Field Factors - Paintballing Prerequisites

A New System:

I've been to a couple of fields now, and I'm looking to expand my portfolio of fields played even further over the next year.

If I'm going to make this expansion happen, I'm going to need away to write a fair and structured review of the fields I visit, which is where this post comes in.

How It Works:

There are some components that a field simply MUST have, angles that NEED to be covered for a field to make the grade. Knowing that there ARE certain must-haves, but not necessarily what the community feels a fair list of these items would be, I took to social media to get some opinions. These are the features/benefits that showed up most often:

Field Facets:

• Ample playing space: Does the field have the capacity to fit the number of players their events attract?
• Unique/Interesting Field Layout: Is the field's design conducive to an interesting and engaging experience? Does the field have options for both scenario AND speedball players?
• Player Services: Is there a store of any sort? Does the field have washrooms, food/drink available? Are the "soft" stats of the field in order?
• Proper Propellant: Is the field capable of serving all varieties of propellant choices?
  -CO2:HPA
  -4500psi/3000psi
  -Consistent, full filling capabilities
• Quality Paint/Selection of Paints: Does the field stock fresh, quality paint? Do they have multiple options for sale (mid/high grade options) and is the paint priced to provide player value?
• Honourable Owners/Knowledgeable Staff: Are the people running the field doing so in an ethical and responsible manner? Are refs doing their jobs and doing them well?

When you put all of these together you wind up with the ultimate paintball field, however perfection is a rare thing in life [reserved almost exclusively for 1960's cars and attractive, redheaded paintballing ladies ;)] so I'll be giving fields that I visit a rating from 1-5 in each of the above categories based on my experiences there.

I don't claim to be an expert on any of these categories, however I do know what feels right to me. I shouldn't NEED to leave this disclaimer but I will anyway. This is a SUBJECTIVE rating system based on the experience that I have on any given day. I may have a uniquely poor or amazing experience which is out of character for the field but as I visit a field more often, their average rating will change. Fair enough? Well if not, that's just something you'll have to live with.

Who's Next?:

The next fields I hope to test out are:

1. Sector 57
2. Camp X
3. Wasaga
4. Flagswipe

I don't know when I'll be able to get out to these fields, but they're the next on the list for sure (in no particular order).

That's all I've got for today everyone, but there are a few other articles in the works so be sure to stay tuned! And, as always...

Keep calm and throw paint!

Joshua J. Taylor - The Noob Baller