Deep in the Squamish Valley, paintball history is being made.
The United Paintball League (UPL) has arrived in Squamish and made its debut on Saturday (May 23), with the District 99 paintball park hosting the league’s first local foray.
And while the Squamish Smash lost all three bouts, UPL visitors and local players feel the future is bright for paintball in Squamish.
The Smash, made up of all Squamish players, lost 10-4 to Victoria, 17-0 to Mission and 14-0 to Nanaimo in tournament games.
Games are five aside and played on a field with inflatable obstacles set up throughout. Once a shot hits players, they’re out, and the round is over when all five players have been blasted with a paintball gun.
District 99 co-owner Jason Charlton pointed out that the other teams have been playing for years, and the Smash will take some time to develop chemistry. The Smash will take on teams from Vernon, Chilliwack, Langley, along with the three teams they faced on Saturday, during eight tournaments from now until September.
Charlton said it was a nice debut for the team and his park.
“Squamish has never had an official paintball tournament or a five-star paintball park, so Saturday was a big step for us to move forward and for the paintball community,” he said.
Charlton said feedback from the visiting players was positive and that he’s hoping to bring more events to District 99, including potentially the final tournament for the UPL.
He said competitive paintball is a sport all athletes can enjoy and that the sport is growing in North America.
“It’s run just like a regular sports game with penalties, time outs and referees,” he said. “Many people who play soccer or hockey and want to try something different would have a lot of fun and develop new skills with paintball.”
Charlton said many universities in the United States have paintball teams, and in Canada, the sport is picking up steam.
“Schools are starting to get more interested, and that’s something we would like to look into in Squamish,” he said. “The sport has grown a lot in the past decade in B.C.”
District 99, which is located off Mile 19 of the Squamish Valley Road, had a soft launch in September and officially opened in March. Charlton said the facility will generally be open from March to December, depending on weather conditions.
It’s going to be a busy summer for District 99, with tournaments for much of the summer, and Charlton said his park is also available for stags, birthday parties and staff parties. The facility has a competitive airball field, on which league games are played, and a warzone scenario set up for other groups.
