Starting a Paintball Club in High School, Part 1

Interested in starting a paintball club at your school? Here are some pointers from a teacher who has been there:

1) You will probably never get funding from the school (at least not right away), however fund raising is much easier for a club affiliated with a school than one not affiliated with the school.

2) There is quite a stigma that goes with paintball. Most Administrators are old-school, and have images of irresponsible teenagers running around their neighborhood shooting people and buildings. We all know that this generally is not the case, but you will still have to work with it. If you want your club accepted by your school you NEED to show that you are the most responsible person in your school. That means putting together a well written club constitution (your activities director should have some examples, or search the Internet), and get a petition signed by students willing to join your club. It also means staying out of trouble... if you sit in detention several times a week and are disrespectful to teachers no one will take you seriously. This is much like life where it is generally not what you know, but who you know... don't make enemies of the administration. This is also called the use common sense and don’t be a douche-bag rule.

Also remember that, without a doubt, if one of your members gets caught with a paintball marker in school, or running around the neighborhood shooting things or people like an idiot the club will be abolished forever, and any hope of any other schools in the area starting clubs will be gone as well. Again, DON’T BE A DOUCHE-BAG!