On September 22, 2002, Chicago Force went on their first paintball outing. It was a perfect day for paintball, a little cloudy in the morning and in the mid-60’s, clearing up by midday to be a gorgeous, sunny Sunday.
12 Chicago Forcers made it out: Matt “Darth Astuart” Springer, Dave “Bosh Talk” Gray and friend Ed, Ray “Rex Karrde” Bosques and friend Hector, Phil “Mos Eisleian Radio” Salomon, Mark “Jodo Kast” Franklin and friend Bien, Mary “Amber Eyes” and son Mike, Tom “TomTav” Tavrides, and Matthew “Hazmatt” Callison.
Everyone had a lot of fun, and there was talk floating around of making this an annual or semi-annual event, so stay tuned to Chicago Force Web. There was a lot of paint traded by both teams, with the group going through 5000 paintballs during the day. Yes, they sting when you get hit, but it’s certain there was more pain the following day, when little-used muscles made their presence known to the owner.
Finally, a very big thank you to Blast Camp Paintball and our ref, Whisler. The facilities were top-notch and the staff was organized and professional, creating a fun environment with zero delays. Good job Blast Camp!
Now, on with the evidence….
Meeting up at Huck Finn’s
The first order of business was to meet up in the morning to caravan out to Blast Camp. We chose Huck Finn’s Donuts on the corner of Damen and Archer.
Yes, everyone stared at us because of the way we were dressedBosh gets the BIG doughnut“And I’m going to shoot YOU in the head.”
Before the Battle
We played at Blast Camp near Hobart, Indiana, about 40 miles south-east from Chicago.
Ray, on the way to the fieldSmile for the birdie!The troops prepare for combat.
CENTER COLLAPSE
Waiting for the whistleGame on!View of the courtyardThe teams gather at the fieldWhisler explains the rulesThe long walkRay gets to the center octagon firstDave defends the backfieldBien provides cover-fire while Mike storms a buildingMatt tries to get an angleBien holds the buildingMike and Bien“Stop shooting, I’m already hit!”Tom scopes out the fieldEd, Matt and Dave prepare to attackTom tries to keep his head downEd moves into position with Dave coveringMark falls down, Take OneMary gets in on the actionMary shoots her sonHector and Ed move up the fieldDave checks his positionMark rushes the centerMark falls down, Take TwoGame over, re-group and change sidesGame on!Dave takes control of a buildingDave kneels before ZodEd advances through the buildingHey, don’t shoot the cameraman!Tom trades paint with EdBien gets eliminatedMike poses for the cameraBien gets resurrected and moves outRay waits at the resurrection point to make a break for itMark falls down, Take ThreeRay takes the middleMark moves around to help RayEd guards the entranceNice shot of Matt’s buttDave stays in the building too long and is taken out of the gameHector sneaks up on Ray in the middleHector eliminates RayFinal push at the end of the gameMary wonders if it’s safeRay pushes deep into enemy territoryBack to the staging area to reloadFARP (that’s military-talk for “Fuel-Ammo Resupply Point”)This is a tired bunch ‘o’ people, and it’s only about noon“And then I snuck around this corner and…”Hazmatt’s custom Tippmann CarbineWe never figured out what this was, we were shooting WHITE paintReady for the next gameWhisler, our fantastic ref
PROTECT THE PRESIDENT
The name of this game is “Protect the President”. This is a 15 minute game where one person is selected as “The President” and one person is assigned to guard them. They go deep in the field and hide, then everyone else has 15 minutes to find them. We voted for Matt to the be the President and Dave to be the bodyguard.
The action in this game was fast and furious and the brush was thick, so not much of the action is covered. Just use your imagination and think of your favorite Vietnam movie.
Whisler leads Matt and Dave to the fieldWhisler explains the rules. He did forget to tell them about the 3 hardened bunkers, unfortunately.Matt and Dave head deep into the “bush”Here comes the hunting partyWhisler explains the rulesShhhh! Be vewy quiet, their hunting wabbits“Nope, they’re not behind this bush.”Mark heads in after his preyAnd it’s over
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SPEEDBALL
The name of this game is “Speedball”. This is a 10 minute game where there is one flag in the middle. The object is to get the flag and take it down to your opponents goal. This is a game that is often played in paintball tournaments.
Speedball is called that for a reason: it’s fast. Normally, if you are behind a bunker for more than 20 seconds, you’re dead. Despite the 10 minute time limit, most games are done in less than 5 minutes.
Heading to the fieldOrange takes their placeYellow takes their place“3..2..1..Game on!”Ray rushes and is first to the flag, but gets pinned downHe calls for covering fireRay covers Bien as he moves upMatt keeps Ray from advancingBien moves up to assist RayHector takes a shot at RayTom lets it fly to keep Hector containedRay moves up within striking distance of the goalBien watches Ray hang the flagNew game, switch sidesGame on!Boy, that’s a good lookin’ paintgunEd rushes the center and gets the flagDave looks for someone to shootEd tucks the flag away and unknowingly drops itGun hits count, and this is all you have to expose to get eliminatedMatt watches Ed get eliminated and decides to make a run for the flagEd checks to make sure he is really hitMary covers Matt as he runs for itMark tries to shoot Matt to no availMark makes his own run for the flagMark pops up to get Matt and is promptly shot in the foreheadMatt makes it to where Ed was hit, but the flag’s not here…Matt braves the fire one more time to run back and pick up the flagThis is why auto-focus cameras don’t always work. Matt hangs the flag while we get a good shot of Dave’s head.Everyone checks their paint supply
THE AFTERMATH
Out of paint, we decide to call it a dayThe final walk off the fieldRay shows off his battle scarsMore woundsAs good as it was, we’re glad to be doneIt was a glancing blow, but it’s gotta hurt“Do you want to see my hiney?”Matt caught more than one at close rangeThat was fun. Let’s go home.We stop to have BK our wayWe need red meat and grease to combat all that exercise we just gotRay asks, “Wanna wrestle?”Looks like we over-loaded the cookAh, now to the grubRay on the way homeMust be contagious
