| "> | | | | fulfilling its rather limited function. Paintball history, as the |
| Paintball is growing leaps and bounds in popularity | | | | history of an extreme sport began with the idea of |
| these days. Ah, but where did it get its start? The | | | | three friends. |
| origins are fairly humorous and had nothing to do with | | | | Three men, Hayes Noel, Bob Guernsey, and Charles |
| the game we have today. | | | | Gaines were discussing Gainesâ hunting trip to |
| In the 1950âs, the Nelson Paint Company | | | | Africa and Richard Connellâs book |
| began manufacturing a product designed to be used | | | | âThe Most Dangerous Game.â This |
| by the Forestry Service to mark trees from a | | | | book was about men hunting each other for sport, and |
| distance. The product was a capsule filled with paint | | | | the idea intrigued the three friends. They began to find |
| that was shot from a gun using compressed CO2. | | | | some way to do this in a game form where they |
| The paint marking device was all used by ranchers to | | | | could experience the adrenalin rush, but no one would |
| mark cattle. This product was manufactured and sold | | | | be hurt. |
| by the Nelson Paint Company for a couple of decades | | | | |