By Maya MacGregor
Online Sports Editor
History and psychology teacher Aaron Kofahl encourages teamwork both in the classroom and on the field, spending his free time relieving stress while paintballing with friends.
Kofahl began paintballing around the age of 14. By age 16, he had purchased his own gear and started playing five to six times a year. He was originally introduced to paintballing at a friend’s birthday party and began doing it on a regular basis.
“Our private group organically changed into a ragtag team,” Kofahl said. “It is important to have a good team because teamwork is what makes or breaks your effectiveness on the field.”
By age 17, Kofahl had found himself in a circle of friends who also enjoyed the game, so they began to schedule regular paintball group outings. The private group evolved into a team that occasionally plays in competitions in and around the Los Angeles area.
“I participated in fewer games this year so I could chaperone weekend trips for Costa and keep caught up on graduate school,” Kofahl said. “Once things settle down, I hope that we can get back out there regularly.”
Kofahl continues to paintball about six times a year, and he and his team play at the Southern California Village in Corona, a massive paintball park with a variety of course styles, such as urban, desert, wooded and speedball.
“I’ve met many friends at SC Village, and my favorite part about paintballing is the stories we bring home; we love making brazen and silly maneuvers and laughing about them later,” Kofahl said. “It feels like we are talking about an action movie we were in together.”
Apart from practicing kinesthetic awareness and observation skills, paintballing allows Kofahl to relieve himself of unresolved stress collected during the day. Because paintballing places one in a mock high pressure situation, the sport allows players to release the tensions and stress in a competitive but healthy environment.
“Kofahl is a really positive teacher who engages students academically and still finds ways to enjoy himself outside of school,” freshman Liam Cook said. “I think that it is really interesting how paintball allows him to relieve himself from the stress of teaching while having fun.”
According to Kofahl, his team prides itself on its heavy use of pump-class marker guns. While their opponents’ guns spray 18 balls per second, Kofahl’s team’s guns shoot only two balls per second, forcing the team to shoot with greater accuracy. The increased accuracy then allows the team to rank higher in competitions.
“The game focuses on exercising the players’ spatial thinking, strategy and communication,” Kofahl said. “Far too many players try to compensate for their lack of skill with more expensive equipment, but in the end, nothing can compensate for better skill and increased shooting accuracy on the field.”
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