The Daily Journal, August 2007

Paintball is fun, not painful
By Rachael Warecki

Bay Area Paintball in Burlingame is one of the arenas in the Bay Area cateringto the increasingly popular recreational activity of paintballing, in which players armed with rifles shoot paint at each other in an army-style game.

“It’s a very fun, action-packed sport,” said Operations Manager Jade Feliciano. “People get hooked because of the adrenaline. It really brings people out of their shell.”

There’s a certain satisfaction in shooting brightly-colored paintballs at targets and opponents, and it’s a satisfaction that more and more Peninsula residents are beginning to understand. Bay Area Paintball attracts an average of 100 to 200 customers a day, with clientele from ages ten to 70. Although children under 10 aren’t allowed to play, Feliciano says he’s had parents of younger children beg him to let them in.

The age limit has nothing to do with the pain of getting hit by a paintball, but rather with the under-10 set’s mental maturity and motor skills. Feliciano was quick to dismiss the persistent rumors that a paintball’s impact will leave a huge, lasting bruise, although he admitted that players who bruise easily do run the risk of a few paintball-inflicted marks.

“The pain is greatly diminished from five years ago. We use high-quality paint that breaks easily—it will sting, but it’s like getting hit with a rubber band,” he said. “Our paintballs are non-staining and non-toxic. Like our motto says, the paint washes away, but the memories last forever.”

Most people feel safe enough to forgo the rentable, $7 chest protector, instead opting only to use the $20 mask and paintball rifle. To further ensure customer safety, Bay Area Paintball has very strict field rules, and protective gear is not allowed to be removed until players are outside the arena. The field also has plenty of barriers for players to hide behind when attacking each other.

Although the Army-style rifle looks cumbersome at first glance, it’s actually surprisingly lightweight and easy to wield. The sensitive trigger allows players to shoot five paintballs in as many seconds.

Bay Area Paintball caters mostly to the after-school and after-work crowd, with operating hours from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weeknights. Paintball games can pit two people or as many as 15 people against another team of 15. Bay Area Paintball also offers private field and private facility rentals for companies wishing to use paintball as a teamwork activity.

“There’s lots of office team-building,” said Feliciano. “It’s become like the discussion over the water cooler; it’s a great way to get stress out from work.”

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