Ready , aim . . . Slingshot

WEST VALLEY CITY — It's early Saturday morning. The winter air is chilly, and a small skiff of snow covers the ground. However, neither the weather nor the early hour will deter this group.

The assembled gathering is divided into two teams. After someone yells "Go," the teams stalk into the woods around the park, many choosing to conceal themselves and bide their time. Walking through any given area can be scary, as one never knows if there is a sniper lurking.

This week's game of slingshot paintball is officially under way.

For Carlin Smith of West Valley City, playing slingshot paintball every Saturday morning has become the norm. After all, Smith has been doing it for the past eight years. He and a group of friends decided to start playing while in high school, because they didn't have enough money for paintball guns. They had heard about the game before and decided to give it a try. Little did they know that the game would become a weekly tradition, or the means of keeping them in contact.

"It's a way to bond with friends," Smith said. "After we went on LDS missions for two years, we went paintballing and bonded again. We've all kept in touch since then. We wouldn't ever see each other (without the game). This is what kept us together."

Slingshot paintball differs from regular paintball in that participants use slingshots rather than guns. It takes practice to learn to load the paintballs without squashing them and to aim properly, said Brad Bangerter, who has only been playing the game for about six weeks now.

Smith said the good thing about this version of the game is that it doesn't take a lot of paintballs, and the cheap variety are the best ones to use. The only equipment required to play is a face mask that costs between $15 and $20, a slingshot that runs about $6, replacement bands for the slingshot that cost $2.50, and paintballs. Wearing bark-colored or camouflage clothing is best. Good shoes are also important.

Both Smith and Bangerter said the game requires discipline and strategy. It's important to learn when to continue hiding and when to jump out at passers-by. One of the strategies Bangerter said he learned is to make sure his whole body is concealed when he's trying to hide. Smith and friend Brandon Potts, who has been playing for six years now, said teamwork is essential, and it's nice to be able to cover one another's backs.

"It's good to use each other and work as a team," Smith said. "If you have one another's back you can last a lot longer."

Other strategies include charge and run, strength in numbers, not rushing and sticking together.