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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie De La Garza A trip up to Tigerland Paintball in Cross Lake is well worth the drive for those looking for an adventurous afternoon filled with fun. Owner Joe Drayton of New Sweden, at right, has spend countless hours revamping the multi-acre field, much to the delight of both customers and his eldest son, Isaiah, pictured at left. |
By Natalie De La Garza
Staff Writer
CROSS LAKE — Tigerland Paintball has brought fun, colorful recreation to the region since 2004 — but never quite like this.
Its revamped Cross Lake facility not only boasts the slogan “Maine Ultimate Paintball Experience,” it backs up the claim with acres of romping grounds spanning different types of terrain conducive to multiple styles of game play.
Owner Joe Drayton of New Sweden has spent countless hours ensuring that Tigerland Paintball lives up to the hype it’s earned. Clearly a testament to his love of the sport, the course is dotted with urban scenes and platform huts to hunker down in when the paint starts flying, and carefully placed areas of cover almost beg to be dramatically tuck-and-rolled behind.
“It’s a lot bigger and more expanded than ever before,” Drayton said. “I don’t think there’s a single person who’s played [at Tigerland Paintball] who knows all the stuff that’s out here — every time someone comes out here to play, there’s always something different.”
The improvements have been well received by the region with a steady stream of group bookings for every type of party from bachelor to birthday — and even teambuilding activities.
“I don’t think there’s anything that builds teamwork better than paintball,” Drayton said, describing how the sport rewards smart gameplay — not just the biggest and the strongest athletes.
“People from all ages, some people with disabilities will play and it really evens the playing field for everyone,” he said. “Some people like to take their time and sit in one place, other people just run around like crazy and everyone is even out there — that’s what’s so great about it.”
A perfect example of an even playing field, Drayton spoke of one such match up that occurred when a 12- or 13-year-old’s birthday party faced off against a bachelor party.
“It was a bunch of kids against a bunch of adults; the kids were worried that they wouldn’t have a chance against the adults, but the adults were scared of the kids, too, because there would be three or four kids hiding behind one little bunker — and they’d all come running out like mice,” he described, smiling at the memory of an excellent day of paintball. “They all had a blast.”
Prospective paint ballers come over from Canada and up from Augusta and even Massachusetts to take some cover at Tigerland Paintball, and they range from the minimum age of 11 up to their late 60s. 
“Family is one of the biggest draws we have here,” Drayton added. “We have a ton of people coming for Father’s Day.”
With small groups and large groups welcome at Tigerland Paintball, most beginners arrive with the same question, which is, of course, “does it hurt to be hit?”
“Not really,” said Drayton’s 12-year-old son, Isaiah. “It feels like you’re being pinched — that’s all.”
Isaiah has been enjoying paintball since he played his very first game a few years ago, and he’s been hooked on the sport ever since. In that time he’s learned that the more people you have playing the game, the more exciting it is.
Ideally, he’d play with 30 people — 15 per team.
“We’ll have anywhere up to 50 people out there,” Drayton said, assuring that the field is big enough to easily support 50 players, particularly when you consider the different terrains of the woods, field areas and the designed urban areas. Capture the flag is a tried-and-true variant of the sport, but Tigerland Paintball features a full list of fun, custom games that participants can pick from.
“I’ll pretty much set it up however they want to do it, but I will make suggestions,” Drayton explained, applying his 10-year tenure with Tigerland Paintball to make sure the customer has a fun experience.
While it is the more the merrier when it comes to paintball, Tigerland Paintball offers full rental packages for those interested in giving the sport a shot.
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie De La Garza Tigerland Paintball Owner Joe Drayton of New Sweden, at left, and his son Isaiah demonstrate how teamwork is important when playing a game of paintball. |
For $35, individuals can rent a gun, equipment, free compressed air for the day and 500 rounds of paint — which is enough to get anyone well on their way for a paintball match in the woods.
The second, smaller course at Tigerland Paintball is specially situated for Speedball — a small, symmetrical field that pits two teams against each other in a soccer field-like space.
The shorter Speedball games last minutes, and Drayton says players can easily empty three hoppers or so of paint during that time with no problem — at 200 to 250 rounds of paint per hopper.
“Sometimes you can be out here playing [paintball in the woods] and you won’t even go through one hopper, but then again it could completely change around the next corner — that’s what makes it so much fun,” he said.
A newer attraction to Tigerland is the addition of accessories like paint grenades and pull-pin smoke grenades, which customers have been pretty excited about.
While a smoke grenade offers billowing concealment, paint grenades bounce when they land, sending a spinning circle of paint about a 15-foot radius.
There’s always something new at Tigerland Paintball, located at 3762 Caribou Road in Cross Lake, and additional information can be found at www.tigerlandpaintball.com, by viewing their Facebook page or by calling (877) 321-9493.
