UAM Paintball Club Provides New Activity for Students

Staff Writer

   A University of Arkansas-Monticello student helped to start the UAM Paintball Club for students to have fun and compete.

   Tim Whitney, president of the club and backman for the team, developed the UAM Paintball Club to have fun with friends and to compete in tournaments.  Whitney and Coach Nick Rye advises the club. The team plays at Nick's Paintball Supply paintball field in Rye.

   "I've been playing paintball since I was in elementary school in Charleston, Ark.," Whitney said. “When I started school here, I became friends with (Nick Bowen) who owns a paintball field in Rye, Ark. I asked him what he thought about me starting a paintball team at UAM? He said it would be fun and bring him a lot of business. So that’s when I came up with the idea."

   When Whitney pursued the idea, he talked to the student’s activities board to get the team together. Whitney said his intentions for the sport were good, but the idea raised questions.

   According to Whitney, some people see the sport of paintball as a violent. Also, with the zero tolerance of guns on campus and the negative idea of shootings on campus, the student Activities Board was not too thrilled with the idea. 

    Whitney responded to arguments against paintball describing it as a team sport. He said the players have to know where their players are and move strategically. During the game, the players play with what most would call paintball "guns." Montgomery and Whitney said people who play paintball call them "markers."

   "I've played every sport and been injured in every sport. Paintball is no different,” Whitney said.  “Not to say that you will get hurt in paintball when you get hit with a paintball, but I've been hit harder in football and baseball than in paintball."

   Whitney said the idea for the team came when he and his friend played paintball at his bachelor party. The idea for the paintball team came to life after Whitney found out that Bowen knew a few people who attended UAM.

   "A lot of people don't have anything to do here on campus," Whitney said. "This gives something for everyone to do."

    In the game of paintball, there are three different kinds of players: the frontmen, middlemen and backman. In the National Collegiate Paintball Association (NCPA), there are five men on the field covered with bunkers. The object of the game is to capture the other team’s flags.

   "(The club) was setup by Tim Whitney last semester and this is the first time that we have had a paintball team," said sophomore Terry Montgomery. "We're trying to get where we can play other colleges and hopefully play for championships."    Montgomery currently plays for the paintball team.

   Since the team is fairly new, the club has not played any teams with experience. The team plays local teams and each other to develop their skills.

    The team plays with people who want to come out and play for fun every Sunday at 2 p.m.. The team is also currently selling t-shirts for $15.

   If anyone wants to join the Paintball Club contact Tim Whitney at TRW0612@uamont.edu or Terry Montgomery at TWM4202@uamont.edu.

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