The paintball club at Florida International University has quickly transformed from a couple of guys who got together on weekends to play, into a full fledged organization.
FIU Student, Victor Borges, founded the club in Fall 2012 but the paintball fever didn’t really catch on until Summer 2013.
One of the club’s captains and co-founders, Pedro Munoz, talked about the the clubs exodus from obscurity.
“The club started in 2012 but it wasn’t really anything people could follow up with,” Munoz said. “I got together with Victor [Borges] last Summer and started it up again. I wanted to make the club bigger and start an actual team.”
FIU Paintball meets every Saturday morning to practice and discuss club issues at Splat Attack Paintball Park in Medley. Meetings usually last two hours and there is no fee to attend. Attendees are only responsible for paying their entrance and equipment costs.
“Anyone and everyone can join the club,” Munoz said. “We are open to playing paintball with anyone that is interested; not just FIU students.”
Along with the paintball club, FIU Paintball has put together a team composed of FIU students and alumni.
“We made the team out of people that came out to our practices and showed interest,” Munoz said.
Munoz is one of the paintball team’s two captains, along with fellow student Junior Aragao
Currently, the team only meets to practice but they hope to be playing competitively by Fall of this year.
The extra practice will pay off when FIU Paintball starts competitive play.
“Team chemistry is just as important in paintball as it is in any other sport,” Munoz said. “Some of these teams have been playing together for years. You can have good players; but if you haven’t played like a team and don’t know how to play each other’s strengths, you won’t last in the sport.”
The team also in the process of gettings sponsors for both gear and apparel. Getting sponsored will immensely add to the team’s legitimacy and also help their chances of playing competitively.
There are five divisions of competitive paintball, with five being the lowest and one being the highest. FIU Paintball will enter the circuit in division five.
The pinnacle of the sport is the Paintball World Cup which is held every October in Orlando. There, the top teams from all five divisions meet to see who has the best paintball team in the world.
FIU Paintball is still in its infant stage, but that doesn’t stop team captain Munoz from dreaming big.
“If we work hard and get better, I could definitely see this team making a trip up to Orlando for the World Cup,” Munoz said.
Munoz is very ardent about his sport. While some some may see see paintball just as recreation or a waste of money, Munoz sees it as one of the biggest parts of who he is.
“I have always been into the sport, but it wasn’t until last summer that I really fell in love with the competitive aspect of it,” Munoz said. “It’s my passion. Ignoring your passion is slow suicide. Never ignore what your heart pumps for.”