Press - Boulder Paintball

Boulder, CO - 4/25/03 - Tunka, also known as Boulder Paintball, is a paintball club centralized in Boulder but open to paintball players of all levels in surrounding cities. Officially started in March 2003, Tunka seems to have a strong demand of membership likely due to free membership and a lack of commercial fields in the area. Since Tunka is absolutely free to join, its lack of funds is offset by help of club members, donations, and company sponsorships such as from Etchedweb.com Ecommerce. Although the club doesn't own any paintball fields, members can still play 'outlaw' paintball, a term used to describe paintball games outside commercial fields such as those on public land as in Roosevelt National Forest. Although the term 'outlaw' paintball sounds like the game is being played illegally, this is not quite the case. We don't know exactly where or how the term arose exactly but playing in the national forest is as legal as firing a handgun and hunting.

Paintball is still a relatively new sport, less than 20 or 30 years old. However, it is also one of the fastest growing sports. Paintball guns, which are called 'markers', use CO2 or HPA (high pressure air or nitrogen) to propel a .68 caliber paintball to approximately 300 feet per second (about 200mph). Although the term 'paintball' signifies that there's paint within, the paint is not the same as automotive paint or house paint. Paintball fill is made of mostly polyethylene glycol, an ingredient in cough syrup and many other processed foods, food dye for color and maybe some wax to thicken the fill. The outer shell base is made of gelatin of the same kind that makes gummy bears. Upon impact, the paintball bursts and leaves a colored paint mark at which point you are out of the game. Since paintballs are made from food ingredients and water-soluble, they are biodegradable, safe for the environment and nontoxic to animals and humans. However, we wouldn't recommend anyone tasting one since they aren't tasty nor pleasantly aromatic like gummy bears.

With approximately 30,000 students at the University Colorado at Boulder, the game is likely to be a popular sport in Boulder if an organization, such as Tunka, provides the facilities to meet other paintball players and organize games. Tunka has established a web site at www.tunka.com and an email list which is FREE to subscribe to on the site exactly for this purpose. Tunka, however, is not the only club in the area although it is the only in Boulder to our knowledge. The Milliken Paintball Club is another such paintball club, Milliken being close to Loveland is not that far a drive.

Some considering playing paintball are inhibited because of scary welt-from-hell stories they may have heard. However, paintballs don't always leave such welts. Getting hit by a paintball and welt stories that go with them seems to actually be part of the fun for some players. Welts are the biggest result when markers are shooting 'hot', a paintball faster than 300 feet per second, and chronographs are used to prevent these cases. Welts, which are inversely proportional to the amount of clothing you wear, can be prevented or minimized. There's paintball foam clothing out there that minimizes welts. Paintballs that hit the head usually sting for about a minute or two (although you are not supposed to aim for the head or the mask they do happen) and then will numb, whereas welts to the butt you'll feel for a week as you sit; the sound of laughter among friends is not unusual during this time. Therefore, where you get hit your first couple of games makes a big difference on your outlook of paintball.

But for those who play paintball, welts are a small price to pay for making new friends and a thrilling game of paintball out in the clean fresh air among the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains. It's basically the all-time popular game of hide-and-seek we all enjoyed as kids with more expensive toys. And if you ever played a game of paintball on a warm sunny day of winter in the national forest, you've never felt so invigorated and alive; nothing gets you as relaxed and tense at the same time as when you play on fresh snow in the midst of fragrant pines with 200 mph paintballs whizzing by. It is really a natural Rocky Mountain 'High'.

If you have any questions about Tunka or paintball in general please contact admin@tunka.com. We'd appreciate any coverage you may include of us in your print. Feel free to use this article if you'd like, edited or unedited.

Nearest paintball location to University of Colorado at Boulder - CU