Adrenaline Junkies: Robin Hood Paintball Awaits

Paintball is not just for kids.

Just ask 36-year-old Ronald Hinton of Baltimore. Hinton says he has seen guys on the paintball field 40-50 years old. He's been paintballing for three years and is a professed adrenaline junkie. He likes to skydive too.

Hinton, dressed in primo paintball garb, says he likes working out and that playing this game is perfect. He mentions his competitive streak and says he digs the ego boost he gets from playing.

“I can still run with some of these younger kids,” he laughs.

According to Justina Whyte, whose family owns Robin Hood Paintball on Robin Hood Road, most players range in age from 14 through 35. She did say that there is a gentleman in his 70s who has come out to play frequently.  

“If you are active, it’s a sport for anybody: for families, for corporate team-building exercises. People generally feel it’s a male-dominated sport, but we get moms out there too,” Whyte said.

Robin Hood Paintball has been in business for 12 years and is owned by brothers Malcolm and Milford Whyte and their brother-in-law, Rick Overstreet. Located on 10 acres, the business boasts eight different fields, including small woods, spools and a dogleg.   

Paintballers must be at least 10 years old to play.

“The insurance is really the one that gives you that age limit. Everyone has to sign and fill out a waiver form, no matter what,” Whyte said, noting that even if you are a regular, you will have to fill out a waiver each and every time you play.

On this day at Robin Hood, there were 17 students from Loyola University's Business Scholars Group. According to their teacher, Jeannie Pridmore, these “students petitioned the dean for this event and had to get it authorized.”

“It’s all about teamwork and working together,” Pridmore said.

Although Pridmore was taking photos and working mostly behind the net that  separates the playing field from observers, her husband, Travis, was participating.

“It’s just a blast. It’s a lot of fun and can be very challenging,” he said.  

And of course, the most frequently asked question surrounding paintball surfaces: “Does it hurt?”

Travis responds, “It stings in the hands—but the adrenaline gets going and you don’t feel it too much when you’re going,” he says, later joking that he’d probably be feeling it tomorrow. 

Whyte said that in all their years in business, Robin Hood has never had any paintball-related injuries: “[The injuries have] been because people trip, or something like that.”

She noted that most people come dressed appropriately. The business recommends clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty even though the paint is washable. It also recommends dressing in layers for extra protection.

Because the players have to layer up, the paintball season is divided by the heat of summer. Whyte said they are busy from March to June and then again from September to November.    

Whyte noted that parties of 10 or more need to call ahead to make reservations. She said that when it comes to group play, the employees at Robin Hood let the group make the teams and basically do whatever works for them.

For instance, the Loyola sophomores used Excel to come up with the teams randomly.

It’s not just groups that come to play either. Individuals can walk on with or without their own equipment—Robin Hood offers rental equipment.

“We make sure that our teams are equal," Whyte said. "We don’t want someone who is playing for the first time to get hit and never want to play again.”

Whyte, who has played in tournaments, said that people can be intimidated by the game.

“It’s not as intense as people think it is," she said, "especially when you’re with people who are of the same caliber of play as you are.”

She thinks part of the reason people are intimidated is because guns are involved. But Robin Hood is keen on putting safety first.

“I know us here—and most paintball places—are really concerned with safety. That’s our main thing,” she said.

For rookies and regulars alike, Robin Hood will give each group an orientation of sorts, going over the rules before anyone steps on the field.

Among the most important, “Make sure that barrel plug is in [your gun] when you’re not on the field and your mask stays down when you are on the field.”