TAT: Members of Competitive Club Excel Nationally in Paintball

This article originally appeared in the September 5, 2012 sports section of The Arkansas Traveler.

     For nearly a decade, UA students have had the opportunity to participate in the paintball club, either as a recreational sport or a competitive club sport.

     Currently, nine students compete on the tournament team that is a member of the National Collegiate Paintball Association. While the NCPA season ends in April, the team continues to compete in a regional league.

     “It’s a year-round sport,” said sophomore Travis McCaghren, vice president of the club. “We travel to tournaments all over the country.”

     Last year, tournament sites included Chicago, St. Louis and Lakeland, Fla. In all, the club traveled 5,800 miles and expects to travel travel approximately 10,200 miles this year.

     “We went the most miles of any club last year,” McCaghren said.

     As you might imagine, that much travel is very expensive. The University Recreation Department provides some funds for the club, however it only covers a portion of the expenses.

     “We are very grateful for UREC’s help, but we still have to pay a lot out of pocket. It is very expensive,” McCaghren said.

     Between all nine members of the tournament team, they spent $15,491 out of their own pockets last year. With so much money invested into the sport, the members take it seriously and practice once or twice a week.

     “I take paintball every bit as seriously as I took football, and (as a team) we take it as seriously as any of the other sports,” McCaghren said.

     They have practice at Arkansas River Valley Paintball in Alma, and during these practices, they work on communication, do situational drills and scrimmage.

     At tournaments, they play 5-on-5 matches in which they attempt to hang their flag on the other team’s side. They typically play a “race to four” format, where the first team to hang their flag four times wins. If neither team scores four points, then the team with the most points when time expires, wins.

     At the NCPA National Championships last year, they finished in the top 20.

     “Last year’s and this year’s teams are probably the most talented teams we’ve ever had,” McCaghren said.

     Even if a student doesn’t want to dedicate a lot of time to the club, they can still be a part of it. There are 20-25 students who are on the recreational team.

     “You can take it as seriously as you want,” McCaghren said. “It’s a way to get away from everything else. It takes your mind off school and work, and it’s a way to make new friends.”

     Students on the recreational team can play and practice anywhere from once a week to once a year, depending on their interest levels.

     As for McCaghren, he has been playing since he was in fifth grade.

     “I got invited to a birthday party and was scared to death, but my dad told me to give it a shot. Luckily the first time I got hit was from a long way away and it didn’t hurt, and I got addicted to (the sport),” McCaghren said.

     He expects this season to be another successful one for the tournament team and the recreational team.

     “I think we have a great shot at bringing a national championship back to Fayetteville,” McCaghren said. “The sky is the limit to what this group of guys can accomplish this year.”