While many Onslow County teenagers are scoring touchdowns under the Friday night lights, there’s another group of local kids staying active and learning life skills through a totally different activity — paintball.
Chris Coffman runs the field at Jacksonville Paintball and Airsoft Park, but he is also the director of Coup Athletics, a nonprofit that began in 2023.
“One of the parents approached me and asked, is there something that we can do to make this less intimidating?” Coffman said. “In our sport, there’s not necessarily a place for beginners that separates youth players from adult players.”
Therefore, Coup Athletics and its Youth Paintball League were born.
Coffman said that as far as he knows, there are no other competitive youth paintball leagues in the state of North Carolina.
“All of my guys, we ref it, we staff it, we coach it, and then we also have some parents that coach from outside our organization as well that are also into the game,” he said.
Within competitive paintball, there is beginner, divisions 5-1, and professional.
Currently, the Coup Athletics Youth Paintball League has around 30 members with five-person rosters, Coffman said. Ages range from 10 to 16.
“We primarily focus on beginners, because paintball’s a dying sport, and if you don’t build the youth, it’s not going to grow,” Coffman said.
He said the sport not only keeps youth off the streets, but it gets them outside and away from technology.
From sportsmanship to leadership, teamwork, communication and resilience, there are lessons to be learned around every corner.
“It’s problem solving, how to work through hard things, sometimes it can be emotionally involved,” Coffman said. “There’s a lot of pressure. So, having to deal with pressure and then working your problem out that way is an everyday skill.”
Brennan Connor and Nathan Croom, both 15, met each other through the paintball league a couple of years ago and have become good friends.
Connor said he tried football when he was younger but didn’t like it, and no other sport or activity caught his interest, until paintball.
“Some things that I enjoy about it are meeting new people, creating new connections with people,” Connor said. “Outside of this, I don’t talk much, I’m one of the shy kids. It’s hard for me to talk to people, but here, we have something in common, it’s easy to talk about.”
Croom said he initially wanted to try airsoft, but his parents signed him up for paintball instead, and he’s glad they did.
He said patience is one of the biggest skills he’s learned.
“There’s an equalizer between you, and it’s the gun that you have in your hand,” he said, adding, “Don’t be scared. You’re going to get shot. It will hurt, but you get used to it after some time. It’s a fun time.”
Both Connor and Croom have a desire to continue playing into adulthood or becoming professionals. Connor is planning for a career in cybersecurity and Croom wants to become a diesel mechanic.
While Connor attends Richlands High School, Croom goes to Jacksonville Christian Academy.
The two may never have become friends if it wasn’t for the youth paintball league, and Coffman agreed that that’s one of the best parts about the sport, meeting new people.
“This is one sport where nobody cares really what you do,” Coffman said.
“I’ve met people, it sounds weird, but like, your average bum to nuclear scientists, doctors. There’s so many different outlets and different styles of people that you meet. Honestly, meeting people is probably one of the coolest things you’ll be able to do.”
It helps to have a facility like Jacksonville Paintball and Airsoft Park, at 130 Imperial Lane, too. Coffman said there is no other facility like theirs in Onslow County, and they often have players come from surrounding areas to use it.
Coffman has been playing competitive paintball since 2012 and said he’s played all over the U.S. but the Jacksonville Paintball and Airsoft Park has the best field he’s ever played on.
But the league is not just about the play, Coffman said. There’s skills to be learned as well.
“Everyone thinks that there’s a lot of playing involved, and there is, but there’s also times where we’re going to be sitting in front of this TV and going over different things and different layouts to help build their awareness and strategize so they can understand how to utilize their problem-solving skills to that next level,” Coffman said.
For those interested in joining the youth paintball league, Coffman said there will be four open practices beginning in October with registration for the league set to cut off in January.
Gear and equipment is provided. Players are just required to buy paint.
Practices take place on Saturdays and there are four events throughout the year.
For more information, Jacksonville Paintball and Airsoft Park can be reached at 910-353-7529.
