War of the Paintball Worlds

A group of 35 hostile purple aliens invaded Central Kitsap with one thing on their minds — blasting anybody that crossed their path to protect their mother ship.

No, this isn’t something making its way to the nearest movie screen, just a group of local paintball enthusiasts out having a good time Friday for the second annual Alien Invasion competition at the Northwest Paintball Park.

The object of the day’s events was for the “aliens” to defend their mother ship from the far larger group of “bounty hunters” bent on taking the ship for themselves.

The “bounty hunters” (a group of novice and somewhat experienced paintballers) took the “aliens” (park staff and tournament veterans) by surprise in the first game, winning with a strong strategy and defying referee Eric Fryling’s prediction “the bounty hunters are going to get slaughtered.”

He turned out to be right in the second game as the “aliens” made short work of their opposition.

“I didn't think til I got hit, then I was like that kinda hurts,” said Jaime Velez, a member of the “bounty hunter” team. “The one on my back hurt. But I am out here having fun.”

The games proved to be a bonding experience for the Brian and Nicole Walters of Bremerton.

“She wanted to give it a try,” Brian Walters said. “She painted her hair blue and her friend Jaime Velez painted hers red.

“I paintball every weekend and she hasn’t done this in a while so it’s a lot of fun and something to do on the Fourth of July.”

Nicole Walters had fun as well despite getting plastered by a paint filled “grenade.”

“I was up behind a bunker when I saw a paintball grenade fly over my head,” she said. “I had no chance — I got splattered by the grenade.”

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