I started playing in 1986 with a Splatmaster.  I soon bought 3 more just so I could have other people with guns to play with.  I would spring for the paint and CO2 as well.  I still have 3 of those first guns.  For several years, I was out of the game myself as I drove a truck over the road.  I finally got a local job and started thinking about getting back into the game, but the nearest place to play was an hour away and didn't really cater to the kind of paintball that I enjoy most........woods play.  So, I started kicking around the idea of throwing together a small field to get people to come to me to play with and maybe in the process I would get some excercise.  Well, evidently, I don't know when to quit.  Five years and a lot of sweat  and money later, I am still building, trying to make each game a little better than the last and add more infrastructure to the field and camping/staging area.

     To give the player a great game at a great price.   That is the bottom line at Smak Zone Paintball.  This isn't our bread and butter nor do we expect it to ever be.  That means we don't have to tolerate unsafe and cheating players in order to get their money.  We do paintball because we enjoy it and  want to host and produce games for others who enjoy it.   We want all of our players to have fun and play safely and with integrity.  Basicly, on 4 weekends per year, we get a bunch of friends together to play paintball.

    Safety is number one here as it should be at every field.  Unsafe players and cheaters are ejected post-haste.  If you are a wiper, hit ignorer, whiner, ect. you are simply not welcome here.  If you like to bend the rules, don't come here.  There are not necessarily three strikes  for cheaters and unsafe players here.  If you do something blatantly stupid or against the rules, it may be the only chance you ever get.  Honest players don't want to play with cheaters. Cheaters don't even want to play with cheaters.  We don't like having to deal with them, but when we do, it is generally unpleasant and definitive.  That is why we stress, DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU ARE AN UNSAFE PLAYER OR CHEATER.  But if you want to have a great time and fellowship with other players who are of the same frame of mind, this is the field and these are the games for you.

    You will find that our pricing is more reasonable than any other field out there that is producing the type of games that we produce and what we include.  BYOP is allowed at my games for an addition fee or when you buy a minimum amount of event paint.  There's always a free BBQ the evening before my large events, camping is always free, and air fills are included in the entry fees.  We are willing to bet that you won't find games of my type with the perks, infrastructure, and props we provide for a lower cost anywhere.  We are always in a learning curve, but every game gets better and more players show up each year.  To date, we have had players from as far away as MN and WV.  The ones who play a standup game tell me that they plan on returning.

    You can't please all of the people all of the time and we have no intention of trying to. We believe that if we tried to please everyone and we would end up catering to the lowest common denominator and would end up average and ordinary and I would have to tolerate the jerks along with the safe and honest players. No thanks. This operation has been designed to welcome and serve only that group of players who appreciate what we do and how we do it and come to enjoy themselves.

    Since we opened for business in 2000, we have developed a diverse customer base. What our best customers all have in common is that they have positive attitudes, can take a joke, appreciate how we run our business, are respectful of each other and our staff, and enjoy the game for what it is and not constantly complain about how they think it should be, though we have earned a reputation for listening to the feedback we get from our players and being straight forward and honest.  We try to keep our prices reasonable and our service efficient.

    Due to the fact that we don't attempt to cater to everyone it's only natural that some people are going to like what we offer and other people are not. We understand this fact completely. It's called the free-market economy and it's one of the things that makes America great. If you don't like our business philosophy, be sure not to let the door hit you in the butt on your way out.  Better yet, don't come to our field in the first place because, chances are, all you will do is aggravate the players we do try to cater to.....safe and honest.  Those are the people we want to keep happy.

It's really pretty simple.  Play safely, walk when you are eliminated and maintain a good attitude.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  If you want to play at a field where safety and honesty come first, give us a heads up and let us know you are coming.  We'll throw another burger on the grill for you.  Safety, honesty, fun.....in that order.

Mark Miles
Smak Zone Paintball