Creative Commons, Photo by Victoria Padevit Brown. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. No changes were made.
As told by Cameron Purcell, Staff Writer
When I first heard of the paintball event that would be sponsored and paid for by Lone Star College-Kingwood, I could not have been more excited. However, I was a naive boy, blinded by dreams of glorious paint-based warfare.
Before battle, all of us were briefed on the rules and regulations of warfare. The most notable being that if you were shot, you were to raise your hands up and escort yourself to the timeout zone.
The first match was to be a battle between Kingwood as the opposition, attempting to claim a castle being held by the students of North Harris.
As soon as the match began, our team ran for cover as a seemingly unending torrent of paint balls flew towards us.
We slowly advanced towards the castle, lobbing a few paint balls at the enemy before rushing forwards to a new area free of fire. I devised a plan. Like true soldiers, they did not question it, and one ran out into the hailstorm as the other mate and I ran for cover. The plan went off without a hitch.
I felt some remorse, however, as I saw my teammate take a walk of shame back to the beginning of the field, covered in splatters of yellow paint. I made a promise to myself that his sacrifice would not be in vain, that Harris would never set foot in this castle ever again!
That promise was quickly shattered into minuscule pieces.
I felt the first paintball hit my exposed arm. It was like a miniature knife piercing my skin for a split second, followed by a stinging pain that turned my skin red before it was covered in running paint. Shortly after, an individual had braved the storm of paint and planted his hand on the castle wall, ensuring victory for Kingwood. This was followed by yet another victory, and another…
At the end of the day, Kingwood came out with one more loss than wins, and we ascended beyond mere boys and had become men. Except for the girls, they became women.
Not only was it an exhilarating journey that flooded me with adrenaline and determination, but I formed brotherly bonds with others who hailed from LSC-Kingwood. It was an honor fighting alongside them and serving our campus proud. Paintball is something I highly recommend to anyone even mildly interested in the prospect.