Paintball brings all kinds of people together. On our team, college students play side-by-side with white collar professionals. Construction workers play along with IT workers. Writers cover the flanks of middle management types. Somehow, this mass of players gels into a unit. It’s a team where the players already know what their buddies on the field are going to do before they do it. It’s one of the things that I love about this game. There’s no one on my team that I wouldn’t happily hang out with off the field at any time.

At the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation game in October, just outside of Mesquite, Nevada, Bad Karma was pleased to meet up with some great players from Ontario, Canada. As chance would have it, The Northern Gunmen (www.thenortherngunmen.com) had players staying in a condo just across the street from our own. As we were preparing to head over to the field, we spied some people with suspicious paintball-related clothing. We ended up wandering over to see if they were going to be at the event. Not only were they other players in the charity event, The Northern Gunmen were already slated to be on the same side of the battle as Bad Karma. This chance encounter lead to a scene that is replayed wherever a group like this gets together—a circle of paintballers joking, telling stories, and having a good time.

Bad Karma invited The Northern Gunmen to join them at their staging tents. As The Northern Gunmen had flown to the US to come to the game, they were unable to bring team gear needed to weather the often brutal sun of the desert.

Once the game started, Bad Karma and The Northern Gunmen became the prime movers in what was accomplished for the side. Splitting the field into areas of responsibility, the two teams were leaders in a dominating day of paintball. Between rounds of the game, Bad Karma and The Northern Gunmen shared a staging area and swapped jokes. Shade was traded for water, seats offered to tired players, and gear swapped.

After the first day of paintball, Bad Karma met up with The Northern Gunmen at the after party in the casino. Several rounds of drinks were shared, and yet more stories told. Some of the players felt the effects of that party well into the next day. Yet, it was worth it to see a comrade in a similar situation. It was an opportunity to laugh a little and play on.

Regardless of the event outcome, both Bad Karma and The Northern Gunmen came away richer for having found fellow players that rapidly became friends. Bad Karma will happily play with and alongside The Northern Gunmen whenever the opportunity presents itself. This sport that we all play has a way of binding players across borders and creating friendships that will hopefully continue and grow over the years.

Marv “The Reverend” White
Bad Karma Paintball Team
www.teambadkarma.com