Boom, headshot! Jenifer Rosie survives to live another day.
Recreational Sports provides outdoor, getaway, tests students survival skills
The concept of the game is quite simple: hunt or be hunted. North Idaho College’s Recreational Sports program tested many student’s human hunting abilities with a paintball event held on Oct. 28. near the Beauty Bay area of Coeur d’Alene Lake.
Rec. Sports coordinator Jessica Johanson spearheaded the event. It was free and only offered to NIC’s students, staff or faculty.
“It was a good group, and I’m glad it was free,” said Brock Heath, 19, Resort and Recreation Management. “It was a real nice spot for it. I had a blast overall.”
Guns, masks and carbon dioxide were supplied and transportation from the campus was offered. Johanson said that two vans were used to transport students to the location that was about 30 minutes away. There were 19 people who showed up for the event. The group enjoyed a sunny and clear 50 degree day out in the wild.
“It was awesome and very successful,” Johanson said. “I had never paintballed before. I just wanted to utilize the equipment that we have.”
Johanson split the group up into three teams. She said that there was a 50-50 split between new and experienced players, so each team was close to being balanced.
They played a total of six matches in two and a half hours, and those matches ranged from simple games of capture the flag to a “king of the hill” type of format.
“One game that was really sweet was at the very end,” said Tanner Robert, 19, nursing. “We lined up like Civil War style and just shot until we were out [of paintballs]. It was really intense.”
Roberts described the location as a “cool” gravel pit ravine right in the middle of nowhere. Johanson said that they could go anywhere on National Forest Service land as long as they clear the location with the department ahead of time.
The night before the event, Johanson and her staff chronographed the guns to a slower and safer speed. She said the only required equipment was the provided face mask and clothes that the participant didn’t mind getting dirty or shot in.
“It can [hurt],” Robert said. “Sometimes they just bounce off, but sometimes they get you good.”
Johanson said that she is planning two events for the spring semester and they will likely take place in April.
She said that Rec. Sports draws many dorm students to these events and will continue to offer transportation for those students living on campus without a vehicle.
She also said it was a great opportunity to meet new people from the college, and that it was a valuable learning experience.
“I learned that I am not a very good hunter,” Johanson said. “I thought it would be really painful, and I did get shot, but it wasn’t that bad. I had a blast.”
The dates and locations for next April’s events are still being finalized. For more information on future paintball events, as well as other free events put on by Rec. Sports, contact Jessica Johanson at (208) 769-3299 or email her at jajohanson@nic.edu.
