paintball mb

[616kayak]

I understand that you can get injured in any sport. I grew up breaking and training horses. Have been banged up many many times. But in paintball the goal of the sport is to put our opponent out of the game. In order to do this you must physically hit them with the paintball. Thus pointing a weapon at another person and firing that weapon.

I think that teaching safety would be a good thing. But I doubt that many boys would want to earn a paintball badge it they don't get to shoot.
MHO.

And Quailman is right. Kevin had one bruise on his upper front shoulder that lasted almost 3 weeks.

As a paintball player i can assure you we do not think of hurting the other player. It is all about the strategy, communication, and above all practice. The game has nothing to do with violence.

In the end people who play regularly do not mind the bruises and accept it as part of the game much like people who enjoy challenging hikes accept muscle pain. Paintball, like boxing, isn't really about trying to injure some one.

[RWSmith]

Ah-hmm... Pardon me... I'm not getting into this discussion to debate the issue of Paintball as a sanctioned Scouting activity... yet. However, as a moderator, I will get involved to (at this time) enough to correct a clear inaccuracy:

The sole goal in boxing is to beat your opponent sufficiently to the point where he can no longer stand, or is (preferably) rendered unconscious, or otherwise injured--whichever comes first.

If anybody really wants to know more about boxing --historical, medical risks, etc.,-- go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing <-- Awesome article!

[Hubert]

When you play sport, you accept the outcome that can happen. Useing boxing as an example, if a boxer gets hurt, he will not sue because he knows what he got himself into. When you love a sport, the bruises and bumps come natural.

Comming from a bike ridder, I ride my bike each day, usually about at least 5 miles a day. I am sore and know that by pushing myself that far, I will be. Its the same way with paintball, they play and get hurt, its all in the game.

[scouter01]

also, as others said this iis more of a stergy gamee thjen a injure ur freinds game.

[616kayak]

i guesses i didn't explain myself right. even if i did its a bad analogy. but i mean you do it for the game not because you want to hurt someone.

[RWSmith]

Fair enough. However, there are some activities where the medical community is only now beginning to realize that concussions, even milder ones, are cumulative and causing varying degrees of TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), which may not reveal itself for years. Look at the retired professional boxers, NFL players, even Wrestlers... see how many of them have problems with motor functions and/or mental processing... it's staggering!

We've also got soldiers coming back from Iraq/Afganistan who never actually received "contact to the head", but we're exposed to one or more precussion blasts (enemy or friendly), and they're now getting screened for TBI -and- showing signs of brain injury, even though they often can't "visibly" see the damage that's been done... YET. It's something they're looking very hard at.

The only other "sport" I can think of that is "brutal on the body" would be Motocross racing--not BMX, but motorcycles.

Anyhow, enough ranting... Here's the bottom line, IMHO... The risk assessment, which is high, is secondary; the real (first and foremost) reason National will never sanction paintball is based on philosophical principal. One I happen to agree with. IOW, give it up. If you want to play paintball with you Scout buds, doing it outside Scouting. You can do that, you know.

Let's stick a fork in this one, okay?

[riverwalk]

Hey I like that phrase, haha. I agree, it's "done". We now have a new Chief Scout Executive. Let's hope he agrees as well.

[deweylure]

the problem with paintball is it will be viewed as teaching military tactics to scouts.

The other problem is you are trained never to shoot at another person. Even though safety gear is recommended accidents can and do happen. This seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen

Dewey

[ThunderingWind]

People used to say that the only difference between the Boy Scouts and the Army is that the Army has Field Artillery (big cannons).

But now, Scouts are building catapults as part of Camporees and the like.

BSA teaches proper firearm safety and usage when shooting at a inanimate object target. So does the Army (and the other branches, Army used here as an example).

It is this next step of using this knowledge to shoot a round (paintball or other) at a human that is causing the problem.

One could argue (using the hunting MB as a basis) that a Paintball MB could be developed up to the point of actually shooting at a person. Just like the Hunting MB does not require the taking of a critter, the Paintball MB could cover everything else.

Paintball tactics are similar to stalking techniques in hunting big game. It takes study of the terrain (game field), movement from one spot to the other without being detected etc..... Care and maintenance of the hunting equipement is also very similar to that of Paintball.

With all this (and all the other posts) being said, I hoenstly feel that any efforts to bring this MB forward would be in vane. I do not wish to mean that the young Scout should not try but that he be advised that this is an uphill battle that may not lead to fruitition or if it does, well after he would be able to earn it.

I think this topic has runs its course and should be locked. Let's move on to making society better and having the wear of the uniform at school encourged on Scout meeting day. Or more donations from big business so that Scouting can be free to all.

Just one person's opinion.....

[scouter01]

the problem with paintball is it will be viewed as teaching military tactics to scouts.

The other problem is you are trained never to shoot at another person. Even though safety gear is recommended accidents can and do happen. This seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen

Dewey

whats wrong with that.

if you want to get nitpicky, we salute which the military does.

also, its called liabilty insurance.