Sunday November 02, 2003

Kenny Arceneaux of Chalmette has been skydiving, but he says that jumping out of an airplane and free-falling from thousands of feet in the air is not the most exciting thing he has done. His most unbelievable experience is on the ground: on a paintball field.

Arceneaux, 29, is captain of Extreme Havoc Wite, one of two paintball teams that hail primarily from St. Bernard Parish and compete on the national level. The other is The Regulatorz.

St. Bernard Parish residents on The Regulatorz are Cory Cantrell, 32; Caleb Garner, 20; Robert Jenson, 17; and Mikey McCollum, 17. In mid-October, the team took third place in the Pelican Cup Open, a regional tournament held in Slidell.

In addition to Arceneaux, St. Bernard Parish residents who are members of Extreme Havoc Wite are Bruce Williams, 33; Craig Miknaitis, 27; and Albin Jeansonne, 28.

Extreme Havoc Wite returned in mid-October from a week of competing in the World Cup Tournament in Orlando, Fla., where it ranked 17th out of more than 100 teams.

Although the teams are composed of players of varying ages and walks of life, they find common ground on a paintball field.

According to the Paintball Products Manufacturers' Association, there are 7 million players worldwide.

But local players boil the game's popularity down to simple reason.

"It is the most fun you could ever have playing a sport," Cantrell said.

Playing on a 2-by-4-acre field strewn with bunkers and other obstacles, two teams compete to capture each other's flag. Using a military-based strategy, players are trying to take out the other team by pummeling their members with pellets the size of gum balls that are filled with water-based, nontoxic paint. Players are eliminated as they are hit, the paint splattering to mark them. The game is over when one team's flag is captured.

"It is an unbelievable adrenaline rush," said Cantrell, who has played for nine years.

The air-powered paintballs can travel at up to 300 feet per second.

Injuries are minimal, typically just bumps and bruises.

"There are misconceptions about safety issues," Arceneaux said. "I've never seen someone seriously injured on the playing field."

Paintball can actually be more taxing on the wallet than the body.

"Paintball is a very expensive sport," Cantrell said. With the paintball guns costing as much as $1,200 and added expenses of equipment, supplies and field costs, it adds up to a relatively high-priced hobby.

"Somewhere along the line, it turns from a hobby to a full-blown obsession," Arceneaux said.

But the benefits are many, with higher-end tournaments awarding expensive prizes.

Cantrell and Arceneaux both agree that although it requires work and commitment, the sport helps build teamwork and friendships

"This will not fade away; I've seen it do nothing but grow in nine years," Cantrell said. "Promoters are doing a lot to move it forward."