The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Paintball Club is a nationally ranked paintball team that travels to events all over the Midwest and to nationals in Florida. The club is looking for new students and staff members to help them grow.
Not many people on campus are aware of the prestigious titles held by the paintball club. The club won the series title twice in the last three years at the national championships, sponsored by the National Collegiate Paintball Association in Lakeland, Fla. One of the reasons the club feels obscure is the lack of a display case on campus to place its trophies.
“We have 10 or 15 first-place trophies, (as well as) countless second and third trophies. Right now they are just floating around. We also have our division plaque, which we have won two years running,” said senior engineer major Corey Hanson, current vice president of the club.
The club averages 20 to 25 players and practices as often as their schedules allow. The club currently practices two hours away in Janesville. Members rideshare to practice to offset the cost of gas.
The club also meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in the Mississippi Room.
The club competes in events throughout the Midwest and drives to Florida each spring to compete in nationals. Their next event is Sept. 22 in River Falls.
The paintball club is always looking to increase their ranks. While having paintball equipment is preferable, it is not a requirement for joining the club.
“If someone wants to join the club and (doesn’t) have their own gear, obviously we will let them borrow ours,” said club president Phil Paque, a senior business major. “We make it work, we always do.”
The club’s flyers in the student center are catching some attention. Freshman Drew Gundrum, industrial technology management major, said, “I saw a flyer for the paintball club. It sounds like fun.”
Anyone interested in joining or learning more about the UW-Platteville Paintball Club can call President Phil Paque at 608-234-8931 or check out the club’s Facebook page, UW-Platteville Paintball.
