PaintballX3 Magazine November 2013 Issue | Page 56

interview

Shawn, you’ve been in paintball a long time
and have accomplished a lot. Can you give our
readers an overview of your resume in paintball?
From the first time I started playing when I
was 12 with my Church, I was hooked. I loved
everything about the sport. The running, the
hiding, the shooting, the competition, the everything. I worked for my local paintball store
when I was 15 and then opened my first paintball field when I was 16. It was an indoor field
in San Diego called Sudden Impact Arena.
I went on to college at the University of Oregon and during that time helped create the
Paintball Junkies brand and traveled all over
the US promoting Paintball Junkies. Although
I played in many local Great Western Series,
Pam Am and XPSL events since 1994, my first
World Cup was in 1997.
After I graduated from U of O I worked for a
year with In Yo Face paintball products and
created and ran the Oregon Paintball League. I
then took a job with Dan Bonebrake running
the XPSL, PaintballFirst.com and Warpaint
International.
After a few years there I purchased the XPSL
from Dan and took the job as General Manager for the NPPL. At this time I was also
hosting the TV show Inside Paintball for the
Outdoor Channel.
After a year with the NPPL, I helped to form
an investment group that purchased the

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NPPL, XPSL, Paintball2Xtremes Magazine,
Paintball.com and other paintball related
assets. I ran that company, Pacific Paintball,
for 2 years. During that time I also created 2
seasons of Beyond the Paint for Fox Sports.
When the economy collapsed in late 2008, so
did Pacific Paintball.
I then took over Camp Pendleton Paintball
park through a government bidding process
and built 2 new multi-million dollar facilities
on the base that includes 30 acres, 4 turf fields,
10 Recball fields, Airsoft, Zip Line, KidSplat
area, Pro Shop and more. I also have built new
paintball facilities on Miramar Air Station and
29 Palms Base. I now own and operate those
4 paintball parks. I also have 3 retail stores
at different shopping malls in the area. I also
started and run the RPL (Regional Paintball
League) as well as Tough Chrono.
This year I got back into promoting National
Level tournaments with Paintball Promotions
Inc. and ran the last 3 NPPL events.
What has kept you in the game for so long?
I think the main thing is my passion for
Paintball. I love the sport. I love playing, I love
talking about it, I love helping others get into
it. I love taking my kids to the park and now
teaching them about it. I have been fortunate
in my 20+ years that I haven’t lost my passion
for the sport and I still get excited every day
getting up and going to work. I also have been
fortunate to be able to have a career in the
industry that I love.

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