At Gator Paintball in Hudson, you're on a mission for fun

By Mike Camunas, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Thursday, April 30, 2009

Jeff Connapser takes aim at the opposition during the Gator Paintball event this month. Gator Paintball started 11 years ago.
	[CHRIS PRICE | Special to the Times]

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For paintballers, it's a likely scenario.

They come to Gator Paintball in Hudson and partake in a twice-annual event: 24-hour scenario games, such as the one on April 18-19.

"They are mission-based games and a lot of work goes into them," Gator Paintball owner and operator Tim Altman said. "We like to keep it more family orientated, if we can, but it's fun for anyone. You don't have to be part of an official paintball team to join in."

The theme was the Fall of Saigon, as Altman says they usually stay with war-based themes because, well, those are the most fun. In the past they've done a Black Hawk Down theme, but this one with a Vietnam theme. With these scenario games, it becomes one big role playing event. There are two sides, as if it were a war, and each side has 75 players. Each player is given a role, whether it be general or medic or engineer or even tank driver. Altman also fixes up golf carts to look like tanks to use in the game.

And for 24 hours (two 12-hour days), each side will carry out missions. It could use a paintball team that joined a side or make one of individuals that enlisted. Either way, each time a mission is completed, the side gets points and eventually the one with the most wins.

"Either side has to figure out a way to get it done," Altman said. "It really comes down to whatever it takes. I guess it could be like a war, just each mission involves paintball is some way."

Altman adds that lots of prep work goes into the scenario weekend, that is to make Gator Paintball's ground into a proper setting. A team has to take the map it is given, and then find and protect for 30 minutes the area designated and designed to look like Saigon.

They just have to make sure to keep the enemy painted and out of the fictional setting.

"It all based on what the theme is that year," said Altman, who started Gator Paintball 11 years ago. "Everyone really seems to get into what we have for that year, which is usually military based, but everyone comes out and has a great time completing a mission, as each has even more importance than the last."

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