Ask yourself, "What keeps me in paintball?" Is it the constant stream of new gear? The adrenaline rush of woods or speedball games? Maybe the simple power of knowing you're a force of one, in a sport where you don't have to be strong, fast, or big to be good. Some keep playing because they wouldn't trade their teammates, and tournaments, for anything. Maybe it's the way your self confidence rises when you perform under game pressure. Your reasons are your own and are to be respected.
No matter how diverse our reasons for playing may be, we do share one goal: to keep our sport growing. We all want more of this never-the-same game where you get to "shoot people for fun".
It's what APG is all about. Our goal is, and always has been, to grow the sport. To take it into living rooms and board rooms, in a positive way.
To get there, we must recognize the three big challenges our sport faces. One, paintball always needs new players. Two, current players must stay challenged and interested. Once you realize what needs to be done, then do your part. We at APG cover the sport for new and for experienced players, in every issue, because this grows the sport. You, APG readers, can make a difference: share your issue with a friend or family, and talk about paintball whenever you get the chance. If you need something new out of paintball, try a new marker, play a new field, and express your opinions in a letter to APG's CO2 Mail.
The third challenge is simple. We need paintball to become better respected as a sport. Sure, we've come a long way. You may not remember the days when you'd say, "I play paintball," and they'd look at you and say, "Oh, ping pong, ok," but that's how it was. That's changed for the most part. Today, the word "paintball" should bring to mind the image of players wearing goggles shooting paintballs at one another, and the thought "fun game, pro sport." We need to keep working on that until paintball is as well known as, say, basketball.
--Your opinions welcome: co2@actionpursuitgames.com.
