Time : 9.00 am
Venue : Delta Paintball, Taman Pertanian Negara, Bukit Cahaya
Event : District Rotaract Fellowship - PAINball
As mentioned above, it was a day where all of us Rotaractors from District 3300 and guests get to have fun in a jungle environment and get to shoot each other.
I was staying over at Aaric's house the previous night so that I can follow his car to the location for the paintball. Luckily it wasn't difficult to wake the fella up but he's a bit of a lazybum. ^^"
We met up with Koshla, Nisha and one of Aaric's club member. After a short while, we met up with a few more of Aaric's friends as we headed for breakfast at the cafeteria near the entrance. A few of the participants (including the Organising Chairperson) was still on their way while we waited for them. Once everyone has arrived, we took a feeder bus uphill to the paintball valley. There were a few other groups there with a tournament going on. We're having our own game instead among the 20 of us. We were briefed of the safety measures and mechanisms of the marker (the gun that we're using to shoot), the face mask and protective vest.
After the briefing, we were brought to a nearby arena for the first battle which also serves as a warm up. All of us went with our designated teams and prepared for battle as strategies were explained. Being a newbie to this, I just stick around and go according to situation. The battle started once the marshalls gave the command as everyone took off their barrel socks (used to block the marker in case the safety pin was not in place and someone accidentally pulled the trigger) and pushed the safety pin into fire mode. There were boards, empty huts and trees to serve as cover while we rushed forward and shoot. Aaric was being a kamikaze by running first and shot 4 opponents before he was taken out. Then there was Eric and Sanjeev as well to lead the team. We won the first round by taking out majority of the opponents until times up. I didn't get to shoot anyone then which was an ultimate fail. =="
Round two, both teams switched positions and we found that the ground was a bit of a disadvantage for us. But we remained with the same strategy and Aaric being the kamikaze person he is, rushed forward first and got a few of the opponents. I was hiding behind one of the boards and shot a few pellets with my fellow teammate. And ended up getting shot at twice, at the right arm and thigh. First important lesson learnt, hide and shoot is a good strategy and be alert with the surroundings. My team lost the second round by survival as the opponents had more members in the arena compared to my team.
We then exited from the paintball grounds to rest and refresh ourselves while we returned the markers for a gas refill after emptying the pellets into the pots that we were carrying around to reload our markers in case we ran out of pellets. Everyone was sweating from the heat and adrenaline. Paintball is a physical sport that involves a lot of running. The venue has a freeflow of syrup drinks to replenish the fluids and energy in our body before we suit up and headed to the third round.
As we followed the marshal, we were led to a different spot where there was an old bus lying in the middle. The game, Attacker vs Defender. The rules, the defenders must prevent the attackers from touching the bus within 15 minutes. The attackers wins if one of their members managed to touch the bus and survive till the end of the time given. Members of both teams who got shot will have to move to their designated safe spots and wait for the marshal's command before they can re-enter to the battle. There were tensions in the air as we all waited for the opponents to approach while we guarded our stations. The attackers are allowed to fan out so we had to look out all around us for signs. For a few minutes, I can only hear my own breathing and the members checking in on their position. Then, we heard gunfires and all of us prepared for battle. The attackers were hiding behind bushes and trees as they tried to take us out and reach the target. I was just shooting away at anything that moves behind the trees from my side while using the tree as my cover. One by one, my team members were shot but we managed to take out a few of the opponents as well. Since their safe spot is far, they are at a disadvantage. The battle became more fierce as they came for the second time and we battled each other. I'm not sure if I got anyone in the process but there were pellets flying left and right at the tree I'm hiding behind. Some of the members who were taken out were giving the directions and then, our guard at the bus got shot and now the target is open. They were pushing me to move and protect the bus, but I was hesitating. That caused me to get shot as I felt something hit my head and I moved to the safe spot. But after checking, there was no ink mark on my head. Second lesson, if you think you got shot, first check and see if there are any ink marks before exiting the arena. Anyway, one of the opponents managed to touch the bus and we got excited as some of us screamed the instructions to one of our members who hid behind one of the bus while the opponent was at the other side. As the time runs out, we managed to protect the target until the end. We exited the arena for some rest before commencing the fourth round.
We're brought to a different are this time, with huts, empty barrels and a car to use as shields for our fourth battle. Raise the Flag. The rules are simple. Avoid getting shot and run to the flagpole and raise your team's flag. The one that lasts till the end wins. aaric, Sanjeev and Eric were to be the ones to raise the flag while the others tried to cover for them. But a few seconds after the battle started, my marker malfunctioned as it wasn't able to fire anything. So I called the marshal to rectify the problem. As I went back into battle, I noticed that some of my members were already missing. I turned around to see Aaric and Eric got taken out. Shortly after, Sanjeev followed suit. Lesson three, make sure to check that your equipments are fuunctioning properly before going into battle. The opponents' flag was raised. I saw some of the enemies and shot at them. One thing about the markers and the pellets is that they never travel in a straight line always due to the spherical shape of the pellets. Time was over and the opposing team won.
Some of us were already tired from the game as we rested and had our lunch. Only a few of us remained outside as the others resumed their battle. I gave my remaining pellets for them to use as James, Koshla, Li Yen and myself sat and waited for them to finish. Koshla had to go off early so only three of us remained to wait for the others. Li Yen, James and myself chatted among ourselves before they too had to go off at 2.30pm. Leaving me to be the Lone Guardian to take care of the important belongings. Just minutes after they left, Aaric and a few others returned and looking worn out. Apparently the reason they took so long was due to the choice of the battlegrounds. The game, Raise the Flag again but from what I hear, my team won the challenge as Aaric tied the ropes after raising our flag. There were some equipments malfunction as well and he had to abandon his marker and rushed to the flagpole which explains the injuries on his arm and the tear on his t-shirt. A few others exited from the arena as the remaining players went for the final round with one of the other teams there.
The game, Zombieball. The rules are simple. Nobody is taken out even after getting shot. The game lasts until everyone's pellets are used up. This kind of game tests the player's resistance as they get shot over and over again. Though it was a physically challenging game, everyone had fun and laughs with a few "souvenirs" added for memories. Not many photos were taken as all of us kept our important belongings and didn't bring them inside.
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| A few of the participants |
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| Aaric |
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| Eric |
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| Break time ^^ |
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| The final players for zombieball |
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