Students get painted

BY KANE VAN EE

For the first-time in Algonquin College history, students were pitched in a fierce paintball skirmish against each other at Hopperz Paintball for an event held by the Algonquin College Student Association last Friday. Students paid $20 each to take a bus out to the paintball field in Almonte.

According to head referee, Zvonmir Bracika, this was the first time the field had been host to a student association from a post-secondary institution. “It was an epic success,” said Bracika. He explained that more often they host groups relative to birthdays and other such events.

The game was subsidized by the Students’ Association when a proposal was made by Algonquin student Brannan Hargrave. Hargrave, a robotics level two student made the proposal to the SA about a month and a half ago that was originally meant for students living in residence but then was decided by the association to include the entirety of the student body.

Hargrave said, “ I had to do a lot of pricing, like I had to call the owners and just get some information and I had to relay that to res life and the Students’ Association through my RA and then I had to write up and submit a one-page proposal.”

Prior to this event only Algonquin College staff have gone out paintballing.

Students were also treated to free pizza and drinks along with 250 paintballs. $20 is great value for renting a marker along with pizza, drinks, and ammunition. Normally the going rate for a day out paintballing would be around $60.

Amongst the 23 students who took part in the skirmish was Waddah Al-monaifi, a student representative candidate for the Board of Governors. For many of the student’ this was the first-time they had participated in paintball. The students found out about the opportunity to go paintballing from the sign that had been placed outside the SA office to advertise the event.

Considering the event was planned based upon a proposal by a student it will likely not take place next year unless there is explicit support from the students requesting another event like this according to Bill Kitchen, the SA event planner.

There were few like James Dormer, a first-year video broadcasting student, has played countless rounds of paintball in the past. Dormer said, “ There were a lot of low bunkers, I didn’t like it as much as other ones I’ve been on, I tend to stand up a lot, so I ended up having to play on my knees a lot and stay around something.” Dormer stands well over 6 feet tall.

Dormer was also surprised when he had been caught off guard and found himself being shot in the head by someone who had never held a gun in their life. For students Amanda Meekel, a third-year business administration student, ‘satisfaction in shooting someone,” is what they considered their favorite part of the event.