High School Paintball?

BGARanger · 08-07-2006, 01:08 PM

School is coming up pretty fast now, and I plan on starting a paintball club at my school and I'm pretty sure there will be enough players for a tournament team. It would be awesome if other schools could do the same. If there was enough interest, I would like to start a high school tournament series. I've been stirring ideas around in my head all summer now, and I'm pretty sure we could make it work.

This would be a great way to introduce paintball to new people and the community and hopefully shed a positive light on the sport, as well as helping paintball in Utah grow.

Let me know if you're interested in starting a team at your school, or would otherwise like to be involved and we'll go from there.

StinkyChris1 · 08-07-2006, 01:47 PM

we tried it last yr. they said we could have a club but the tournament stuff got looked down on cuz the disrtict people were all u hoodlums go around shooting people in street and vandalising our great city and im am almost quoting that word4word. but hey if u get it goin more power to u. i know my school has enought for a team. too bad i graduated tho.

BGARanger · 08-08-2006, 01:44 PM

I know that paintball has a bad rep and schools aren't going to want to sponsor it. This is one of the reasons I want to do this. At our high school the hockey team is only a club, they have to pay for everything and recieve no funding from the school, but they still play. So if you can start a club at your school and form a team from club members, we can make this work.

I spent a few hours today writing everything down and making some phone calls. I was thinking either 5 or 3 man. With 3 man it would be easier for more schools to participate, and there would be the possibilty for a Varsity and JV team from each school (just like all the other sports). Each week, or every other week (to keep costs down), all the teams would meet at wherever the games are to take place. Schools will be paired off and play a best of 3 or best of 5 match (depending on 3 or 5 man format, 3-man would be bo5, 5-man bo3). This way you play one school every or every other week, just like other high school sports. Hopefully, this makes it easier for students to participate because they don't have to spend a lot of money all at once, and it makes the season longer.

I was also thinking of doing a woods/recball tournament for all the other members of the paintball clubs who don't play in the tournaments, but I haven't put much thought into that yet.

I would really like to hear from other high school paintballers that would be willing to start a club at their school and participate in this. Also from anyone else who would be interested/willing to help make this work. I have recieved a few PM's that have convinced me that this will work.

rossl · 08-08-2006, 02:17 PM

Like our USU club I'm sure there's some politics you'll have to go through first. Even if you don't get any funding the official recognition of the school is worth it. See if you can find a teacher to help you out, if they are willing to be a club advisor it helps to add credibility and faculty/administration will take it more seriously. If it helps you can tell them that USU has an official club, even though we're a university it shows them that other state schools are willing to give paintball a chance.

roberto · 08-08-2006, 06:49 PM

what high school?

BGARanger · 08-09-2006, 05:38 PM

I'm at Spanish Fork High, after school starts I plan on going around to other school down here in Utah County and try and get them to at least start a club at their school and hopefully they will get a team together. I won't have the time to do the same at schools in Salt Lake or further north, so I'm hoping that others will help out there. Anyone that can help out, send me an e-mail: bgarmyranger [at] hotmail.com and I'll send you some more info and we can get this idea rolling.

Pr3claTol2 · 08-10-2006, 12:06 AM

I've tried to get a school club together before. They said that it was too high risk to support for a club or w/e plus not enough people play. I understand that the sport is growing but IMHO I don't think this will work out:
1. You need a field to play at
2. Will it be BYOP?
3. Who's gonna ref?
4. Teams will have to travel a long ways in some cases to play other teams
5. Will there be any prizes?
6. Out of pocket expense just won't be worth it.
7. The only people that will show up probably already play tournaments such as UXPL, MWXPL, or Xball and tourny play is freakin' expensive

I hate to be pesimistic but you've most likely got a lot of red tape to go through to get this too work and chances are schools aren't gonna waste time and money on this sort of thing unless you have a huge push from a lot of people for it to happen. If you do get this working my team would love to play in it cause we all pretty much go to the same school lol:)

BGARanger · 08-10-2006, 04:38 PM

I know there is a lot of things to get through, and details to work out. This is going to take effort, and I'm willing to put in the effort. . In answer to your questions:

1- I am working on the field(s), and I have been contacted about an exciting possibility, but until plans are set and rolling, I've been asked to keep it private.
2-Depending on the field(s), it is a possibility right now.
3-There will have to be a neutral 3rd party reffing crew
4-Depending on the field(s) again, hopefully travel will be reduced
5-I will be working on sponsors and prizes
6-I am trying to come up with a format that will be as inexpensive as possible
7-The first year may already be current tournament players, but it will grow, which is a reason I want to do this

Schools may not sponsor you the first year, but if we can get this to work, and the schools can see it works and is safe, then they will in the future. I think the biggest obstacle will be to get people convinced this will work.

What school do you go to? Send me a PM and I'll get more info if you are interested in playing. I'm going to start putting a list together of schools that are going to try and get a team together. Even if you're the only person at your school that you know of, let me know what school, and try and get more people from your school. If you know that you will have at least 3 people from you school, even better! Just let me know.

$$$cejay$$$ · 08-10-2006, 05:28 PM

with you doing all this and such it may be a conflick of intrest but maybe that just my opion it would be coool if oyou could do this i know at my high school lacrosse is a club sport and the school desnot support it at all we have to pay for it all kinda sucks but o well this might work out hopefully it will but i seen on pbn that several people have tried this and failed so well have to see how this works out

WeltCollector · 08-10-2006, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BGARanger

I know there is a lot of things to get through, and details to work out. This is going to take effort, and I'm willing to put in the effort. . In answer to your questions:

1- I am working on the field(s), and I have been contacted about an exciting possibility, but until plans are set and rolling, I've been asked to keep it private.
2-Depending on the field(s), it is a possibility right now.
3-There will have to be a neutral 3rd party reffing crew
4-Depending on the field(s) again, hopefully travel will be reduced
5-I will be working on sponsors and prizes
6-I am trying to come up with a format that will be as inexpensive as possible
7-The first year may already be current tournament players, but it will grow, which is a reason I want to do this

Schools may not sponsor you the first year, but if we can get this to work, and the schools can see it works and is safe, then they will in the future. I think the biggest obstacle will be to get people convinced this will work.

What school do you go to? Send me a PM and I'll get more info if you are interested in playing. I'm going to start putting a list together of schools that are going to try and get a team together. Even if you're the only person at your school that you know of, let me know what school, and try and get more people from your school. If you know that you will have at least 3 people from you school, even better! Just let me know.

Just as a thought, I've never heard of a high school sport that provided prizes beyond a trophy. I'm not sure I would plan on prizes being involved.