Paintball is one of the world's fastest growing extreme sports and if the Burns Lake Paintball Association (BLPA) have anything to do with it, Burns Lake will eventually become a mecca for paintballers.
According to Brendan Abreu and Steve Cox, two of the BLPA's directors, the only thing standing in their way is access to a property they can use and develop for the sport.
"We see an opportunity to provide a fun and exciting activity for the youth and adults of the Lakes District to become involved in. We expect to draw paintball players from all over B.C. to our events and put Burns Lake on the map as a great venue for paintball players to meet. Visiting players would bring commerce to the Village of Burns Lake as they would need accommodations, dining and shopping and based on previous events we estimate players would spend approximately $100 per day in the community and we expect to draw 50 or more players to each of our special events," Abreu said.
The group recently approached Comfor Management Services Ltd. for a property they could develop and CMSL are now considering leasing the association one of two properties in the local area.
The most favourable of which is a property near Boer Mountain and the Rod Reid Trail.
Dawn Stronstad, Burns Lake Community Forest general manager recommended CMSL do a preliminary investigation to determine if the property is suitable, before working out any further details with the association.
Paintball is sport in which players compete, either in teams or individually, to eliminate their opponents by tagging them with paintballs. Paintballs contain a water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside and are propelled from a paintball gun. They are non-toxic, biodegradable and water soluble.
The game is regularly played at a sporting level with organized competition involving worldwide leagues, tournaments, professional teams, and players.
Abreu said, "We currently have 22 members with 10 more looking to join in the spring. Our vision is to promote the sport of paintball while also providing a safe and fun environment where local youth and adults can play the game. Paintball is an exhilarating and healthy sport that helps players develop life skills such as communication, discipline and teamwork in an outdoor environment," Abreu said.
The sport is popular in B.C. and most larger urban centers have successful commercial paintball parks. "In areas where this is not available players usually play on crown or private land wherever they can find a location," Cox said.
According to Abreu, Northwest B.C. has a large following of paintball players without any commercial field available to play on, West of Prince George.
The local team, called 'Dogs of War' currently play on local crown land but Abreu said the group could expand their local games to bigger events if they were able to get insurance.
"To get insurance, which is approximately $1,400 per year, we need our own paintball park property," he said.
The Dogs of War team is currently sponsored by Tippmann [a manufacturer of high-performance paintball guns and accessories] and are the only team sponsored by the company in Western Canada. "We are the third team to be sponsored in Canada. This is huge because they make our guns," Abreu said, adding that sponsorship means that the company supplies the team with equipment at cost price.
The team is also sponsored by Hammerhead, makers of paintball gun barrels and are sponsored by Paintball Gear. "We have an elite sponsorship with Paintball Gear, it's the highest level of team sponsorship which is important because they sell us our paint and equipment."
One of the biggest paintball events in the world is 'Oklahoma D-Day.' The event brings in 3,500 to 4,000 players to the community of Wyandotte, Oklahoma annually and like the actual invasion of Normandy, several battles unfold across the field throughout the day. Sides are awarded points for holding or taking critical objectives at key times. The entire event runs for a week.
The association is hoping that in the future Burns Lake may host a similar event. To find out more, go to www.dogsofwarpaintball.ca or find them on Facebook.