Let's welcome all the new guys with a "Here's My Story thread"

[Blue 88]

bought a couple talons mailorder in 5th grade (thought they were encredably expensive) and here i am now a sophmore in high school, paintball just kinda snowballed for me.

[DarkPhoenix]

I started in paintball when I was in the seventh grade, at a carnival of all places. One of the attractions was a sort of speedball type paintball course. The guns that we were given were the type you had to press from the back to cock them (splatmasters?) It was fun, we had several tries at it, though there was no face masks like we do today.

[MNMINIMAG]

It was about three years ago, I was in Wal-mart standing in line at the registers. A co-worker of mine came up to me and asked me to buy pantballs for him (he was only 17). I did, and he told me about the games and where they played. I told him to bring his gun in the next time he worked. Two days later we worked together and he brought in his Spyder Compact A. After work, around midnight, we were in the parking lot and he fired off a couple shots at a sign by my car as I was walking towards it. The next day everyone was asking me if I had witnessed the shooting in the parking lot the night before. OOPS! After about a month of research I ordered my first gun. A Minimag with Package B, mask and tank upgrade, and a remote line from 888 Paintball.

[eddie88]

Well I want to say thanks again for the WARP
that AGD is sending me.
My friend got me into paintball about 6 months back and i am hooked. Also they closed all the gun ranges in my town.

[z_mann_z]

My paintball career started in '97. one of my friends shot me with his marker when we were playing around with it. It was an old PGP he got at apawn shop. The next day, against the word of my father (I was twelve), I went to the same place and bought a shot out Lapco Grey Ghost. We played all day the next day in his back yard. It was rudimentary (no hoppers and no masks). we used ski goggles. Two weeks later, I went and bought a BE raptor. Now, I am starting my own paintball business, and have nearly twenty grand invested in the sport. I live paintball. Scoob

[randomboy]

Me and my close friends had always thought paintball was cool, and something we'd like to try, but never really did until a few of them bought guns in October last year. They played several times before I even caught on, and they invited me to play.

So I borrowed a kids Spyder compact 2000 (worse crap than the TL+ I'd later buy) and had a 9 oz day of fun. I think I bought my gun about 2 days later. Played maybe a dozen times between the middle of November and late December. Sold the Spyder, bought a classic mag, and then proceeded to get T-boned at an intersection a few days after getting my mag and 48/3000 flatline tank, so that was sold before I ever got to gas it up and shoot it. 6 months later, and I should be getting a p/f retromag, scuba fill station and some other junk in the mail middle of next week, this summer is gonna kick some azz

[rehowse]

i started about 16 years ago on a company outting. it was a team building exercise, hell of a lot of fun. we used old pgps and splatmasters. i was hooked after that. 1st gun a nelspot 007, tricked out with a plastic pump, cut-out grip for quick change co2 cartridge and an extended feed tube, from there a bushmaster deluxe (courtesy of Bad Company of MD) then a tippman pro-am,pro- light, 1st automag, minilite, 2nd automag (tourney gun complete with 8-hole mod) then i took a break from paintball for approx 2 years to fix finacial situation from bad relationship, got a mod98r/t (now my backup gun) and presently with gun in signature. happy to be back!

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black teflon mini, r/t valve, benchy 2x trigger frame,12"freak sys., dye drop foward, benchy gas thru foregrip, 12v revvy, 68c.u.in./3000p.s.i.pure energy

[wellsw]

I bought my son and I Talons for christmas 2 years ago... we would go out into the desert and play one on one... we had a blast ... about 4 months later I bought a pair of Piranahs and we used them for about a year... ill never forget my first real game.. in Albaquirque NM... there were about 30 players .. a heck of a lot different from 1 on 1... about a year ago I got my mag and my son worked all summer to buy a Nova 700 we both love them and now we play on a team. it has been a great father son thing for us.

[Dayspring]

I remember like it was yesterday. It was my freshman year in college. We went to Skirmish USA in the fall of 1996. First time. So that was really cool. Then my school sponsored a trip out there that spring. I was hooked. I then went to the 24 Hour Scenario that year (Mission MIA) and when I was able to, I ran the trips from then until I graduated. I increased our turnout from 18 to 40 over the course of a few years. I play regularly at Skirmish when I make the hike, and renegade down south of my house. It's become a way of life anymore!

[Yipe]

[the123]

I remember back in 87' or so when Gotchya! the sport came out featuring Jim McMahon (Bears QB at the time) on the commercial. My dad ened up buying one and just shot it around the house, at me when I was bad, etc.
I was never allowed to play with that gun
then Nintendo came out with Gotchya! that worked with the light zapper gun. I loved it but was still too young to play REAL ball. It wouldn't be till 99 before I actually shot my own paintball gun. Me and 3 buddies all bought Stingray 2 guns and played. My buddy lifted his mask to clean off the fog and got hit dead in the lower lip! OUCH! He was ok, well enough in fact to attack me for his stupidity. Well, I had so much fun, I have been playing ever since. I upgraded to a RT in 2000 and to an E-Mag in 2001. Very happy indeed.

[mikey101]

well I first started in 96 when my aunt sent me a talon and some paint for christmas. me and my brother both got one and played 1 on 1 and thought it was the best ever! we played a few times more but quit playing throught out the whole summer. i then moved to the mountains and found that all of my friends played but they all had semi's like stingrays and spyders, i wanted to play so i went down to the store and bought a spyder and we played every weekend that we could. i just recently bought my mag and we continue to play every weekend!!

[N2BUNKERBALL]

Got out of the Army played pantball with my brothers rec field and bam now im NOV with an electro. My nubie rookie days i used a Mini Mag. It has many trophys. Well now it is a Defiant but hey the Mini still gets used when i play Rec ball in the jungle.

Nubie Rookie Team Headhunters
Novice Team Kellys Heros


Kelly Jung
Tulare Ca.

www.centralvalleypaintball.com

[adam68c]

I only started around Christmas. Just before Christmas my friend bought a BE Blade. We used to do dumb punk things with it(shoot street signs and the plastic deer at a golf course). There were about 3 of us. Then one of ny friends gat a stingray for 30$. We were all in awe at the semi. I borowed a ray from a college bound friend. Then the guy with the blade got a ray for Christmas. We played in the woods with about to layers of clothes on. We finally went to the paintball store to check it out. The owner asked us what kind of guns we had and then told us that we would soon upgrade. I didnt believe I was just in it for fun. But the more we pllayed we releazed how much ray lagged. I bought a used spyder 1. It was a good gun. My friends bought piranas (sts). Believe me a used spyder 1 is a lot better than a new pirana. We played with those for a while and then I finally got a mag. The first time I used it was at a tournement. We actually won it. We beat guys with tribals and hardcore autocockers.I was happy with my mag but my friends were looking into getting new guns. They of course got the cocker bug even though i dropped hints about mags.We played in2 more tournys since then won one and got spanked in the other.One of my friends finally bought a new gun. A 98 cocker. First time he played with it was in a tourny last sunday. It broke down 2 out of 3 games.I got a good laugh out of that. In this tourny we got shut down hard. I saw my first angel. Cool gun.Couple ppl playing full auto but there I was tripping them out with my mag with Z-grip high rof.


PS I think AGD should pay me some commison or at least get me some free stuff LOL LOL.
When Igot my mag there was one other player with one that I knew about on the Island(Kauai) now there is many many with a bunch in the works mostly because of me

[sajohnston]

Good thread....

First game was around 88/89 in Daytona Beach,FL. My high school buds (all of us going military) asked me to play. After getting warmed up (actually smoked a time or two) I learned to play with 2 splatmasters at once (cock one against my hip while firing the other). My aggressive (although freaky) wild-west style prompted the Echo 2 Rangers to ask me to join their team. We made routine pilgrimages to Ocala, FL for the now famous 24hr scenario games. I remember when the Jax Warriors numbered about 20 and wore some sort of weird custom camo that had yellow in it. Those days were fun- some guys using slingshots, the "rich" guys had nelson autotriggers. The game really changed with the semis- if you had $$$ you could come and spray paint all day. This is why I still love stock class games...

From 88-91 my gun evolution was:

-Splatmaster, Nightmare, Nelson 007, Phantom (still own), Tippman SMG 68, Factory modded my SMG 68 into a 68 Special (still own), and a thump gun (one of those homemade potato cannons turned paintball shotgun), Para Ordinance Mod-85 (still own).

In '91 I went off to college (ROTC) and my stuff went into storage for about 7-8 years as I began moving with the Army. Eventually my brother-in-law came across my boxes during a move and asked if he could use it. My stuff on loan got a whole bunch of Georgia boys into the sport and they asked me to come play when I visited home one trip. After a day of trading paint with my old phantom vs. the new semis I was again hooked. I did some research for a new gun and the decision was simple- Automag. I remembered the AGD name and was attracted by its simplicity and ruggedness. Bought a BBT Pro Mag in 99 and it has evolved from there.

I am stationed in South Korea now, so paintball opportunities are limited to say the least. Some of the MWR (Morale Wellfare and Recreation) offices of the Posts/Bases have paintball fields, and I play rec when I visit home (now Georgia) so occasionally I get a fix. I stay on these forums so I don't loose track of the sport like I did before. I am done with the Army after this tour and will settle down in GA, working in the family business. I have a son on the way (Aug) and look forward to introducing him to the sport in a few years. The group of guys who brought me back to the sport want to start an amateur team when I get back...Can't wait!

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"Life is tough but it is even tougher if you're stupid!"

Euro Powerfeed Retromag w/Flatline and ELCD

[This message has been edited by sajohnston (edited 06-15-2001).]