Paintball as a Highschool sport

Thans95 · 01-31-2013, 11:56 PM

Hey nation,

I am writing a persuasive RESEARCH paper on why paintball should be a mainstream high school sport. IMO I far enjoy watching paintball over all other high school sports. The more I write and look up the facts, the more i think "Why hasn't this happened?"

I even interviewed our AD about the cost of a football program and he punched numbers and came back with 600 dollars per player just for pads and helmets, now take that figure add in traveling expense for 50 players and their gear. Not to mention the cost of field and concessions building ex... Furthermore if the proposed wrestling center is going to run our school upwards to 1million dollars i have a hard time seeing the problem, if there is one, in having a paintball team with 20 players or less, it would give underprivileged kids a way to play the sport at a competitive level without having to drive to the cities to play. If big names like EMPIRE/DYE/PE would get behind sponsorships and cover some paint then it would be far less than any of the sports to start a paintball program.

If bass fishing can be a high school sport then WTH can't paintball?

Paper_Cut · 02-01-2013, 12:55 AM

There are plenty of high schools that have paintball on a club level, and recognized clubs do come with a pretty hefty chunk of funding, however you have to keep some things in mind.

1. The majority of tourney paintballers are college or career age, with high schoolers making a small minority. So, trying to find high schoolers with enough skill to form a viable team will be difficult. Remember, you have to try out for wrestling and football, and only the best get selected.

2. Coaches will be difficult if not impossible to find, without a coach in on a modern Xball team your chances of success drop. You'd also need to fill other positions, off the top of my head: pod boy(several), tech, manager; all these tasks need to be done. A school paintball team isn't just 5 friends with a bankroll from the school.

3. Sports are normally school vs school, if you're the only school in the area then there isn't much incentive to start a team because you would have nobody to play against. Even the fishing and golf teams play against other schools. I think the NCPA has a high school division, however you would have to fly down to where the tourney is being held.

4. Somebody has got to organize all of this change, which could take years. By the time someone has a high school paintball team at theirs and other schools they will more than likely be graduated.

5. Paintball markers are thought of as guns and will always be thought of as guns, and can be very dangerous. Max out the pressure and dwell in your gun and stick a marble in the barrel. A paintball gun can kill people. Schools won't let you have letter openers on campus, a paintball gun will be a stretch.

6. If you've ever been sponsored, you've got to understand that the sponsoring company doesn't just give you money, sponsorship normally costs more than you actually get from it. When you sign onto for example Dye, you agree to shoot dye or proto guns, as well as deck yourself out in mostly dye or proto gear, as well as wave a sign around. And in exchange they give you a 10-15% discount. So, basically if you join a sponsored paintball team either the school would have to buy a set of guns and equipment for the players to use(but not own, just like pads in football, the gear would be passed down year by year until it wears out) or any joining players would need to buy all new equipment. Not something a high schooler working minimum wage wants to do.

p8ntballer101 · 02-01-2013, 03:05 AM

have your principal sponser a paintball field day on the jv football field. then u can talk about a team

JohnSherman · 02-01-2013, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thans95

If bass fishing can be a high school sport then WTH can't paintball?

Bass fishing is a great example of the type of non-traditional sports that schools like to get behind. Most kids who join will own their rods and tackle and have at least some experience. All you need to do is put them in a van and drive them to a lake. From a school's perspective, it's a no-brainer.

rexisme · 02-01-2013, 11:53 AM

With everything thats going on right now... I doubt any school will be for a sport such as ours....

ncpaintjack23 (Banned) · 02-01-2013, 09:14 PM

great point

muppet91 · 02-02-2013, 07:26 PM

It's not goin to be

tkinast · 02-09-2013, 09:54 AM

lets make this a high school sport nation wide...... i'd much rather see high school paintball tourneys on espn than high school football (yawn).

Good luck kid!!!!

Thans95 · 02-12-2013, 05:25 PM

Thanks for all the replies. Our AD said we couldn't make it happen unless it was taken to the athletic program that our school runs its sports through, same story with trap shooting that our school got rid of when they made the switch like 30 years ago, yet some neighboring smaller schools have some crazy sports. It's sad that HS sports are so limited in my area. I would love to see it become nation wide, and who knows maybe someday someone with some actual prestige will come along and change it.

ELuSiVe1151 · 02-13-2013, 12:34 PM

its hard enough to convince people it's not all kids playing army in the woods WITHOUT people shooting up schools. We're even lucky that the NCPA exists and that it has a high school division.

just make your case to the administration for starting a paintball club, and if you're successful then you can go through the motions of getting funding for travel and other expenses, sponsorship and finally doing the NCPA/APPA registration. It's like a political process; there is a way to be heard and get results, you just have to do it the right way.

Not every school is alike. some will frown on it and tell you to go away, and some will be convince-able. but you don't know until you try.