AU Paintball Team: Co-Captain Danny Osborn, Scott Clay, founder and co-captain David Mullins, Peyton Gunn and Matt Breitenstein pose during last weekend’s tournament.
The sport of paintball has officially made its way to the Loveliest Village.
Formed last September, the Auburn University Paintball Team has competed in several tournaments, the most recent being last weekend in Monroe, Ga., hosted by the Georgia Field Owner’s Association.
The tournament was the first time the team had been fully in tact, as it has been through numerous roster changes since its inception.
“We played well for our first tournament together,” said Peyton Gunn, a sophomore and new member of the team. “With a little bit of practice we should start taking the top spots at events. We had a great time out there, and it was a good learning experience for everyone on the team.”
Danny Osborn, founder and co-captain of the Auburn Paintball Team, thinks the team has potential.
However, because of a lack of funding the team has yet to make a name for itself around campus, and the paintball world.
“The college series was a good learning experience for us as a team,” said Osborn, also a sophomore.
“Unfortunately, we are not able to attend Nationals which is April 18-20 due to funding issues. Every event that we attend, as well as all of our equipment costs, comes out of our own pockets, but luckily we are able to get discounted gear from our sponsor, Smart Parts.”
The team has participated in three events since September, including last weekend’s competition.
The other two were events in South Carolina, hosted by the National Collegiate Paintball Association.
The Auburn Paintball team: enters the field at the start of a tournament last weekend in Monroe, Ga. The team was officially started in September 2007.
The NCPA is an incorporated, non-profit association comprised of college paintball clubs and teams across the country.
The organization, started in 1986, makes it easy for students to start a paintball club at any college, so Osborn jumped at the chance to begin a NCPA chapter at Auburn.
The team practices as often as possible in Columbus, but junior David Mullins wants to practice in a location closer to Auburn for convenience.
“We have practices as often as we can, but sometimes it is hard with our players and their hectic schedules with school and all,” Mullins said.
“We’re always looking for new players that would like to come out and scrimmage with us if they’re interested in giving paintball a shot.”
The team has planned several upcoming events, such as another tournament hosted by the Georgia Field Owner’s Association in May. They are also planning a five-man tournament in Tuscaloosa in June.
Anyone interested in joining the Auburn University Paintball Team can find it’s official group on Facebook or contact the administrators for more information.
