Kofahl paintballs in his free time

Allie King

Business Manager

For the past decade, Mira Costa High School AP Psychology teacher Aaron Kofahl has been paintballing a perfect way to deal with unresolved stress and a way to take his mind off of things.

Kofahl was first introduced to paintballing around the age of sixteen. He was introduced to the hobby at a friend’s birthday party. He later found one of his close friends who regularly paintballed and began going with him.

Photos: Kofahl and a group of friends go paintballing together. 
“We got a big group together and now we able to have our own private fields with our own private referee,” Kofahl said. “Sometimes you get people out there who put themselves in an experience levels different than what they are so it is now to have private sessions.”

When he first began, it was an activity he did with only a few friends. Kofahl has now expanded that circle of friends and hopes him and his team will be able dedicate the time to keep up the playing six times a year. Kofahl and his team set up private groups which allow them to create special rules and make the game more fun according to him and his teammates.

Kofahl enjoys paintballing at the SC Village Paintball and Air soft Park.

“Paintballing is a way to resolve stress,” Kofahl said. “We deal with a lot of unresolved stress in our everyday lives, things that are kinda hanging over our heads, but in a paintball match when the game is over it’s over.”

His team is composed of a group of his friends that go to the Southern California Village Paintball and Airsoft Park in Corona up to 6 times a year. The park is a 100 acre park that includes a variety of course types such as speedball and urban courses.

“I think it’s cool that Mr. Kofahl has something that he does outside of teaching,” AP Psychology student, Tracy Thompson said. “You always have this idea of what teachers are like outside of school and then to hear what they actually do be something completely opposite of what you would expect is pretty cool.”

Kofahl has never sustained any serious injuries, but he is often bruised following a game. Paintballing is not known to cause any sort of serious damage. Most injuries include pelts/bruises from the actual paintball pellet.

“Paintballing is one of the safest “extreme sports” out there,” Kofahl said. “Its nice to get that adrenaline flowing and to get the fight or flight response going.”

For paintballing safety tips, click here.

Not only does Kofahl see paintball as a way to relieve stress but he finds it a way to work on teamwork, strategy thinking, and communication. Paintballing helps practice kinesthetic awareness and allows players to release any tensions they may be feeling outside of the game.
“Right now what we’re trying to make happen with our group is to be able to get out there at least six times a year,” Kofahl expressed.  “It’s hard because we all work and have jobs, some of us even have kids now.”