LAKELAND, Fla. \u2014\u00a0One Tampa Bay paintball team is doing more than just competing \u2014 it\u2019s helping change lives.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
The Tampa Bay Rejects are a world-champion paintball team that practices in Lakeland
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Players say the team\u2019s focus on discipline and camaraderie fuels both personal growth and competitive success
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Founders say the team provides a positive alternative for players who might otherwise face risky or violent situations<\/p>\n
To some, paintball is just a game. But at Legacy Sports Park<\/a> in Lakeland, it\u2019s how champions are made.<\/p>\n Hunter Nasrallah first stepped onto the field with members of the Tampa Bay Rejects<\/a> five years ago. What started as a simple escape for him and his three friends ended up saving his life.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just got to a point where it felt like \u2026 it felt like I was better off not being here. Like, if I wasn\u2019t here, it wouldn\u2019t 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,\u201d Nasrallah said.<\/p>\n He says it\u2019s not just the game itself, but the camaraderie it brings.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re the ones that when I wake up in the morning, I wake up to text messages from them saying, \u2018Yo, we locked in.\u2019 Like, \u2018Have you gone to the gym yet? Have you ran your mile yet?\u2019 You know, we hold each other accountable, and it just gave me that purpose where these guys need me and I need them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Motivation like that, Nasrallah says, leads to the team\u2019s success. That mentality has also helped cultivate talent like three-time world champion Andreina Blanco.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels amazing to have that support, and it goes around for all the guys too, so it\u2019s great. It\u2019s great to have that feeling, that family-type of vibe,\u201d Blanco said.<\/p>\n Brandon Johnson, co-founder of the Tampa Bay Rejects, says the goal is to provide a safe place for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a lot deeper than just shooting each other with paintball guns,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n Sometimes, Johnson and Nasrallah say, it means being an outlet for someone who might otherwise pick up a real gun.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the stuff you learn through paintball or even in other sports equates to real life,\u201d Nasrallah said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to have hardship in life. It\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to be part of the Tampa Bay Rejects, you can sign up to tryout for the team on Legacy Sports Park’s website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n