Paintball is a growing pastime around Baltimore, Maryland, though venues that offer paintball activities are still limited. Some paintball parks offer organized team competitions as well as opportunities for individuals to have fun pitting their skills against other players.
Paintball
Paintball uses air guns to shoot gelatin capsules filled with a water-soluble paint. When hit with a paintball, a player is "out." A basic game is two teams trying to eliminate each other. Another popular variation is to play "capture the flag" where each team tries to steal the opposing team's flag and return it to their base.
Route 40 Paintball Park
The Route 40 Paintball Park is in the White Marsh area of Baltimore. Former professional paintball player Tom Maliszewski opened it in 2000. You can either bring your own equipment to the park or rent equipment at the park. Walk-on competitors may fire 1,000 paintballs during their play. Route 40 Paintball Park has four different playing fields. The park is available for private competitions and open competitions. You can also compete in tournaments.
Private Play
Teams and parties can play at Route 40 Paintball Park in private competitions. The private groups are run by safety-certified referees who give the players a safety briefing before play starts. According to the Route 40 Paintball Park website, "The average new player will shoot approximately 500 paintballs in a private group for the day." Most of the private competitions run about 20 minutes.
What to Wear
Wear old, loose-fitting clothes. This allows you the flexibility to run and not have to worry about ruining clothes with dirt and paint. It is also recommended that you wear long sleeves and pants to protect your arms and legs against the sting of exploding paintballs. A hat will also help keep paint out of your hair. Wear shoes that are comfortable and give you good ankle support.
Outdoor Adventures Airsoft
Airsoft is a similar activity to paintball that started roughly around the same time. Airsoft weapons resemble real weapons and fire 6-mm soft plastic pellets rather than paintballs. Every two weeks, players compete against each other at a field in the Rosedale area of Baltimore. Though you don't need to be on a team to compete at the Rosedale location, you do need to wear safety gear including "factory un-modified paintball goggles/mask systems," according to the Outdoor Adventures Airsoft website.
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