Leaders of the youth ministry at Harbor Church in Lomita were pondering a new activity for the kids three years ago when ministry staffer Joel Swan chimed in with a fresh suggestion: How about paintball?
At one time, the idea might have elicited a few chuckles and been quickly dismissed because of paintball's reputation as a war game played in the woods by military buffs.
But the game quickly became a smash hit for the church group. At least twice a year, it sponsors a day of shooting colorful, water-soluble paint pellets with gas-powered guns.
"Some people in the church say, 'Why would you take kids out there to shoot each other?' [But] I don't consider it a violent sport," said Swan, 28. "It's a time . . . to talk to them about God."
The paradox of children discussing the Bible while carrying paintball guns reflects just how far the pastime has come since it was invented 19 years ago in the New Hampshire woods by thrill-seeking adults.
Today, the paintball business--estimated at $3 billion annually--is quickly moving up the ranks of lucrative "extreme" sports activities, as the game's boosters work to tone down its militaristic image and repackage it as the hot new adrenaline rush for Generation Y--the vaunted demographic of about 70 million preteens, teens and young adults.
The paintball industry "is targeting people who are looking for something new and different to do," said Lisa Delpy, a professor of sports management and tourism studies at George Washington University in Washington. "It's a fast-paced, exciting game. Also, these kids are into video games, and with paintball, they get to live the video game."
Since the 1980s, corporations have sponsored paintball outings to instill values of teamwork in their employees. More recently, paintball has begun attracting youths such as those from Swan's church group and children introduced to the game at birthday parties. About 25% of participants are female.
Not surprisingly, California is one of a handful of paintball hotbeds across the country. The state is home to at least 80 paintball parks and about 30 manufacturers of paintball gear.
Sales of paintball equipment have grown 10% to 30% annually since 1995, said Bud Orr, owner of Worr Games Products, a Santa Fe Springs maker of paintball guns and accessories. Several Southern California firms make paintball guns or produce paint pellets.
