History Of Paintball in the Roanoke Valley

[technic76]

I created this thread to chronicle the History of Paintball in our area. I have invited some of the OGs of the area to post some there experiences. Please feel free to add anything you want.
Thanks

[bigshow540]

Hmmmmmmmm my first paintball gun was a tippman pro carbine, what a cannon, I started playing back yard ball, moved to rec ball at a local field, then came speedball, speedball hooked me. I have played all over the U.S.A. World cup twice, La,chicago,mardi gra,aruba,philly. I played with the Lost boys for a year or 2. Went to aftermath, and then started my own team. Played in 10 man,7 man and 5 man and Xball. 10 man was awesome. Too bad its dead. Scenario i havent played much, but am learning. I can snap shoot with the best of them,, but not much of a sniper lol. I would love to get back into the speedball scene,even if it were just coaching. I enjoy teaching the younger generations the game and how to play it right. Its all up to us to make the sport grow!

[ttlphotography]

well guys, been meaning to do this for a while, just been crazy busy with new job and a move and all.

but anyways . . . . . .

when i 1st came back to Roanoke, i was coming from a good paintball scene in the Raleigh Durham NC area. paintball in Roanoke was um, lacking, is a good word.

finally found a small but good field in Salem that was located right next to the valleydale plant in Salem at the intersection of 8th street and Florida ave. High Velocity was the field name. field was small but lots of players came out, games were good and thats where i got on my 1st team. I got to know the field and shop owner pretty well and we got along well and it even ran the field and shop for him on the occasions that the field team had a tourney and he had to be away. that was kinda fun.
but alas, it wasn't to last at that location. i guess the old woman across the street had had enough of the "rowdy" paintball crowd and her house getting shot up. the field owner worked with her, cleaned everything up, it was better than what she had to start out with. he even put up additional netting and even put netting on the TOP of the field to make it totally enclosed. but apparently this wasn't enough for "grandma". she petitioned Salem city council under some whacked obscure ordinance and got the field shut down. so field owner didn't buckle under, he just found another site and moved the operation. he moved into the Roanoke area and set up shop and field on what was at 1 time the old rockydale quarry site until the big flood in 1986. so in typical paintball fashion, we played ball by the river in a flood plain. sounds bout right. ;D myself, my son and several other regulars helped the owner set the netting poles and get things up and running to help save costs and so forth. but drilling telephone pole holes with a bobcat in a former rock quarry was a challenge to say the least. but we got it done. the shop was set up in an all metal shipping container for security sake since the field was well off the main road and well outa sight. but some boneheads decided to break into it anyways. what a buncha losers and if you guys are reading this by chance, yeah, you're still losers even today. and yeah i said it. and most anybody in the Roanoke paintball community knows my screen name. so I'm around if you got an issue with me calling you a loser.
In any event . . . . . . .this field location went on to host a few local and regional tournies and such. things seemed to be rolling right along. govt was happy, no residents to make angry and ballin was good.
at about this same time, there were plans in the works for another field taking shape for the Roanoke area. What? 2 fields in Roanoke? no way.
Yup, it happened. Accu-splat paintball came into existence. this outfit was set up in Salem, go figure, on the old batting cage/driving range close to the lewis gale hospital. matter of fact you can see it from the field. but yet again, we're in a lower basin, down by the river . . . . .again. hmmmmmmmm
this was another good deal and shop was cool and fields were good and there was talk of installing lights and having night play. that woulda been sweet specially in the summer.
however, as things go in the paintball world and especially it seems in the Roanoke area, neither field would last for a prolonged period of time.
My personal opinion, and its just that, an opinion is that High Velocity suffered from the fact that accu-splat came on the scene and was "in town" and not down a dirt road so to speak. It seemed to me that most players migrated from HV to AS. and it doesn't take a math genius to figure out that when players move from a field en masse, that the field doesn't las too long after that. as a result, HV shut down operations shortly after accu-splat was up and running. So Roanoke had a brief time of more than 1 field, but it didn't last long.
But we still had at least 1 good field to play at. But again, it wasn't too last. Accu-splat wasn't to last as well. I'm not sure nor can i personally confirm the reasons behind it, but suffice it to say that most likely costs and to some extent, management had something to do with the demise of Accu-splat. But there again, just what i heard and put together with all the little pieces here and there. I wasn't inside the loop with accu-splat like i was with HV.

and that brings us to today. several have mentioned the need for a field here again, but its tough going when the community here basically buys paint at walmart or online and plays renegade ball in the woods. not that there is anything wrong with that if done properly and safely, but it is a death sentence to getting any field started.
I know the guys at the ship in fincastle have made some noise about doing a field, and i too made some mention of it but i needed some deeper pockets than mine to pick up what i couldn't cover. that got no where. so here we are, still trying to get things back up and rolling again. but keep the faith, dont give up, keep making noise. squeaky wheel and all.
It'll happen. sooner or later. it has happened, there is the interest and the players will come back. but its gona take someone with the money, patience for it to get rolling, and the foresight to make it happen.

[S1TH]

Great post ttlphotography!

You hit all the big events and major theme of paintball around here for the past 10+ years. I've only a few things to add.

Before High Velocity got that field in Salem it was originally called Concept Splatter. It was a good enough setup considering that they had the field and that long white building adjacent to it. This is where I got my first exposure to speedball, night paintball and the Raven Nuvis photochromatic lens, lol, but unfortunately they fell prey to embezzlement or such and closed up.

At the same time Steve (future owner of High Velocity) still had his holster and paintball shop on Williamson Rd called, fittingly enough: Holsters and More. He was able to get the old Concept Splatter field and turned it into High Velocity and that's where your post picks up. Due to a new job I couldn't play as much as I did in college and had to drop out of the scene for a while.

Last time I saw Steve on the field was after the move to the quarry location off Old Mtn. Rd. and he was preparing to open a woodsball course. I never got to find out if he did or not as the next time I stopped by he had closed up. I never got to experience Accusplat as they had also closed up as I was coming back into the sport.

I had considered trying to open a local field again a couple years after Accusplat closed up and have recently talked with both Steve (HV)and Nelson from Painted Forest about the Roanoke market. Steve was cautiously encouraging, considering his experiences. Nelson was flatout discouraging and enumerated the reasons why, which, as you stated, are the death sentence for paintball fields around here. But, with the right model, there can be a viable paintball field in Roanoke again.

In the mean time I am affiliated with Blue Ridge Paintball (www.blueridgepaintball.net). This model of a mobile paintball field has not been tried around here yet and we will see how it goes and how well the community will support it.

Ideally, I would like for there to be a supportive and reciprocative paintball community like I've experienced in North Carolina. For the past 2 years that I have taken my team to the Fulda Gap mega-game in Taylorsville the surrounding fields rally together, share staff and resources and put on great events.

Around this side of VA, we already have Big Pearl, Wolf's Ridge, Cull Holler, anticipating the return of the Splat Shop, and now Blue Ridge Paintball. There is no reason that we cannot create a similar community for paintball and paintballers in southwestern VA.

[madkow]

Personally I have been playing since 1994 when I was introduced to the sport while stationed in Okinawa, Japan with the Navy. I have been very fortunate to have played in most levels of tournament play (back when tournaments were in the woods up to the time of the air bunker), recreational play, and scenario play. As a long time member of the International Paintball Players Assoc. I was able to work in this area in the mid and late-nineties in helping open several fields in VA and WV including what is now Splat Brothers and Flat Top Paintball! I used to go around with another IPPA member Merv Cook as part of an initiative that helped up and coming field owners get off the ground. I have trained and worked with most of the referees in the area and was one of the original members of the North American Paintball Referee Assoc. (NAPRA). I originally started playing tournaments with the Assassins, heck even did some NPPL events back when Bob Long was skinny and Bill Gardner, JR. had hair. My last year in tournaments was with a group of kids called Retribution in the CFOA. A stroke early in 2004 ended that when I lost most of the sight in my left eye. I currently use my contacts in the sport to provide scenario game opportunities to new players and teams. I have been humbled with the opportunity to have started a team in 2006 with my friends from Wolf's Ridge Paintball called Wulfenkow and witness to creation of new teams like Wemow, both of which contain some of the greatest guys and gals on the planet.

When I moved to SWVA in 1995 the only field available to me in the Roanoke area was Painted Forest Adventure Games in Lynchburg run by a guy named Nelson Tharpe...unless you wanted to play with a group of kids in their back yard.
In late 1995 Merv and I went to Flat Top in Ghent WV to help the owner start up his field. All I can remember is that there was about 2 feet of snow making it difficult to move around.

Splat Brother's was originally called Splat Zone and run by two brothers, Jimmy and Edgar Houser who ran a small paintball store out of their small engine repair shop and had a field about 1 mile down the road. Located in Hopewell, VA they had some neat structures including a house, a barn, and various other structures that played pretty well. When I went to do the field evaluation they came out and dropped the chain separating the field from James River Dr. I believe I was the first to camp out on the field.

Carl Conner was also just starting getting Wolf's Ridge off the ground with the help of a partner on the property next to his house in the mid-nineties. It was extremely undeveloped compared to today and merely had several paths cut through it. He actually ran the business out of the Chevy Luv truck now located on the back field as a bunker. His partner had a heart attack and got out of the sport. Carl continued to run the field and develop it. Around 2002-2003 he experienced some zoning problems and as a result he got his zoning and incorporated officially making him Wolf's Ridge Paintball, Inc. I started working there in 2003 and it has gone downhill ever since.

Paintball Plus, located in Fishersville, VA opened around 1994 and was run by Kathy and Garland Easter. Kathy (Fluffy) would later be the first female from VA to be picked up by the first professional female team in the sport, the Iron Maidens. The field was basically woods with a huge castle in the middle made entirely of railroad ties. It had two defendable entrances and two towers. The operation of the field would eventually be turned over to their son Buck and would go out of business some time later.

As has been mentioned, several attempts have been made to start a paintball field in the Roanoke and Rocky Mount area with limited success. The problem with starting a field in the area is always the zoning and location suitable for play. I toyed with the idea back in the late-nineties but thankfully abandoned the idea.

Despite the limited number of options in the area, paintball seems to be flourishing with a record number of teams and players for our area. Several businesses have sprung up to sell and deal with paintball related products including Splatter Effect Paintball and FSP. Liberty University recently hosted a speedball tournament in Lynchburg and now represent the closest opportunity to play sup-air speedball in the area. The next closest seems to be PBC in Greensboro, NC.

Please realize that this is only a brief overview of some of the history I am aware of and I am sure there are gaps. I encourage others to contribute to those missing areas. Knowing where we have been will help take us to where we are going.

[crabster]

I have only been playing for about 4 years, most of which has been at cull holler. I hated to see the splat shop close, it was nice to have a place where you could see what you were buying. As far as feilds not staying open, its not surprising. I know that for a while we would only have 2 to 4 pepole come out to the holler. Thankfully, we got through that period, and we have been having great turnout for a about a year now. I think that is in part due to us getting up with the 42 legion guys, and many other pepole who might even be on this site.

[S1TH]

Crab! Good to see you on here and thanks for the nod. Now if we can get the other Culls on here too.

[technic76]

Ok here's my 2 cents, I was first exposed to paintball in southeast TX around 93-94 my buddies little brother had a birthday party at a local woods ball field. I can say it was one of the greatest time I ever had I could not sleep the night after the game because I was so jacked I was hooked and played as much as possible. I moved to VA in 95 and stopped playing due to not having a place to play or knowing anyone who played.
Several years later I picked up my first pump a brass eagle lol and then low and behold a shop 2 blocks away from my house opened up holsters and more I saved up and bought my first tippman 98 from them I mostly played back yard ball. I was already a young father and when they left Williamson rd. The sport left me also, I was able to play both Salem fields several time but not on a regular basis because I was poor as a mofo. After the fields closed down I rarely played at all I still tinkered with my guns and shot stuff around the house mostly groundhogs lol. So as time went on I discovered a new shop that had open up in 04 The splat shop and bye this time my son is old enough to really be interested in paintball so I purchased my first electro a ion from then on out I’m back into the sport full bore. But suffer from the same fate as others 3hr drive to NC to play, It was only a few years ago when I met Jerry from cullholler from a flyer at the splatshop we were able to play on a regular basis. My son in his buddy's play all over the place. They let me tag along ever know in then. We still call cullholler home I ve never met a better group of guys. I’ve enjoyed seeing the sport grow and cant wait to see how it evolves . ;D

[pballa96]

Feb 25, 2009 15:57:22 GMT -5 bigshow540 said:

Hmmmmmmmm my first paintball gun was a tippman pro carbine, what a cannon, I started playing back yard ball, moved to rec ball at a local field, then came speedball, speedball hooked me. I have played all over the U.S.A. World cup twice, La,chicago,mardi gra,aruba,philly. I played with the Lost boys for a year or 2. Went to aftermath, and then started my own team. Played in 10 man,7 man and 5 man and Xball. 10 man was awesome. Too bad its dead. Scenario i havent played much, but am learning. I can snap shoot with the best of them,, but not much of a sniper lol. I would love to get back into the speedball scene,even if it were just coaching. I enjoy teaching the younger generations the game and how to play it right. Its all up to us to make the sport grow!

you used to play for lost boys and aftermath? i know alot of them guys. u know andy jordan?

[reg32]

I got into the sport late in game and missed out on playing at High Velocity, Accusplat, Ect. The one thing I noticed as a "newb" was the way I was treated when I asked "dumb" questions or showed up to the field with "inferior" gear. This was one of the main reasons that myself and Billy got the burn to create The Splat Shop. We wanted to offer players of all ages and skill levels to experience paintball without the bad attitudes that we had experienced. In the long run we, like a lot of other paintball stores suffered from not having deep enough pockets. We could have survived the economic down turn but it didn't make sense to continue to steal time from our families just for the store to break even and not grow. We decided to shift our attention to e-commerce. By the time the 2009 World Cup arrives, we will be launching some new and innovative things on our site and catalog. We have not abandoned the idea of reopening. Right now we have to concentrate on e-commerce because of the little overhead. We miss all of our customers and look forward to putting a big "splat" in the Roanoke Valley!