Go Ahead, Boss: Make My Day

There is, it seems, no standard way to play paintball.

A simple game of capture the flag can be played with just a handful of participants out in the woods. Recreational rounds can be played at any number of paintball centers in the region.

More extreme? There's the annual Oklahoma D-Day event, held just across the state line southwest of Seneca. The event, which re-creates the 1944 invasion of Normandy, France, attracts up to 4,000 players a year, according to www.ddayadventurepark.com.

Despite the different ways to play, all versions of paintball share a few things in common, fans say. Adrenaline rushes, cardiovascular workouts and camaraderie are at the top of the list.

Paul Maness, release manager at Duck Creek Technologies in Bolivar, started playing capture the flag about three years ago when a co-worker's husband put up some barriers in his backyard.

It wasn't long before Maness was hooked.

"I don't know if it's getting to shoot people and get away with it," Maness says, trying to pinpoint the attraction. "It's something different, not your everyday competition."

Chris Criner, data systems analyst with Students in Free Enterprise, is part of a neighborhood group that two years ago transformed six acres behind their houses into a paintball battlefield.

It started when one neighbor received paintball equipment for his birthday. Soon after, they all had paintball gear.

He and his buddies also play capture the flag. And he echoes the thrill of the hunt. "There's nothing like relieving stress by shooting somebody," Criner says.

But that brings up another point: It's not a painless sport.

"That's what everybody wonders when they start doing this stuff," says Greg Mertz, owner of Dings N' Things, 1912 S. Stewart Ave. "The first question: Does it hurt? Yes. But when you're in the heat of battle, you don't notice that."

When Mertz says battle, he's talking large-scale battles.

Mertz is among paintball enthusiasts who have gravitated to scenario paintball, in which historic battles are re-created. He and anywhere from 10 to 20 team members head out on weekends to compete throughout the Midwest.

Mertz didn't set out looking for paintball. He already was active in scuba diving, sport biking, rock climbing and kayaking, so he had plenty of adventure. "I've heard about it for years," he says. "I had friends try to get me to get into it. I just didn't know if I would be cut out for it."

But then his son got involved and Mertz started taking him to matches.

"I was in it with both feet," Mertz says.

Most recently, he participated in a Dallas event that had about 100 players on each side. And he's participated in the Oklahoma D-Day event for several years.

Regardless of the size of battle, the rush is always there, Mertz says. "It brings out something that you didn't really know you had before. Some (people) are so docile ... and they get on the field and turn into monsters."

So how much does it cost to play hide-and-go seek with guns?

Maness says he spent less than $200 to get set up, including a gun, paintballs, air tank, paintball container and protective visor.

Top-of-the-line guns can run up to $1,200, Mertz says, but it's possible to get everything needed for serious scenario battles for about $1,000 - not including travel expenses, of course. Entry fees for the larger events run about $50 per person.

And if you're really, really into it, you can go full tilt with military gear and accessories for your team.

Ultimately, though, Criner, Maness and Mertz say paintball is a great way to fit in a workout, relieve stress and build teamwork. In fact, Maness says Duck Creek used paintball earlier this year as a team-building exercise for employees.

Playing requires organization and a lot of communication, he says.

And there was an unexpected morale booster.

"I like my boss ... ," Maness says laughing, "but it's nice to shoot your boss."