What's wrong with this picture?

What's wrong with this picture? I'll tell you there are a number of things wrong with this picture!



Let's take a look at the reporting on the incident. The two articles I've linked to describe a scene that we've witnessed before. A young player is brought to a paintball field for a day of fun. During play, two employees jumped into the game to play and the boy was hit. Now the father - who bears more than some responsiblity in this scenario - is suing the park.



What are the lessons to be learned, and how will you apply them?



Lesson number one: Employees NEVER, play against paying customers. If an employee wants to play on his own time, that's his business. However, to have the face of your company (the employee) playing has no upside. Management should have stepped in and pulled the two emplyees off the field prior to this happening.



Lesson number two: Allowing mixed-ability groups can lead to terrible results. Injuries alone are not the only pit fall coming from this practice. Having seasoned players and novice or rookie players on the field at the same time only lessens the playing experience for all involved. The new player doesn't get a good feel for the game and is nothing more than cannon fodder for the seasoned vet. The more experienced player quickly becomes bored shooting up the "newbies" and finds greener pastures. Separating the players keeps the peace, and enhances the experience for all involved. Remember you're not selling paintball, you're selling the adrenaline rush, the sweaty-palms, blood rushing thrill of a life time.



Lesson number three: Parents have the ultimate responsiblilty for their child. This is the bottom line. Parents have the final say on what their children do, what sport they participate in and how they spend their leisure time. The child's safety during these events may be minimized by the provider (baseball coach, paintball field, etc.) but the last word should come from the parent.

Beating the heat!

After another scorching weekend in the southeast, I'm ready for fall to get here!

The weather affects us all, and has had a noticeable affect during this recent heatwave. I've spoken to a number of my customers and have heard some great ideas for how they are beating the heat, and keeping customers coming.

A number of customers have put up lights to host night games, and host 3-man leagues during the week, with varying degrees of success. It looks like we are on the tail-end of the heat wave, and getting ready for a great fall season.

Have you checked the condition of your rental fleet? How about the netting and goggles? Are they ready to be replace in anticipation of higher group rentals? Now is a great time to prepare, and I'm here to help you do that!

The first post!

Well, here goes nothing.

Now for the hard part, keeping this updated!

For those of you who don't know me, allow me a minute to introduce myself. I am a regional account manager for ARCHON Paintball. I have been with the company since it's inception in 2004. In Navy terms I am a Plank Owner.

Prior to ARCHON, I worked with Paintball Inc, and National Paintball Supply. I have been in the wholesale side of paintball since 1995.