A Different Kind Of Baller

"I can't see!" yelled a frantic member of the Broken Glass paintball team. "It's all foggy, I can't see anything!" \n"Ok," answers Gary Bartels, owner of the Paintball Valley/Valley Branch Retreat in Nashville, Ind., as he uses an anit-fog substance to clear the players goggles. "Let's fix that." \nDespite the rain, hail and sleet, Bartels gears up two teams -- the Slabs of Beef and the Broken Glass -- and prepares them for Capture the Flag, a common paintball game. Each team will have a chance to be the attackers and the defenders. The object of the game is to capture the flag and head to the tower without being shot with a paintball by the opposing team.\nBartels, 51, opened the Paintball Valley/Valley Branch Retreat five years ago, with inspiration from his youngest son Christopher. \n"It was motivated when I came home, when my son was 12, and they were digging a BB out of this guy's arm," Bartels says. "There were seven of them playing war in the woods with BB guns….and I said, 'No, we don't do this.'" \nFor Christopher's 13th birthday, Bartels took him to an indoor paintball game in Indianapolis. Soon after, Bartels built his first paintball field.\nBoth of Bartels' sons take part in the business. Christopher, now 19, not only custom builds guns, but, as his father says, has become a top-notch Air-smith, a term used to describe someone who is expert at building and repairing paintball guns. Bartels' other son Lance, 24, works on the construction side of the business.\nBartels also owns the Bloomington Paintball/ Airsoft Supply store located on 4019 W. Third St. Store Manager Scott Matlock recommends beginners wear goggles (thermal goggles or anti-fog goggles are the best), layered-clothing, boots or football cleats and gloves. \n"Most people also wear camouflage clothing, in case you are playing in the woods, because it's harder to spot," Matlock says. \nMatlock is part of the Sewer Rats paintball team, which he says is the oldest paintball team name in Indiana. \nHe became interested in the game when he received a magazine in the mail about paintball called 1-888-paintball. \n"I read the magazine and I was hooked," Matlock says. "I guess it was fate."\nThe Paintball Valley/Valley Branch Retreat contains over 550 acres of land, with another 500 acres, owned by Bartels' family, which is used for mountain biking with 25 miles of trails. Bartels has 80 acres dedicated to Paintball. \nSpeedball, Role-Playing Scenario (RPS) and Recreational Play games are types of paintball activities played on Bartels' fields. Bartels describes Speedball as a five-minute adrenaline rush where the object of the game is to capture the center flag and take it through to the other side. Speedball players usually wear flashy uniforms and have guns that can shoot 24 balls per second. Bartels says that RPS games, or Extreme Tactical Games, are sneak-and-peek woods games with camouflage. Games may last from a 15 minute minimum to 24 hours, with four missions per hour. \nOther games include Bunker Hill, Protect the president and Terminator. These games usually have a team that defends and one that attacks. Teams are even able to make up their own games.\nRPS games are different than the simpler "Capture the Flag." RPS games last 24 hours and have certain missions, rather than the normal 12-minute duration of a regular game. RPS games start at noon and run until 7 p.m., when the teams are given a two-hour break to have dinner. Bartels says most "cook and feast" on the campground. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., Bartels says, only about half of the original teams will continue to play. The game then resumes at 9 a.m., with the final battle at noon. RPS games also have a theme, such as "M.A.S.H.," "Star Trek" or "Aliens." Prizes are also given out to outstanding players in the game, as well as best costume. Bartels said some winners have dressed up as aliens or Klingons, from "Star Trek." Prizes, given to the winners, include paintball guns, accessories, paint, gift certificates, memberships or cash.\nSuch prizes are also given out to highly competitive Speedball games, paintball regular David Dixon says. Dixon, 21, started playing paintball in 1998 when his friends and brother became interested in the game. Once he played the game, he was hooked. \n"I love the speed and the adrenaline rush," Dixon says. "It's the feeling that I get when I hit an opponent and capture the flag." \nDixon has participated on a team called Parasy for the past year. He prefers playing Speedball because it's "fast-paced, has good competition, and you deal with many people who have had years of practice, whereas in recreational games there are a lot are beginners." \nDixon frequently visits the Paintball Valley/Valley Branch Retreat to play paintball and has known Bartels for two years. \nBefore each game, Bartels holds safety orientations, inspects each player's gun, and only allows customers to purchase paintballs from his store. Having the customers buy paintballs from his store guarantees the paintballs to be in excellent condition, Bartels says. \nPlayers range from all ages. \n"My youngest player has been eight years old and my oldest has been 75 years old," Bartels says. \nIt costs $10 to play a regular game and customers are able to rent out equipment at the site. RPS games need to be scheduled in advance and are able to accommodate up to 1,000 people at one time, spread out on all of his fields, but Bartels has never had more than 250 people playing at one time.\nNormally, Bartels plays paintball every Sunday. In the past, he has played with S.W.A.T. Teams and the FBI. Bartels insists they will return for another visit. \n"I would also like to (play paintball) with cops and attorneys, or with IU, maybe even with the different levels of faculty," Bartels says. "I'd like to (participate) wherever you want to build comaradarie and teamwork." \nBartels has also participated in fundraisers for the Riley's Children's Hospital.\nBartels added that paintball is one of the safest games to play, even safer than bowling and golf, which he said he read in Paintball 2Xtremes Magazine. And although more men come out to play, Bartels said that 15 percent of his customers are women. \n"In fact, one woman starts out next week to be a referee," Bartels says. \nBartels says this is a big step for women in the game of paintball, as the referee has a large amount of authority on the field.\n"A referee in paintball is the judge of who wins, does paint checks on Speedball, and depending on what type of game, (they) may repair guns and even give pointers," he says.\nBartels says that paintball can be a bonding experience for organizations and a chance to let go of some stress. It is for these reasons he says the game has become so popular.\n"It's a fun, stress-relieving, team-building game," he says.\nFor more information about the Paintball Valley/Valley Branch Retreat call Gary Bartels at (812)988-7750 or visit the website at www.valleybranch-retreat.com.