Student Experiences Life As Pro Paintballer

Macayla Scarpello
12.18.07

There are many students with hidden talents that lurk throughout school everyday unknown to many to their peers. From Irish dancing to bug collecting, students exert several hidden talents, but there is one student that is apart of a professional paintball team.

Junior Ben Allington started playing paintball in 2001 and has worked his way up to the big time. After playing in the Metro Paintball games held in Iowa, he was noticed and began getting sponsor offers. 

“I still have my very first jersey,” Allington said.

Not everyone can be so successful at the sport unless they truly have a passion for it.

“I played every weekend until I started to get noticed by the right people, once that started happening, I went to play for Launch,” Allington said. “There are no professional teams in Nebraska, so you can pretty much play for anyone. For example, you could play for San Diego Dynasty and live in Maine.”

The National Paintball League began its first season in 1989 and since then there are currently 18 professional teams in the country.

“Our season starts in January and ends in mid October,” Allington said. “We practice three times a week and it requires a lot of money and dedication.”

Each player needs a gun, a tank and a hopper, which helps the balls fly out of the gun. Among the equipment requirements, the player also needs paintballs, which come in a set of 2,000, which can range from $40-60.

The team meets three times a week in Louisville, Neb. The practice area is called Mad Cow and all the local teams come together to practice.

There are certain requirements in the NPBL when it comes to playing each game that fall in line with the sport being costly.

“Whenever you go to an event you have to have your ID card to play,” Allington said. “You have to get one each year and they’re $50. Each tournament you play in you receive a new sticker and it tells what division your in, what event, and how many are on your team.”

The main permanent places for the tournaments are Orlando, Miami, Chicago, Kansas and Texas. Paintball is the No. 1 extreme sport in America above sports such as skateboarding and inline skating. Just like any professional sport, it comes with a rewarding cash flow.

“I haven’t made any money yet, my parents put it into a trust fund until I turn 18,” Allington said.

When a player becomes pro the whole team can earn up to as much as $40,000.

Allington plans to keep playing this extreme sport throughout high school and college.

photo courtesy of Ben Allington