Aiming higher

JMU club paintball knows the challenge that it’s going to face next month.

"It’s going to be tough," said senior Chris Torre, president of club paintball. "We are going up against some of the top-20 teams in the nation."

The club will participate in its first intercollegiate tournament on Feb. 12, hosted by the National Collegiate Paintball Association, where it will play teams from the mid-Atlantic area. This tournament gives the club the opportunity to be nationally ranked.

Torre said the team is not concerned with immediate success in the upcoming tournament, but with creating a foundation for a successful paintball program at JMU.

"We are looking past this tournament. This will be the start to a really good program," Torre said. "We are incredibly stoked and we are really trying to get our name out there."

Drills to improve aim, shooting and sliding techniques have been the focus for the team. Torre said the group is at a disadvantage because paintball is a sport that relies heavily on teamwork and the team only has been practicing together since last semester.

The eight members also have scrimmaged on local and regional non-collegiate circuits. One such group is Rogue, the home-team of club paintball’s sponsor, Skyline Paintball.

Sue and Chris Haynes, owners of Skyline Paintball, have been working with the club.

"We do what we can to help them out and we look forward to seeing them progress," Sue Haynes said.

Junior Matt Langan, club paintball vice president, said he was impressed with the team’s efforts in a previous tournament.

"In one of our first events we placed second," Langan said. "It was a good sign for the progress of such a young team."

The club is focusing on recruiting good players. "Our main goal for the semester is to get a solid club membership," Langan added.