Dixon Park District provides outdoor space for paintball
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| Players (from left) Caleb Daniels, Justin Wallin, Guy Smith and Jake Wallin trade stories after a game. (Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@svnmail.com) |
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DIXON – Losing can hurt in paintball.
Getting hit with a paintball “does sting. I’m not going to lie,” says Guy Smith, 24, of Dixon.
But the sting doesn’t keep Smith and nine other young men from Dixon, Ashton and Franklin Grove from meeting every other Sunday since January to play paintball. The Dixon Park District allows them to play for free in a wooded area the size of a football field off Brinton Avenue near the Dixon Correctional Center.
The field, which is used only for paintball, has naturally formed trenches and brush in which players can hide.
“I do think this is something that’s going to take off,” Park District Recreation Supervisor Terry Shroyer said. “And we’ll make adjustments as they go to make it safer for everybody.”
The group is looking for more people – male and female – to join in play.
The park district requires players to wear helmets and face protection. They also must bring their own protective gear, paintballs, markers and propellant.
For those stinging paintballs, Smith, a student at Sauk Valley Community College, is looking into protective gear like team jerseys with padded shoulders, chests and pants.
Justin Morgan, 18, of Lee Center, said the first time he was hit with a paintball, he was 3 feet from his pursuer. He bruised.
Yes, sometimes, playing paintball hurts.
To learn more
To learn more about paintball at the Dixon Park District, go to www.saukvalley.com/multimedia to view players in action.
■ To join the group, sign up at the Dixon Park District offices, 804 Palmyra St., Dixon, or call 815-284-3306.
