New 17-Acre Rocky Mount Paintball Center Attracts Players of All Ages
activities, gaming facility, paintball, recreation,
Imagine yourself and a companion standing back to back‚ guns at the ready‚ scanning obstacles and open terrain for the enemy.
Your heart beats a little faster and your eyes narrow as you concentrate on defending your position against those who are trying to get a shot at you.
That’s because you’re playing one of the fastest-growing games in the nation: paintball.
“The interest and growth [in paint ball] is off the charts‚” says David Smith‚ owner of Rocky Mount Paintball.
“There are an estimated 15 million players nationwide‚ with a high concen tration in the Southeastern states.”
Smith opened Rocky Mount Paintball in December 2005 on a 17-acre tract off Highway NC 4 North. The center is already known among fans of the game as one of the premier venues in the country. It has one of the few existing lighted fields and is among fewer than two dozen paintball centers with sufficient landscape to host national-scale tournaments‚ Smith says.
Rocky Mount Paintball has already landed an impressive deal to host the EXP Series competition for the next two years. The series is the largest profes sional tournament in the eastern half of the country.
“We’re very excited to bring this tournament to Rocky Mount and Nash County‚” Smith says. “Not only will it provide top competition‚ it should bring about 600 to 800 players and their entourages here on a given weekend‚ which translates into a good boost for the local economy.”
The game of paintball is typically played in teams‚ with players earning points by tagging members of the opposing team with paint shot from special guns. In one version of the game‚ known as Capture the Flag‚ the teams try to recover the enemy’s flag and return it to their own home base.
“One of the main attractions of the center is that we are the perfect environment for group activities‚ such as corporate outings‚” says Smith. “It teaches great teamwork.”
The Rocky Mount Paintball center includes a pro shop with equipment for sale and rent‚ as well as a grill that opened in June 2006. Players are charged $25 per paintball session‚ plus additional fees for balls and equipment rental. However‚ the first session is on the house‚ Smith says.
An annual membership at Rocky Mount Paintball costs $100 per year.
Smith offers reduced rates for certain groups‚ including church groups and Boy Scouts.
“We are also very proud of our Heroes Membership Program in which all military personnel‚ police personnel and firefighters play for free anytime‚ with exception of balls and equipment rental‚” he says.
Smith says his customers range in age from young teens to adults in their 50s and 60s.
“But the average age of most players is around 18 years old‚” he adds.
Rocky Mount Paintball is the chosen site for regional and local action associated with the Mid-Atlantic Paintball series tournaments. These games attract 200 to 300 players for each event.
“Most of the business is in recreational ball play‚ such as these tournaments‚” Smith says.
Story by Warren Denney
Photo by Stephen Cherry
