| Paintball is a relatively new sport going back only to | | | | paintball use in 1985. It was called the Splatmaster. |
| the 1980's. In 1974 James Hale of the Daisy | | | | Around this time George Skogg created a paintball |
| Manufacturing Company invented a gun that had balls | | | | pellet that was more accurate when shot and the |
| of paint inserted in it. This gun, the Nelspot 007, was | | | | paint was brighter and easier to see. The paint from |
| used for marking trees and livestock in a field for | | | | the pellets washed off easily with soap and water |
| forestry and farming companies. He never imagined it | | | | instead of being hard to get off as earlier paint pellets |
| would turn into what it has today. | | | | were. Mr. Skogg worked for the Nelson Paint |
| Bob Gumsey, a retailer of sporting goods; Hayes Noel, | | | | Company and his paint pellets are now marketed as |
| a stockbroker; and Charles Gaines, a writer realized | | | | Nelson Paintballs. |
| that the paint balls only stung a little when they hit you | | | | Paintball Guns have evolved from that rudimentary |
| and started a game of "capture the flag" using a pump | | | | pump pistol to rather complicated ones. Now there are |
| pistol, the Nelspot 007, in a New Hampshire field and | | | | electro-pneumatic paintball guns that have become a |
| woods in 1981. Twelve people participated and Richie | | | | standard for players in recreational games or in |
| White captured all the flags without firing one shot. | | | | tournaments. |
| Gaines had just returned from a safari in Africa and | | | | The IPPA (International Paintball Players Association) |
| wanted some sort of sport he could play in the United | | | | was founded as a non profit in 1998 and devoted itself |
| States that would simulate the stalking and hunting thrill | | | | to the growth of the game. But it also wanted to make |
| he experienced there. | | | | sure that people were educated in the game and that |
| Things progressed from there. Caleb Strong a | | | | safety standards were put in place. The NPPL |
| developer from New York developed his own outdoor | | | | (National Professional Paintball League) came into |
| paintball field in Rochester, NY. He and Charles Gains | | | | being in 1992 and the first NPPL Pro-Am Tournament |
| started PMI and are still in business catering to paintball | | | | series started in Reno, New York, Boston and a few |
| players. In 1982 Charles Gaines got the brilliant idea to | | | | other US and Canadian cities. |
| market paintball as a survival game and Sports | | | | The first televised paintball tournament went across |
| Illustrated wrote an article covering the sport. | | | | the air waves on ESPN from Washington DC in 1993 |
| This gave a great boost to the sport and in 1983 the | | | | in the NPPL "DC Cup". This gave the sport mass |
| NSG National Championship took place with an award | | | | exposure and by 1996 paintball had become the 3rd |
| of $14,000 cash. | | | | most popular extreme sport in the world and was |
| Caleb Strong opened the first indoor playing field in | | | | being played in over 60 countries. |
| Buffalo, NY in 1984 and the game of paintball took off | | | | Today you would be hard pressed to not find a |
| not only in the US but in Canada, Australia and England | | | | paintball field in even the smallest communities. It has |
| and was called an extreme sport drawing more and | | | | taken off from a talk about an African Safari to an |
| more enthusiasts. | | | | extreme sport watched and played by millions of |
| Robert G. Shepherd developed the first gun made for | | | | people all over the world. |