Having never gone paintballing before, I couldn't pass up a chance to try it out for a mere £10 on a school-subsidized trip to Paintzone, especially with a hearty Pizza Hut lunch included. The park was about an hour south of the school, at what seemed like the edge of London's suburbs. The base camp was cleverly designed, its ring of camouflaged shelters around a firepit giving it the military air demanded by the swarms of guests in green jumpsuits. The park consisted of five course of varying natures, my favorite of which was "Castle," which was dominated by a large wooden castle from which one team defended their flag. The suits were satisfactory (although many players had problems with their mask fogging. The guns we're a real mixed bag. The gun I was issued shot so wildly I never managed to hit any target with it. A number of times I left it on the ground and attempted to grab flags unburdened, so little did the thing help me. I got a very satisfactory taste of the real deal at the end of the day, however. "Castle" was the last zone we played, and halfway through the final round, when our team was holding the castle, the marshal tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a better gun. What a difference it made! I managed to eliminate three players in as many minutes, and felt much of my previous frustration drain away.
The only notable injury occurred when Ahmet, the security guard who arranged the trip, was knocked out by a blow to the head when a double shot to the head knocked him off balance and he fell into a barrel. He proved himself to be the hearty fellow we all expected, and he was his jubilant self when we checked in on him an hour later. The only downside for him was that he missed a half-day of the sport that he loves.
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