| Paintball is a sport in which
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| | what became the very first game of
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| participants use compressed air guns
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| | paintball. Gaines won.
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| called markers to shoot paintballs
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| | The friends quickly realized they had a
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| (marble-sized, .68 caliber, gelatin
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| | created something special. In the
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| capsules filled with colored polyethylene
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| | following months, they devised basic
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| glycol "paint") at other players. It is
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| | rules for the game fashioned along the
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| in essence a complex form of tag, as
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| | lines of capture the flag, and invited
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| players struck with paintballs during the
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| | friends and a writer from Sports
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| game are eliminated.
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| | Illustrated to play. They called their
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| Paintball draws a wide array of players
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| | game "Survival." The article on paintball
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| worldwide, and the Sporting Goods
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| | was published in the June 1980 issue of
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| Manufacturer's Association estimates that
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| | Sports Illustrated. As national interest
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| approximately 10 million people play
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| | in the game steadily built, Gaines and
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| annually in the United States alone.
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| | Noel formed a company, National Survival
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| Insurance statistics show that paintball
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| | Game, and entered a contract with Nelson
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| is one of the safest sports in existence,
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| | Paint Company to be the sole distributor
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| safer even than golf.
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| | of their paintball equipment.
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| Games can be played either indoors or
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| | Thereafter, they licensed to franchisees
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| outdoors and take various forms. Rules
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| | in other states the right to sell their
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| for playing paintball vary widely, with
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| | guns, paint, and goggles. Due to their
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| most designed to ensure that participants
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| | monopoly on the market, they turned a
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| enjoy the sport in a safe environment.
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| | profit in only six months.
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| The sport requires a significant amount
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| | The first games of paintball were very
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| of equipment and has even developed its
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| | different from modern paintball games.
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| own slang.
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| | Nelspot pistols were the only gun
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| History Paintball began as a simple
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| | available. They used 12-gram CO2
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| hunting game between two friends in the
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| | cartridges, held at most 12 rounds, and
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| woods of Charlotteville, Virginia. in
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| | had to be recocked after each shot.
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| 1976, Hayes Noel, a stock trader and his
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| | Dedicated paintball masks had not yet
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| friend Charles Gaines, a writer, were
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| | been created, so players wore shop
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| walking home through the woods and
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| | glasses that left the rest of their faces
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| chatting about Gaines' recent trip to
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| | exposed. The first paintballs were
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| Africa and the thrill of hunting buffalo.
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| | oil-based and thus not water soluble;
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| Eager to recreate the adrenaline rush
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| | "turpentine parties" were common after a
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| that came with the thrill of the hunt,
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| | day of play. Games often lasted for hours
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| and inspired by Richard Connell's The
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| | as players stalked each other, and since
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| Most Dangerous Game, the two friends came
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| | each player had only a limited number of
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| up with the idea to create a game where
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| | rounds, shooting was rare.
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| they could stalk and hunt each other.
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| | Between 1981 and 1983, rival
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| In the months following that fateful day,
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| | manufacturers began to create competing
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| the friends talked about what sorts of
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| | products, and it was during those years
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| qualities and characteristics made for a
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| | that the sport took off. Paintball
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| good hunter and a good survivalist.
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| | technology gradually developed as
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| They were stumped, however, on how to
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| | manufacturers added a front-mounted pump
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| devise a test of those skills. It wasn't
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| | in order to make recocking easier, then
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| until a year and a half later that George
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| | replaced the 12-gram cartridges with
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| Butler, a friend of theirs, showed them a
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| | larger air tanks, commonly referred to as
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| paintball gun he had found in an
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| | "constant air".These basic innovations
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| agricultural catalog. The gun was a
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| | were later followed by gravity feeds and
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| Nelspot 007 marker manufactured by the
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| | 45-degree elbows to facilitate loading
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| Nelson Paint Company and was used by
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| | from the hopper. Eventually, the manual
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| cattlemen to mark cows. Noel and Gaines
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| | "pump" marker was replaced altogether by
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| each purchased a pistol and had a duel in
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| | semi-automatics.
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