girls, if you are reading this, I urge you to reconsider and head on out to a paintball field if you have been hesitant to go before. Trust me, it's not that bad. We need more of us out there to show everyone that we CAN keep up with the big boys.
See you on the field.
Jacqueline Gonzalez, 26, lives in Bellflower, California with her father and three younger brothers. At the University of Southern California she took her Masters of Education with plans to become a school psychologist. Her hobbies include dance, listening to music, playing pool, movies, and now she enjoys paintball in her spare time with her boyfriend.
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