Now that it’s cold out in most places players are putting their gear away for winter. There are lots of things you can do during the winter. Indoor paintball fields allow you to keep playing all year, but most players don’t have an indoor near them. Here are Sneaky Pete’s “5 things to do in the offseason”.
- Clean out that nasty gear bag. There were a lot of awesome events packed in to the end of 2018 so I know you have dirty gear in that bag. Dirty pants, pads, goggles, jerseys, swabs etc. Here are some tips and tricks to get your gear nice. When you wash your pants, pads, gloves or anything else that has Velcro, make sure to close the Velcro parts before washing. This will keep the hook part from grabbing other material and fraying your gear. Wash your packs and pads separate from your pants and jersey. Barrel swabs can be washed out in the sink and should not go in the washing machine. Most goggles can now be taken apart, so take the lens out and scrub the years’ worth of dragon breath out of your goggle with some mild dish soap. Lastly clean your actual gear bag. Use some cleaning spray or Clorox wipes and do yourself a favor.
- Clean and maintain your marker, loader and air system. Read your owner’s manual or do a quick Google search for the directions on how to disassemble your marker, clean it, lubricate it and reassemble. The same should be done for your loader. Also, if your batteries can be removed it’s not a bad idea to remove them while storing for winter. Maintenance on your air system is not for the beginner. If you don’t know what you are doing Its always a safe bet to take your air system and or marker to a local ProShop to have them cleaned and serviced by the professionals.
- Make your Christmas list to replace, upgrade or round out your gear selection. Replace missing parts, swabs, goggle rags. Be prepared for next season by stocking up on the batteries your equipment uses. Get a new lens or a lens in a different color to improve your vision in different circumstances.
- Have a Team Party. Lots of teams have an end of the year party just to hang out away from the field. It provides an opportunity to bring your significant other to interact with your paintball family. It also provides a great chance to handle any team business such as new members, recap events from last year, discuss new team jersey ideas and form a plan for next year.
- Start planning for next years events. Lots of the big events for 2019 have already been released and there are a ton of fun events for sure. For example, CPX Living Legends is back in Chicago at Legacy Adventure park, and CPX is also going back to Hawaii for Hawaiian Legends 2 in July. Supergame in Oregon will likely hit their cap of 2000 players, and the Sherwood Classic at Sherwood Forest in La Porte Indiana is bringing back a true 24-hour continuous play event in May 4th and 5th. If you have never traveled out of state or flown to a game, it adds another level of fun to the trip. You will make new friends and find that you will see a lot of the same people all over the country at some of these events. If you are interested in traveling out to an event and don’t have a group to run with, check out BrigadeProgram.com sign up and check out their event list for 2019. They will help put you in contact with fun people.
Here are a couple more games you should check out for 2019.
Hunter Valley Paintball February 24th and October 5th. Paintball in Australia with wallabies and goannas’ walking around. https://huntervalleypaintball.com.au/
Vipers annual Tombstone event at Avid. October 5th and 6th in Guthrie Oklahoma. 500+ players with gunfighters, gamblers and plenty of cowboys in this western themed event. http://viperpaintball.com/events/
CPX Hawaiian Legends, I am commanding this game so come on out for a paintball vacation. www.CPXevents.com