Sean C. Morgan
Modern-day gunslingers from Sweet Home are leaving a mark, on their opponents, as they make a name for themselves in weekend tournaments.
The mark they leave is paint in what they call “speedball,” an intense, fast-paced form of paintball.
The team, possibly the only one in Sweet Home, includes Ryan Garrett, Kelsey Fisher, Jeremy Fisher, Linus Garrett and P.D. Angulo.
With upward of $1,000 each in paintball gear, the team finished first in an Oregon Paintball League tournament held by Paintball Palace in Eugene on Aug. 23. The Cocker Kidz, competing in the beginners division, placed second in a previous tournament and have two tournaments remaining in the six-tournament series. They missed the first two games of the series, casting doubt on whether they will earn enough points to win the series overall.
“Our first tournament was like four or five months ago,” Jeremy said. “We got owned. It was the first time we ever saw speedball. Before that we were tree players.”
Paintball is divided into primarily two types, woodland or speedball. Most casual paintball is done in the woods. Speedball is played on a small field with relentless shooting and a wall of paint flying through the air.
Jeremy and his brother, Kelsey, started out two or three years ago with a cheap paintball gun, in the $16 range. The two went and started shooting each other.
Jeremy introduced Ryan and Linus to the sport around February, and the four added P.D. to the team after their first tournament, “then we started to practice a lot,” Jeremy said.
After adding P.D., they practiced every night for weeks.
They have a field set up at Ryan’s house. Initially, they played with bunkers spaced five feet apart, but they changed the field after their first tournament to more closely resemble tournament fields, a collection of bunkers spread farther apart.
Paintball competition begins with one year at the beginner level. A team can move on to rookie tournaments for two years and then enter open tournaments.
“After rookie, you can usually go amateur or pro,” Ryan said. His team’s goal is to compete in the Pan-Am tournament, a large tournament for all levels held annually. The next one will be held in Las Vegas and costs $530 to enter.
“You’ve got to play the game to understand what it’s like,” Ryan said. “A lot of people go out and play woodland paintball, but they never get the adrenaline rush of speedball” where paintballs are being fired upward of 10 per second from each gun.
Tournament matches are usually five minutes long, and include teams of three to 10. Teams receive points for capturing a flag in the middle of the field and hanging it on a hook. Participants range in age from eight years old to 80 years old, but many are between 15 and 24 years old. High end equipment can cost more than $1,000. But there are a number of teams in their 30s and 40s who do well too.
Early on, the group enjoyed the thrill of shooting each other, but that way of looking at it changed.
Paintball isn’t like killing people, Linus said. “It’s just like a sport.”
When you start the game, it’s more like simulated gunfights, Ryan said, but then players start trying to figure out ways to win. They start looking at angles and strategies, making it more like a sport. Even the terminology reflects it with “tag” referring to a hit and “marker” referring to the paintball gun.
The Cocker Kidz take their name from a paintball brand. They play a lot with an Oregon State University club team, Ryan said. Just beginners wanting to learn, they asked the team to play them and teach them.
They also hope to start working with the Naughty Dogs, a pro team from Albany, Ryan said. The hope to learn by playing better teams.
The Cocker Kidz would love to play with anyone interested, especially those with more experience. They may be reached at 367-8351 or 367-1096.