Should I keep playing?

[IRStookmySpyder]

I am going to turn 16 in a couple months and I am trying to get a car soon after that, but with playing paintball it seems that all of my money goes towards either trying to get better gear or into playing. I really do love this sport, actually I am planning on going to college and majoring in business so that I can start and field/store, but I need money so that I can have a car and go to work. And my question to all of you is do you think that I should quit paintball and start saving for a car/business? Please stat why you say yes or no, thanks for any advice.

[mcsquid86]

You should keep playing. buy an old toyota or honda with over 180,000 miles. the price will be reasonable, and good gas mileage. These cars last for about 225,000 miles to 300,000 miles. They last for ever. You can slow down, but don't give it up. Go to a college and get on the schools team.

[jenious]

I agree with above chocie of car. Buy a totyota camry. Those machines are cheap as all get out and run forever.

On a side note I'm 22 now but I've been in the same situation as you trying to decide where priorities lie with paintball/car/other ****. I'd say if you really love the paintball stick with it but find a way to do it cheaper. Stop buying hte latest gear, get 1 set up that you can live with, and maybe drop a case a week or something more managable.

Now days I have 2 guns and 1 unfinished intimidator sitting in my closet because due to college I have absolutely no time or money to go out and play reguardless of wether I want to or not.

I'd say play now befofe the **** really hits the fan. Being 16 you should have very few bills and trust me take advantage of that while you can, might as well blow your money on fun **** like paintball now.

[IRStookmySpyder]

mcsquid86- I am going to either get an older Honda Accord but even with doing that insurance, gas, time, ect all factors into this.

jenious- I actually don't buy much new gear, but I know what you mean about everything else.

Thanks for the help guys.

[Squirlly]

You have the heart of a paintballer you will not be complete without smelling the smell of paint every so often so don't QUIT but Cut Back.

*If you like to max it out and ramp the fullest, go semi only and if you can walk it with the best of them set the board to 10 or 11 BPS MAX.

*Learn to choose your shots and not spray as much paint.

*Reduce your 5.4 pod pack to a 2.1 or 3 flat.

*Most importantly never quit REF! I'm the head ref at a field to pay for my paintball habbit. If you played every Saturday now you can work every other Saturday to pay for your play on your off Saturdays....

-Tim

Edit: BTW I'm 34 and I still play this game, soe does my wife and so does both of my Sons.

[IRStookmySpyder]

Squirlly- The first part that you said is why I didn't quit a couple months ago, I was planning on quiting, but I just couldn't. I only use semi-auto and at about 10-13BPS, for the pods, I tend to only use 1 hopper and 1-2 pods unless I am playing a huge woodsball game. And lastly the part about being a ref, I have already tried at the only field close enough to me where I could work, but they say that they already have enough refs because of the factory team they have there.

Thanks for all of the advice.

[raw157]

Im 5 months from college, I have been driving and playing pb steadily together from the day I turned 16. First place I went was the field. Get a job, learn to save your money, invest it, save it, don't spend it on stupid things and you will be golden.

[Daigz525]

So here's my 2 cents for what it's worth. I am 23, I graduated college in May of '06. I stopped playing completely while in college and I regret it every day.

I bought a car senior year of high school, it was a beater but it only cost $2,000 and the insurance was really cheap because the car really sucked. My biggest problem was that when I went to college it seemed like there were so many other things to do! I was all about the "extracurricular" activities if you know what I mean.

Don't quit paintball, I am now in the "real world" and sit at an office all day, monday through friday and occasionally on saturdays. Paintball is the one thing that let's me release all of my aggression and helps me relax.

In college I could have really used something productive like paintball to keep my other activities in check a little better.

if you have to get a crappy job during the weeks or the nights, do it now while you're young. There is nothing wrong with a crappy job to pay for paint for a few years. Let's be serious, we are all on this site so much that we all know that you LOVE the sport.

Keep it up, get a crappy job and be a college kid. It's not a bad thing if you only play 1-2 times a month, at least you'll still be out there.

[installer020]

Don't quit paintball, you will regret it. Here is what i would recommend.

1. Downsize your gear. Buy an older marker that is reliable and inexpensive and be content. Paintball is not nearly as expensive when you don't have to have the latest and greatest every year. IE: 2k2 timmy

2. Sell extra unnecessary gear. Extra packs, tanks, hoppers, goggles and guns. I am not saying that you shouldn't have a backup, but i know so many people who have 5 markers, 3 tanks, 4 hoppers, 10 masks etc.....

3. When you go the field do what i do. Buy a specific amount of paint and that is it. I shoot one case a day and that is all i get, when it is gone, so am I. Somedays when i am running short of time or cash i will even shoot my ICD Thunder Cat. Single trigger mech, ton's of fun and much slower rate of fire.

4. Make sure to look at consumer reports and purchase a car that is reliable and has good gas mileage. Someone mentioned older Toyotas and that is a great example. Every brand has lemons, but by in large Toyota's are known for excellent gas mileage, minimal maintenance and running into the hundreds of thousands of miles.

I am 32 and married with 2 kids. I have been playing paintball for 5 years now. I understand what it is like to be a little short on cash, but if you plan properly you can continue to play on a more limited and much less expensive basis.

I have one more example. A buddy of mine used to play every weekend, then his wife got pregnant unexpectadly with twins. Very expensive. He was going to quit. I convinced him not to and he did this instead. Sold all his highend gear. Kept one pair of pants, a jersey and bought a Trilogy autocker, kept his 68/4500 and a 12 volt revi. He is able to play 2 times a month, shoots 1/2 a case of paint each time out and when we play airball he shoots one of my electros. He still has a blast, spends less then 100 a month for everything and has a great time. plus he knows when he is able to get back into it full bore again, his skills won't have deteriorated.

This is just my two cents, hope it helps.

Thanks,
Matt

[Sl@sh]

man i stopped playing for like a year and a half after i got my car just cuz i was always working and stuff and then school. honestly it was one of the worst decisions i could have made at that point in relation to paintball. yes school is important, so dont get me wrong, but i completely missed all the opportunities i would have had to get on a national-level team. the team i had been playing with when i quit continued to go on to play national events and i missed out. now i'm trying to start back up without a team behind me and its not easy being a free agent.

whatever you have to do, if you want to progress in this sport, don't quit! even if it only means playing once or twice a month, keep doing it.

get a job reffing at your local field or something and let them pay you in paint, so all you need is gas money. mow lawns or get a second job during the week to pay for gas or whatever you need, but DONT QUIT! I can't tell you how hard it is for me right now. I'm finally starting to get noticed by a couple of teams but I've been busting my *** for the better part of a year to get back to where i was, and I'm still nowhere near where I could have been.

[IRStookmySpyder]

Daigz525- You do bring up some interesting points, but now I have something else to throw into this cycle and to help keep me in check for school, soccer. I have started playing indoor and soon spring soccer with the kids on my JV soccer team and they say I should go out for it (It is one of the reasons why I quit ice hockey this year) with me playing soccer almost all year round it leaves little time for week day jobs since practice is every day and during the weekends I have games as well.

installer- I have downsized some like I have been selling all extra parts I have, have 1 gun up right now, another one at the end of the week, only have one of everything else. I have also came up with another possible idea, playing airsoft for the time being since the bb's are cheaper than paint and the guns aren't really expensive at all.

Sl@sh- I know pretty much what you mean. I had a team that was going steady with friends for a couple weeks, we had our own field, gear, ect, and then some kids started getting upset because someone on the team had better gear than them and then they wouldn't feel like they could compete and then they stopped buying gear, and paint, and eventually left the team till there was 2 of us then my best friend (The only on left besides me) and then he decided to quit so it was just me left without a team. It is very hard to find a decent team that can work with you to be successful right now, I sure hope that changes in the future.

[fprandy]

Keep playing, When you're 40 years old, and not Bob Long or Dave Youngblood, no one invites you to play on their team. Do it now while you still can. And quit worrying about it.

[IRStookmySpyder]

fprandy- You make a point, but right now I don't think that I am near ready for a team, just not enough skill.

[fprandy]

I think too many times players hold themselves back unnecessarily.

And in my area, same thing is true on the flip side. Some players think they are better than they really are.

If you can't find a team, start your own. Pick some of your friends and put together a team for an event. Have fun.

You might be surprised at how well you do, and how much fun you have doing it.

good luck

[IRStookmySpyder]

fprandy- Yes, I do tend to be more conservative on the field than I should be, so I could be a little better player, but with starting my own team, I just got out of one of those teams, it started unwanted drama between good friends and most players did gel together well on the field.

[fprandy]

Sorry to hear about the drama. I've been coaching youth sports for 11 years, and nothing does more damage to a team and friendships than politics and drama. I don't let it happen.

I'm putting together a team for the 08 season, and I'm picking up total strangers. They might know each other, but that's it. The first time we all got together was at a tournament. They took 5th place. Imagine what they can do once they know each other.

Learn from your experiences, things always go better the second time around. Nothing wrong with being a conservative player. (staying alive, owning your zone on the field)

Most players fail because they are too aggressive. Running down the field trying to bunker another player only to find 3 guns on them. Instead, be patient as a player and as a team, and take the opportunities the other team gives to you.

[IRStookmySpyder]

fprandy- Ya, me too, but it is all over now that all of them haven't played since. That sounds like a cool idea with the strangers, really am surprised they did so well for not knowing each other. And being the conservative and staying alive the longest is what happened each game during the tournament for me with my team, got stuck in a 3v.1 almost every game except 2. Thanks for the tips.

[fprandy]

Sounds like you were the only one on your team that played to stay alive. It's not just being conservative, it's being patient. Waiting till the other team makes a mistake and lighting them up for it.

Playing with strangers, it's cool. Sure I have some idea these strangers can play, and some idea of their personality ahead of time. Just so we can get along. And I look for individual position players. 5 people can't all play back center. (you know what I'm talking about)

Then we go out to have fun and shoot insane amounts of paint. That should be our team motto. And I remind everyone what we are there for, to have fun. We all know winning is fun, if your having fun from the start, winning is easy.

Got a quick story for you, last tournament my sons gun went down. He was the last player alive. As the opponent came down to shoot him out, my kid picked up a paintball off the ground and threw it at the opponent. It broke.
I don't think it was the right call, but the refs called the opponent out. He did have paint on him. ???

Anyway, have fun, stay in the game, you will get better with the right players and experience.

[Spider]

Don't be afraid to play with what little you have. One good old marker and a few pods of paint are usually worth the trip. Show up in jeans and white tennis shoes and go bunker someone.

Spend what you need to on cars, but watch out for the girl$.

[IRStookmySpyder]

fprandy- it was pretty much like that, we were all pretty timid since it was our first tournament and all of the teams there have been playing together for years. About your story from the tournament, you are allowed to throw the paint, there was a big story about it when the Splat Kids (Higher level team, not sure which division though) did it at one of the big events and it won them the match.

Spider- lol about the last part. I know all about it, I have been with the same girl for 2 years now and I tend to find myself spending more than I planned to on her usually, but it is OK with me for right now.

[fprandy]

Wow, thanks for the update. Nice to see the refs made the right call.

Keep playing, you got the right attitude to be successful and enjoy the game.

[IRStookmySpyder]

fprandy- I'm not positive that all refs will call it an out, but the NPPL refs did and the ref who your sons ref did, so I am assuming that it is an actual rule that you are allowed to throw paint, but I would much rather have a gun, lol.

[Squirlly]

As the Head Ref at a field I kinda know this one and in some tourney rules it is specifically stated that the paintball must exit the end of the barrel before it is a legal elimination and other rule sets have no specific line about thrown paint so we as refs have to fall back to the lines about "Any mark on the player or the players equipment larger than a quarter* that is determined to not be a rub from a bunker of the ground is an elimination..."

*That's a US quarter coin for our over seas memebers which is about 1" or about 2.5cm in diamater


The one call that I had to make the other day that was interesting is.... Since every item attached to the player is counted as an elimination including pods and your pods concidered "disposable" gear meaning you are permitted to toss them and not keep them on your body without penialty. Try that with your hopper, marker, airtank ect. and your eliminated...

Well this player was reloading and I was actually looking in his general direction and right when he went to throw the pod I heard "smack" and as I focused in I saw the pod on the ground had a huge gnarly hit on it so I ran over to look at the player for other signs of a hit and I asked the player "Did you feel that pod hit when you had it in your hand?" The player asked "My pod was hit?" and since there was no other sign of a hit on the player I gave the player the bennifet of the doubt and said "The pod was hit after he threw it, players clean" and let the play continue. Just like in court your in till your proven out the way I ref. I would have LOVED to had that one on tape, the pod getting smacked in mid air.

-Tim

[rauleetoe]

I agree with above chocie of car. Buy a totyota camry. Those machines are cheap as all get out and run forever.

On a side note I'm 22 now but I've been in the same situation as you trying to decide where priorities lie with paintball/car/other ****. I'd say if you really love the paintball stick with it but find a way to do it cheaper. Stop buying hte latest gear, get 1 set up that you can live with, and maybe drop a case a week or something more managable.

Now days I have 2 guns and 1 unfinished intimidator sitting in my closet because due to college I have absolutely no time or money to go out and play reguardless of wether I want to or not.

I'd say play now befofe the **** really hits the fan. Being 16 you should have very few bills and trust me take advantage of that while you can, might as well blow your money on fun **** like paintball now.

thats what i need to do..i play only about once a month lately but im seriously considering dropping down to 2 speedball and one woodsball marker..
and selling the other 2. what i wanna do is get both of my timmies working nicely..then sell my ion and my promaster