LAKELAND, Fla. — One Tampa Bay paintball team is doing more than just competing — it’s helping change lives.

What You Need To Know

The Tampa Bay Rejects are a world-champion paintball team that practices in Lakeland

Players say the team’s focus on discipline and camaraderie fuels both personal growth and competitive success

Founders say the team provides a positive alternative for players who might otherwise face risky or violent situations

To some, paintball is just a game. But at Legacy Sports Park in Lakeland, it’s how champions are made.

Hunter Nasrallah first stepped onto the field with members of the Tampa Bay Rejects five years ago. What started as a simple escape for him and his three friends ended up saving his life.

“It just got to a point where it felt like … it felt like I was better off not being here. Like, if I wasn’t here, it wouldn’t matter. It got really serious at one point, and paintball is what got me out of that mindset. It gave me that purpose in life,” Nasrallah said.

He says it’s not just the game itself, but the camaraderie it brings.

“They’re the ones that when I wake up in the morning, I wake up to text messages from them saying, ‘Yo, we locked in.’ Like, ‘Have you gone to the gym yet? Have you ran your mile yet?’ You know, we hold each other accountable, and it just gave me that purpose where these guys need me and I need them,” he said.

Motivation like that, Nasrallah says, leads to the team’s success. That mentality has also helped cultivate talent like three-time world champion Andreina Blanco.

“It feels amazing to have that support, and it goes around for all the guys too, so it’s great. It’s great to have that feeling, that family-type of vibe,” Blanco said.

Brandon Johnson, co-founder of the Tampa Bay Rejects, says the goal is to provide a safe place for everyone.

“It’s a lot deeper than just shooting each other with paintball guns,” Johnson said.

Sometimes, Johnson and Nasrallah say, it means being an outlet for someone who might otherwise pick up a real gun.

“All the stuff you learn through paintball or even in other sports equates to real life,” Nasrallah said. “You’re going to have hardship in life. It’s how you respond. If you get pushed over, are you going to get back up, or are you going to stay down? And every single one of those guys over there, they stand up. They stand back up.”

If you’d like to be part of the Tampa Bay Rejects, you can sign up to tryout for the team on Legacy Sports Park’s website.