Anyone play paintball?

I've played it... but years ago... and it has completely changed since I last played. It's high tech.... and you better have lots of extra $ if you want to get involved.

My son-in-law and my oldest grandson are VERY into it. They formed a team... and joined some 'circuit' that plays competitively throughout Calif.

Recently my grandson called me all excited that he was going to meet "X"... a name I had never heard of. I just assumed it was a football player but after a few minutes talking to him things began to make no sense... it was then he informed me that this "X" was a worldwide known Paintball Pro, my grandson was stunned I had not heard of him.

They played in a tournament down near LA yesterday and came by my house last night on the way home. They started showing me some youtubes, a few websites... this is BIG stuff... incredibly popular - but had somehow escaped my radar.

So paintball today - they have a 'point' system for each game... don't ask, I don't have a clue. They play various tournaments gathering points and thereby getting 'ranked'... and ranked both nationally and around the world. The highest ranked teams play what I guess is a World Cup Paintball tournament. My son-in-law and grandson are hoping to make it.

They come home from games bruised, bleeding, and oblivious to their wounds. Well, I get that... was once like that... but now in my old age I look at their wounds and think there aren't enough opioids in the world that could get me to sleep after a game of paintball.

I have attended a few paintball games/tournaments.... frankly it's not much of a spectator sport, if you ask me. Mostly it involves looking thru a net at total chaos and occasionally getting splattered with a paintball that hits the net in front of you. During the breaks between games all conversation revolves around paintball equipment... using terminology that is totally alien to me.

Never the less.... I watch the games and inside I think, "Wish I was still a young man". But hey... I have a new smoker... and frankly I'm not sure they get as excited about a new paint gun as I am about my new smoker. And as a bonus: After I smoke a ham, have a beer or two, I have no wounds at all... and sleep well without opioids.