Ready, set, shoot!
Published on Wed, Sep 21, 2011Read More Business
Basic styles of play:
• Woodsball is combat-style play in the natural foliage of the area. It can be woods only or it can include faux buildings, forts or other obstacles and features. Woodsball usually is played in full camouflage and often includes face paint.
• Speedball is basically a game played with bunkers or barricades. It can be varied and courses can be small or large. The game doesn’t rely on forest navigation or camouflage but rather cover and concealment behind objects. Speedball usually is much faster paced with a lot more shooting than woodsball.
• Airball is a concentrated version of speedball. It’s a flat, clean playing field — usually close-cropped grass — set up with a pattern of inflatable bunkers and barricades. Airball centers on team play, speed and thousands of paintballs being discharged per round.
All styles of play can incorporate many different games and objectives. Games include Total Elimination, Capture the Flag, Protect the Package, Protect the President, Ambush Sniper, Missing in Action and dozens of others. All games can incorporate different sets of rules and concepts such as regeneration, multiple hits and time limits.
Inquire about a packet of game ideas or do a little research online.
for Sequim Gazette
Steve Tormala, owner of Curbside Bistro and Rainshadow Game Calls & Custom Knives, is at it again.
As if he weren’t busy enough before, Tormala joked, he recently started a third business.
Paintball Equipment Rentals leases all the safety gear, markers (which are guns), hoppers (the container that holds the paintballs) and CO2 tanks necessary to play paintball. Packages come as short as a single day rental or as long as a week.
Recreational paintballs are available for purchase sometimes but customers are encouraged to buy their own paintballs since the item isn’t held in stock.
All equipment rentals require a one-time signature of injury waiver and a damage deposit.
Once the equipment is rented, it’s up to the customer to find a safe place to play the game.
Tormala does, however, send renters off with a packet of information that includes basic elimination etiquette, styles of play and game ideas.
“It’s expensive to buy everything you need to play paintball,” Tormala said, “especially if you just want to play once or twice.”
Tormala used to play paintball when there was an official field on Diamond Point in the mid-1990s. Then the field relocated to Joyce before eventually closing altogether.
Only recently did Tormala rediscover the former hobby, after his two sons, ages 5 and 7, expressed an interest in the game.
“I like to do things that put a smile on their faces,” Tormala said. “Plus, I think people in this area will really enjoy being able to rent the equipment on an as-needed basis.”
The first question most people ask, Tormala said, is “Does it hurt?”
The answer is simple: Yes.
“It hurts enough that you don’t want to get hit,” Tormala said. “It will sting and you’ll try pretty hard not to get hit again.”
Generally, injuries sustained during paintball play are superficial.
“The eyes are the only real danger concern, so it’s important to always wear a safety mask, but you will bruise and get welts when you get hit,” Tormala said. “You’ll be sore the next day, for sure.”
Paintball can be played by all ages, Tormala said. When his 5-year-old son plays, he wears a balloon.
Everybody knows not to shoot the child with the balloon, but the child can shoot whomever he wants.
Tormala’s 7-year-old doesn’t wear a balloon but instead finds a rock or tree to hide behind and only shoots people as they approach.
Though the sport is most commonly enjoyed by men, women can play, too. Tormala and a group of his friends played a guys-against-gals game recently. The women won.
“It’s a hoot,” he said. “Find somebody who has a piece of property, set a time and day and then give me a call. You’ll have a blast.”
For more information, call Tormala at 360-477-9374.
