Deaf Paintball Players

[Ultimator]

Well, I figured I would just address this. I have 2 deaf brothers and the one who is 16 is ALWAYS getting compliments on how good he is. I don't know if people are just saying that because he's deaf or what, but I myself have noticed how good he is for how long he has been playing(he's been playing for around 2 or 3 months and owns a Spyder Xtra.) He's a member of this forum, and so is his friend who also plays paintball (they both go to Alabama School for the Deaf in Talladega.)

Anyway, to the point: has anyone else seen any deaf paintballers, and if so, did you think they were good considering they were deaf?

[RT_Luver]

i dont think i've ever seen a deaf person, but i've seen a person with one arm, thought it was kinda cool

[shartley]

My question is why would it matter? Everyone is always saying “Treat them like everyone else.” (those with disabilities or perceived ones) But then when they do something that everyone else does, people want to point it out as if it is special. This confuses me.

Some paintball players are good, and others are not. Some people pick up the sport fast, and others do not. It sounds like your brother picked up on the sport fast, but also HAPPENS to be deaf. I see no coloration between the two and wonder why any distinction is being made.

So personally do I think a deaf person would be good considering they were deaf? I would say they would either be good OR not good just like anyone else. Do you say a person who can hear is bad “considering” they can hear? No, they are bad simply because they are bad. Same with being good.

I hope you stop thinking of your brother in ways such as “considering he is deaf”. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and often times our strengths are stronger because of our weaknesses. He for instance can not be confused by field noises or mislead by opponents shouting false information or signals.

I for one would be offended if someone came up to me and said, “You know what? You play very well considering you are an old man.” Pfft…. I either play well or not.. period.

Just something to think about…..

Oh.. now if your Brother was blind… that would impress me as a point of conversation. You can play paintball without hearing, but sight is a key requirement.

[dansim]

sorry a lil ot but if your deaf do you still get headaches? like whenever im done pballing i always have a headache from the noise all day(or maybe dehydration) just a stupid lil question

[Will Wood]

I do think it would be harder...besides of being good or bad....how do you know when people are firing/not firing? You will have to look/feel, or something. It also helps alot to figure out where your opponets are. I would say he is VERY VERY good if he is good, without the advantage of sound.

[Fred]

There was a kid with one arm playing at the Tippmann world challenge last year, IMO that's pretty hardcore. He did alright, carrying a spyder with full hopper, boomstick, and 20 oz tank.
I think he had a buddy carrying paint for him.

I have a great deal of respect for people who go out and play (any sports) despite percieved physical limitations.

---Fred

[rjvemt1]

in '91 i biult a 34k square foot indoor field in the sf bay area called hyperball. several times the ironmen came out and played there, they had a def guy on the team at the time, i think his name was mike. needless to say he was very good (you dont play for the ironmen if you suck!). i think that the sences that compensate for the loss of hearing (or congenital lack of) carry over to pb qiute naturaly. dansim, your headaches are probably do to mild dehydration. drink more water between games and get into some cardiac workouts(dont take that the wrong way;))

[than205]

My buddies stepdad is deaf. It's the wierdest thing. I haven't seen my buddy in years. I keep running into Butch at a bunch of different fields. I didn't notice any handicap when he was shooting at me. ;)

[Paintballer86]

Thats intresing. My mom used to work at Pennsylvania School for the deaf, and While she did, I picked up ALOT of Sign Language, and am quite advanced. Do you sign with your brother?

[graycie]

there was a deaf puerto rican guy in a private group last year at the field.

[Hacker240]

Thats pretty cool that he can play without being able to hear his teamates communicate wiht him. :mad:

[shartley]

Thats pretty cool that he can play without being able to hear his teamates communicate wiht him.
There are ways to communicate with teammates other than by talking. Using hand signals is not uncommon and is actually used in the military while on patrol.

[hitmanng]

I have a significant hearing loss and wear hearing aides. I often play without them and to be honest I think it is helpfull. You focus more on the slight movement that signifies another player moving. I can still hear well enough to hear my teamates though so cannot speak to the communication factor.
Hitmanng

[sbrookeinmd]

I played with a team of deaf guys for a year. Cybersplat in Maryland. We even went to the Zap Amateur open. Great group of guys. I fell away from the team over time. It was very odd being the only hearing guy and not knowing sign language. There were good players and not so good players (myself included). I think some of the good players did compensate well with some of their other senses. There were times when shots were going near them and they didn't realize it though. Also, communication on a wooded field is quite difficult. Still, it was a blast to be part of their team for a while. On a different note, you've never heard as much bodily noise as there is camping at night with a bunch of deaf guys! :D

If any of the old Cybersplat guys read this, drop me a note!

Scott

[Temo Vryce]

Well I haven't played with a Deaf player but I have played against one on a few occations and he is quite good. He's not completely deaf but he is hearing impaired. Mind you I have play with someone with 1.5 eyes. The front half of one of his eyes is a glass lens. It's a little weird but he's really good considering. For the most part I try and treat everyone the same. There are some execptions though. For deaf players you need to get eye contact for example. Treat them fairly and as an equal and they'll do the same for you.

[paintbattler]

i havent seen a deaf person before but i have also seen an one armed man. i have no idea why he had a forgrip though...

[Johnny_Reb]

Well I played against a team of deaf players today at a tournament in alabama.They made the finals! If Freaks of 03 sees this post, congrats on a job well done.

dansim: you get headaches too? wow and I thought i was teh only one.....

[Tunaman]

Well...I have played with a deaf guy(a few of them at the same time) down at Top Gun Paintball in NJ. Maybe this is the same guy that graycie is referring to. He is a great dude, and plays very well. The first time I played with him he was renting stuff, and the following year I met up with him again and he now has his own gear! Power to all you handicapped people! May the Force be with you all!;) :D

[jfreak]

At my field we have hosted a few days where an entire deaf group of about 50 came out to play. A few of them are very good and I see them on occasion playing at different fields. The only real disadvantage I see is that sometimes they take a hit on the tank/hopper/etc. and don't realize it because they never heard that distinctive sound.

[logamus]

Originally posted by Fred
I have a great deal of respect for people who go out and play (any sports) despite percieved physical limitations.

---Fred

imho when you are missing a limb, it is not a percieved physical limitation. it is a physical limitation. my hats off to anyone who can play with physical limitations, i have my hearing and both arms and i still suck.

[than205]

It's funny this thread popped up again almost a year later.
I played with Harvey (my deaf friend) last sunday in Boston. He's a great player. I never mentioned that he also shoots a Mag. I gotta convince him to get rid of the third reg though.....

Anyway, he usually gives me crap for getting shot out too early. (he's usually the last guy to get shot if we don't win)

[Automaggin2]

Originally posted by shartley
My question is why would it matter? Everyone is always saying “Treat them like everyone else.” (those with disabilities or perceived ones) But then when they do something that everyone else does, people want to point it out as if it is special. This confuses me.

Some paintball players are good, and others are not. Some people pick up the sport fast, and others do not. It sounds like your brother picked up on the sport fast, but also HAPPENS to be deaf. I see no coloration between the two and wonder why any distinction is being made.

So personally do I think a deaf person would be good considering they were deaf? I would say they would either be good OR not good just like anyone else. Do you say a person who can hear is bad “considering” they can hear? No, they are bad simply because they are bad. Same with being good.

I hope you stop thinking of your brother in ways such as “considering he is deaf”. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and often times our strengths are stronger because of our weaknesses. He for instance can not be confused by field noises or mislead by opponents shouting false information or signals.

I for one would be offended if someone came up to me and said, “You know what? You play very well considering you are an old man.” Pfft…. I either play well or not.. period.

Just something to think about…..

Oh.. now if your Brother was blind… that would impress me as a point of conversation. You can play paintball without hearing, but sight is a key requirement.


Shartley, hearing is def. a plus in paintballing. Thats why they are looked at as being special. People say when you loose one of your senses, your other ones make up for it.

[halB]

when im reffing and yelling at people to put in their barrel plug i swear all the paintball players are deaf

[Ultimator]

Yeah ... almost a year later this popped back up ... odd!

I still think Shartley blew it out of proportion though. I was just asking a simple question :rolleyes:

[Demobilized]

Wow, in a local tournament today there was an all deaf team. They played very well even for not being able to communicate. This tournament was in Hunstville Alabama so i dunno if you might know any of the players. But one time one of the girls made the pull of the break and kept going and hung it! It was insane haha

**Edit Sorry Shartley but i gotta disagree with you. Not being able to communicate for me would be a horrible disadvantge and these people that can still play good and not be able to communicate effictively impress me a lot**

P.S. this tournament was the same as Johhny_Reb's

[Ultimator]

Originally posted by Demobilized
Wow, in a local tournament today there was an all deaf team. They played very well even for not being able to communicate. This tournament was in Hunstville Alabama so i dunno if you might know any of the players. But one time one of the girls made the pull of the break and kept going and hung it! It was insane hahaMy brother plays in Huntsville sometimes .. and so does his friend.

[Demobilized]

Well maybe well played em haha

[BetaMax]

I am a what you call a Moderatly Deaf person. I lost about 40% of my hearing in both ears when I was 4. I am 28 now and having been wearing hearing aids.

The only issue that I have had while playing is hearing when my opponents call themselves hit or when my fellow teammates call for me. But doesn't that happen to most people in the heat of the battle? :)

The only thing I can say tho is that when I am out there playing, I have a better sense of what is going on around me since I am more visual to where everything is since I have a hard time figuring out where shots are being made from. I agree with Automaggin2 that with a loss of one of your senses, the others make up for it.

Just thought I would put in my 2 cents.

[shartley]

Originally posted by Demobilized
Wow, in a local tournament today there was an all deaf team. They played very well even for not being able to communicate. This tournament was in Hunstville Alabama so i dunno if you might know any of the players. But one time one of the girls made the pull of the break and kept going and hung it! It was insane haha

**Edit Sorry Shartley but i gotta disagree with you. Not being able to communicate for me would be a horrible disadvantge and these people that can still play good and not be able to communicate effictively impress me a lot**

P.S. this tournament was the same as Johhny_Reb's
Disagree if you like, and I can understand why you think the way you do, but I will point out some facts for you….

In the military and in the heat of a fire fight, you can not hear much of anything. But soldiers communicate quite well. Why? Because they are trained to do so.

In the military when out on patrol, silence is maintained. No voice commands are given, yet the team has more than adequate communication. And if no voice commends are given and all noise is virtually eliminated, how do they communicate?

Yes, not being able to communicate would be a horrible disadvantage, but you are assuming that deaf people can not communicate. They can. They do so every day of their lives. And that includes on a paintball field.

If ANY team has poor communication it will not do as well as a team that has good communication, and that goes for hearing teams and deaf teams. Sound is not always your “friend” on the paintball field, and I often have to rely on what I see to indicate what is going on or where people are. How can this help when paintballs are slamming into your bunker? Can you hear where they are coming from? Heck no, you have to rely on your vision.

Heck, how many times has THAT happened to us in a game. Shots come flying at you and slamming into the ground or your bunker, or a tree, and you say to yourself “Where the heck did that come from?” Well, if you could hear where it came from you would not ask that question. But a lot of the times you can’t, so you have to rely on your other senses. Hearing does you little good when you have tunnel vision and stop looking around to see where both your fellow team mates are AND where the opposing team are.

Want to know what I hear the most in a good game? My breathing in my mask and my heart beat. And then yelling, but most of the time it is indistinguishable, just yelling. I also hear the pop pop pop of markers firing, but most of the time it is background noise and of little real help. So I tend to rely on my sight more than my hearing in a good game.

Want to disable or severely hamper an opposing player? Mess up his vision. That will give you a far better advantage than them not hearing any day.

Originally posted by BetaMax
I am a what you call a Moderatly Deaf person. I lost about 40% of my hearing in both ears when I was 4. I am 28 now and having been wearing hearing aids.

The only issue that I have had while playing is hearing when my opponents call themselves hit or when my fellow teammates call for me. But doesn't that happen to most people in the heat of the battle? :)

The only thing I can say tho is that when I am out there playing, I have a better sense of what is going on around me since I am more visual to where everything is since I have a hard time figuring out where shots are being made from. I agree with Automaggin2 that with a loss of one of your senses, the others make up for it.

Just thought I would put in my 2 cents.
Thank you. And you are correct, not hearing your team mates does happen in the heat of “battle”, both in paintball and in the military.

And I know that keeping track of your own team and if they are “out” or not is quite often hard for hearing folks too, just like BetaMax pointed out.

And thank you for you post BetaMax.

(Oh... and damn, this is an old thread. ;))

[hostage]

I started reffing at a place called Compete and about 10 deaf guys showed up. (I go to RIT and Rochester and RIT has a large def community and RIT has a National Technical Instutite for the Deaf.)

Well many showed up and they couldn't tell sometimes when they got hit. I felt sorry cause they would just walk into a stream of paint, since they couldn't hear themselves getting shot at. Well it was really funny in a "hotel" game where this one kid kept on talking to them. I kept on telling the kid, they were deaf, and he kept talking to them. Well with their handycap they seemed to do as good as any other newby player.
-Doron

[Demobilized]

Originally posted by shartley

Disagree if you like, and I can understand why you think the way you do, but I will point out some facts for you….

In the military and in the heat of a fire fight, you can not hear much of anything. But soldiers communicate quite well. Why? Because they are trained to do so.

In the military when out on patrol, silence is maintained. No voice commands are given, yet the team has more than adequate communication. And if no voice commends are given and all noise is virtually eliminated, how do they communicate?

Yes, not being able to communicate would be a horrible disadvantage, but you are assuming that deaf people can not communicate. They can. They do so every day of their lives. And that includes on a paintball field.

If ANY team has poor communication it will not do as well as a team that has good communication, and that goes for hearing teams and deaf teams. Sound is not always your “friend” on the paintball field, and I often have to rely on what I see to indicate what is going on or where people are. How can this help when paintballs are slamming into your bunker? Can you hear where they are coming from? Heck no, you have to rely on your vision.

Heck, how many times has THAT happened to us in a game. Shots come flying at you and slamming into the ground or your bunker, or a tree, and you say to yourself “Where the heck did that come from?” Well, if you could hear where it came from you would not ask that question. But a lot of the times you can’t, so you have to rely on your other senses. Hearing does you little good when you have tunnel vision and stop looking around to see where both your fellow team mates are AND where the opposing team are.

Want to know what I hear the most in a good game? My breathing in my mask and my heart beat. And then yelling, but most of the time it is indistinguishable, just yelling. I also hear the pop pop pop of markers firing, but most of the time it is background noise and of little real help. So I tend to rely on my sight more than my hearing in a good game.

Want to disable or severely hamper an opposing player? Mess up his vision. That will give you a far better advantage than them not hearing any day.

Thank you. And you are correct, not hearing your team mates does happen in the heat of “battle”, both in paintball and in the military.

And I know that keeping track of your own team and if they are “out” or not is quite often hard for hearing folks too, just like BetaMax pointed out.

And thank you for you post BetaMax.

(Oh... and damn, this is an old thread. ;))


I said "effictively" I am aware of other ways to communicate but i would think it would be much harder to have to turn around to see if your back player is trying to sign u something. Thats just my opinion though so its all good.

[shartley]

Originally posted by Demobilized
I said "effictively" I am aware of other ways to communicate but i would think it would be much harder to have to turn around to see if your back player is trying to sign u something. Thats just my opinion though so its all good.
Actually if you look at your post, you said both unable to communicate and communicate effectively. ;)

And I will maintain that it may take different training and gamesmanship to communicate with deaf players, or deaf to deaf, but it can be done. Heck, that is how they live their lives. You folks act like it is the same as YOU suddenly being tossed into a soundless environment. It isn’t. And like I said before, the military uses voiceless commands all the time in combat or in combat environments, and that includes forward , middle and rear positions. It just takes a different discipline and technique, but you can still have “effective” communication. ;)

In fact I use that same type of communication on my private field so that the opposing team does not know what me and my team are doing. Ahhhhhh ;)

My point is that a newb is a newb, and a seasoned player is a seasoned player. And the skills needed for either is what makes a player good on the field or not. It is also knowing your limitations, strengths and weaknesses that makes a player excel in spite of them. Be it being overweight, poor or no hearing, being tall, being very short, etc. It is not the loss of hearing that makes the big difference, it is the actual skill level of the player that matters.

Poor communication is a factor for all paintball players, not just the hearing impaired. And if a team works together they know their strengths and weaknesses as a team and know how to work in spite of them and sometimes use that to their advantage. If I saw a paintball player playing poorly, I would not think what a bad player, and then when I found out he/she was deaf say “Gee, they did good for being deaf.”… I would still say they were playing badly. The same if they were playing good. I do not give them extra credit for playing good and being deaf… what a slap in the face that is.

I also read someone say about a deaf player walking into a line of paint because they didn’t hear it being fired. LOL Come on… how many times have we seen Refs walk into strings of paint? How many times have we seen hearing players walk into strings of paint? LOTS of times. Folks are attributing normal paintball mishaps and situations on the person being deaf, and this is not quite the case.

Deaf players do not deserve any special kudos for playing the sport, and to give them the kudos is actually showing a lack of respect in my book. The same as when people say things like “She plays great for a girl.” Paintball players are paintball players. We all have strengths and weaknesses. And to be good, we all learn to work around these weaknesses, no matter what they are.

But you are correct... Its all good. :)

[Demobilized]

Opps, yea I missed that one in my first post, my bad. And I would like to agree with you on the subject of giving respect where it is due regardless. But back on the subject the team I saw play was good regardless.

[Dragoon]

Originally posted by hitmanng
I have a significant hearing loss and wear hearing aides. I often play without them and to be honest I think it is helpfull. You focus more on the slight movement that signifies another player moving. I can still hear well enough to hear my teamates though so cannot speak to the communication factor.
Hitmanng

That was my first thought on the matter. The noise is distracting and can be used for intimidation (pelting a bunker to keep the guy behind it not looking). So being deaf may help your game in the beginning. I would think you would tend to look at the feild more and be less prone to hiding. The more you know what's going on the better you are able to react to changes.

However, as players get better and more confident this advantage would decrease.

But then again I'm hearing (although farily fluent in sign) and I may be way off base.

Douglas

[hostage]

On saturday we had a group of 25 NTID students come in. They brought one interpiter. It was a very cool game and very quite. People would move up past the 50 and get into the other side of a bunker that an enemy was in. They wouldn't know it until someone made a lot of movement. Then they would both hold there gun over the bunker and blind shoot. The thing that suprised me was how well I could communicate with them even though they were deaf. They could read body language and expressions very well also they were very cordinated.
-Doron

[nippinout]

Can someone answer my curiosity?

When I read, there is a voice saying the words in my head. Do deaf people visualize the signing of the words as hearing people would hear the sounds of the words?

[crazypaintball54]

Well, I figured I would just address this. I have 2 deaf brothers and the one who is 16 is ALWAYS getting compliments on how good he is. I don't know if people are just saying that because he's deaf or what, but I myself have noticed how good he is for how long he has been playing(he's been playing for around 2 or 3 months and owns a Spyder Xtra.) He's a member of this forum, and so is his friend who also plays paintball (they both go to Alabama School for the Deaf in Talladega.)

Anyway, to the point: has anyone else seen any deaf paintballers, and if so, did you think they were good considering they were deaf?

HI,
I am deaf. I play in paintball for 5 yrs. It surely is hell of fun, lot better than softball or bowling. We have mixed deraf and hearing players. Very intertesting, I notice that deaf players seems are better than hearing players. WHY ? In my opinoins, Deaf players have more patiance than hearing players. They have better planning ideas. the group of deaf almost win most battles than hearing.. I do not mean to be bragging. It is so much challenge to compare.
I love to be a sniper. I am telling you, I am using the Tippermann, SL-68 with long barrel, THE JUST PUMP GUN. I do not need a fancy gun. JUST be smart.
I will love to see all deaf players from all different states to play together. I know it will be hell FUN :)
Dave, crazypaintball

[Lenny]

My question is why would it matter? Everyone is always saying “Treat them like everyone else.” (those with disabilities or perceived ones) But then when they do something that everyone else does, people want to point it out as if it is special. This confuses me.

Some paintball players are good, and others are not. Some people pick up the sport fast, and others do not. It sounds like your brother picked up on the sport fast, but also HAPPENS to be deaf. I see no coloration between the two and wonder why any distinction is being made.


BIG QFT. I'm surprised more people haven't quoted this. A good 'baller is a good 'baller. Even though he's a bit different, he still has everything he needs to be able to play. So, we all may be in awe because he's deaf, but then, is it really that wierd or just uncommon?

[nickee finn]

I have, this oe deaf gu was show me his gun and i was shooting in it, and poped a ball in it, i felt bad.

[FallNAngel]

Wow... necromancy at it's finest.

No, I haven't played (or seen) any deaf paintball players.

[Maggot6]

Sweet Jebus, a 2002 thread.

I am almost with Shartley in this thread, but everyone (as always) has valid points.

[Jaan]

Recently I played a game where sound was both an advantage and a disadvantage. I went to an all pump game, and for the first game of the day not too many people showed up at the field, so pump players mixed with semis. The semi players started opening up right away and giving away their positions. At least one semi player on my team thought he knew where all the other players were ... he went to make a move and blam, one shot one kill from a pumper who was just waiting it out. The most satisfying thing was that on the way off the field when he was asked who shot him, he said "one of those f'ing pump guys!" He was relying too much on sound to detect opponents.

However, later on that day I was hiding away behind a wood pile by the flag and I was the only guy left on my team. I used my hearing exclusively to mark the remaining two players on the other team, especially when one of them ran up the hill. People make a lot of noise running up a hill. In this case it was all about what I could hear, since I didn't use my sight at all until the last second.

I think it would be very interesting to go out with ear plugs and see if I could improve on my visual acuity ... or just take my iPod and crank up some Napalm Death ;) Seriously though, it might be a good way to practice for some teams, much like playing pump can improve your accuracy.

[fuzzbutt]

Ok, nice thread here adn I'll end it by saying my piece. Firstly, I am a college sign language teacher, an interpreter for the Deaf and formerly worked at the California School for the Deaf- Fremont (the largest al deaf school in the world).

Secondly, I've played paintball since its inception in 1985. Our teams took 2nd in the World Cahmpionship, 2nd in the nationals, etc., etc.

Thirdly, my best friend of 23 years is profoundly Deaf and went to said CSD-F school, etc. he has been my teammate since that first game in 1985. He has also been 2nd World Championships, etc. To this date he remains the ONLY totally deaf player to compete at that level. He was featured in Action Pursuit magazine, Paintball Sports magazine, newspapers, etc.

So, basically I know what I'm talking about. And you all have very good points.

Here's the scoop: Even deaf players with sign language have a problem playing paintball because the action is usually to fast to take your attention away from your target. It becomes a necessary evil to look down field and watch your opponents. During a "firefight" it is almost impossible to communicate due to the nature of being shot at and shooting.

Sign language is great for anything prior to ro after a firefight but a deaf player is totaly isolated during the action. Basically, he/she must rely on their own skills and talents during this time and only after it's done can they hook up and start communicating again with anyone who can sign.

It is frustrating to play with a deaf player (but reqrding if he's really, really good!). And naturally, deaf players have acute vision, more trained at visual perception than any hearing person because that's what they've been conditioned to all of their lives.

My buddy and I never play in the same area despite our communication ties due to the fact that he only l ikes to be in open areas with lots of clear visual targets while I, being hearing, like to crawl into tghick bushes and use my hearing to "see" the opponents.

Best friends, skilled players but total opposites on the field. Weird, huh?

Also, I had one of the first Automags developed by Mr. kay when Automag was being invented. The first prototype had some snags and was removed from the market to be debugged.

[foefumm]

Just to chime in, in an early 90's walkon game, I ran into a team of guys called "Population Control". They were all deaf except for their captain. And they played just as well, if not better than the rest of us on their side(was a big woods game of 30 vs 30 or more).

[AirAssault]

nothing like dragging out a 5 year old thread to lay down some knowledge. The discussion is pointless. No need to discuss the ability or lack there of in the deaf community's ability to play PB. The only thing deaf people can't do as well as the hearing is hear. Go out and learn some sign, it is one of the easier languages to grasp the basics, and getting to know folks in the deaf community will make your life more interesting.

[wanna-b-ballin']

i played some woodsball with a deaf guy once. he was dominating. he was a member of the ironmen back in the day, and although we was good, he couldn't tell when to stop hosing on the bushes because he couldn't hear the yells that the other guys were out. i had to pat him on the back a few times to tell him when kids were out or when games were over.

fuzzbutt: are we talking about the same guy? this was at paintball jungle in vallejo. maybe a year and a half ago.

[thahouse]

Its amazing that this thread actually exists on a forum. Not saying its bad or anything..just surprising for me lol. I was born deaf, and love ballin. Honestly, i dont have any trouble communicating with the rest of my team on the field. Then again, we tend to use military hand signals and we all know each other so well that even if we make up rediculous hand signals to communicate, we still understand eachother regardless...if any outsider tried to decipher what we were signalling...it would look like we are on crack half of the time haha. I am the only deaf player on the team. Hopefully we will get a chance to enter the qualifiers up here in canada and qualify for sppl...

As for hearing shots, i usually dont hear them, but i usually see the person pop up to shoot so i react from that. I guess its all a matter of knowing how to control and understand the field from a first person perspective and knowing approximately where the opponents are..

[jenarelJAM]

I played with a couple deaf players at my field a month ago or so. They did decently. Unfortunately, I didn't realize they were deaf until after the game... It definitely decreased our ability to communicate as a team for that game, but as we were just playing rec ball, it was all in good fun. I can honestly say I rely on hearing way to much to do anywhere near as well as they did were our roles reversed.

[Koz]

in '91 i biult a 34k square foot indoor field in the sf bay area called hyperball. several times the ironmen came out and played there, they had a def guy on the team at the time, i think his name was mike. needless to say he was very good (you dont play for the ironmen if you suck!). i think that the sences that compensate for the loss of hearing (or congenital lack of) carry over to pb qiute naturaly. dansim, your headaches are probably do to mild dehydration. drink more water between games and get into some cardiac workouts(dont take that the wrong way;))

That was Mike "Silent Death" Sutherland. Kick butt paintball player and nice guy who played for DPA [Donner Party Animals and then the Ironmen]. I think he taught at the California School for the Deaf. His deafness was not an impediment for him in tournament paintball for sure.

Koz