What is Junior Paintball?
Background
Paintball is a combination of the childhood games “tag” and “hide & seek,” but also much more challenging and sophisticated. Although there are many different game formats, typically a group of players will divide into two teams to play “capture the flag.” The number of players on each team can vary.
The object of the game is to capture the other team’s flag while protecting your own. While you are trying to capture a flag, you also try to eliminate opposing players by tagging them with a paintball expelled from a special airgun called a “marker.” Combat Splats games run from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the field and the number of players.
Playing paintball is a game of strong physical exertion. So between games, players take a break to check their equipment, get more paintballs and have a drink while they share stories about the thrills of victory and the usually funny agonies of defeat. Win or lose, everyone has a good time.
For safety, paintball players must always wear goggles specifically designed for paintball to protect their eyes. Goggles must be worn during a game and at all times when a person is in an area where shooting is permitted, such as the target range. A protective face mask is mandatory nearly everywhere and breach of our rules results in removal from the game zones.
A paintball is a round, thin-skinned gelatine capsule with coloured liquid inside it. Paintballs are similar to large round vitamin capsules or bath oil beads. The fill inside paintballs is non-toxic, non- caustic, water-soluble and biodegradable. It rinses out of clothing and off skin with mild soap and water. Paintballs come in a rainbow of bright colours: blue, pink, white, orange, yellow and more. When a paintball tags a player, the thin gelatine skin splits open, and the liquid inside leaves a bright “paint” mark. A player who is marked is eliminated from the game.
Junior paintball guns are called “markers,” and are powered by spring-compressed air. The international safety limit on the speed (measured in feet per second, “FPS”) at which a marker shoots a paintball is 300 fps. A chronograph is used to test for speed limits, and all of Combat Rats’ junior markers shoot under the speed of approximately 120 fps for additional safety.
RISKS
All outdoor activities carry the potential risk for serious injury or even death. This includes playing paintball in woods where there are dangers and perils from fallen trees, low branches, rabbit holes and other natural hazards that can contribute to injury. It is also possible that paintballs fired from a marker, can sometimes bruise the skin, although this is unlikely with the low-impact guns we use.
The situation is such that we only provide Public Liability Insurance cover against proven negligence by Combat Rats and its staff. If parents wish to take out personal accident cover with respect to their children, then they must make their own arrangements. We have found this to be too cost prohibitive for us to fund and remain a viable youth project due to the high premiums required.
Because of our society’s litigation culture, we require parents to sign this “Waiver of Liability and Assumption of Risk” document, so that they have to fully accept the potential inherent risks of accident and injury that can occur when their children are playing paintball in a woodland or forest.
This all has to be balanced against the many thousands of paintball games played each week up
and down the country with no problems whatsoever.
SAFETY RULES
Always listen and take note of the Safety Briefing given at the start of each session.
Always obey instructions from the Game Manager and the Marshals
Do NOT leave the game fields during play, stay within the defined boundaries.
Do NOT shoot at persons closer than 10ft.
Do NOT shoot at the head or face.
Do NOT fire your marker once you have been eliminated.
Do NOT bring your marker into the designated safe zone, leave it on the gun rack outside.
Do NOT remove your goggles in the playing area. You may only do so in the designated safe zones.
Breach of these rules means you will be disqualified from playing and removed from our site.
Remember – Never fire anything from your marker other than the Paintballs provided by us AND goggles are not to be removed for any reason whatsoever in the game zones.
Photography – Consent for your child to be photographed or named in the media for our publicity purposes will be deemed to have automatically been given in consideration for them being able to play paintball.
Clothing & Medication – Parents are responsible for sending their children with all prescribed medication, appropriate clothing, footwear and gloves for playing paintball in woodlands.