ShellShocked: Fun for the adventurous

Like a big game of tag.

That’s how Shannon Lagendyk describes the game of paintball. “This is a sport,” says Lagendyk. “It’s like a big game of tag. You’re tagging people.”

Lagendyk and her husband, Doug, are co-owners of ShellShocked Paintball in Southland Mall. The Michigan natives moved to Houma in the late-1990s, opened ShellShocked in ’99, and have since witnessed the growth of the sport in the Tri-parish area.

A game that Lagendyk says has been popular for nearly 20 years in the northern United States has just begun its growth in Louisiana over the past eight years.

“When we moved down here, there really wasn’t anything related to paintball,” said Lagendyk. “(Opening the store) introduced paintball to everybody else that really didn’t know what paintball was, because up north, it’s huge.”

But what’s the use of a paintball store without a place to play?

Not much.

So seven months after opening the store, the Lagendyk’s opened a paintball field in Bayou Blue. Earlier this year, the paintball field was moved to Sixth Street, near the National Guard Armory.

Having the field has allowed ShellShocked Paintball to host teams that compete nationwide. Overall, ShellShocked has four teams, each based on skill levels. “We do local and national traveling,” said Lagendyk. “In June, we’re going to Chicago. We’ve already been to Los Angeles and South Carolina, this year. So we go all over the United States with our team.”

The main advantage of the field, though, is the ability for newcomers to get acquainted with the game. Lagendyk said “99.9 percent” of people who go play paintball, end up “loving” paintball.

“A lot of the kids tell their parents that they want paintball gear,” explained Lagendyk. “I always recommend coming out to our field and watching. Then rent some equipment and play for a day. If you don’t have any gear, we rent everything you need.”

Lagendyk said a day’s worth of rental typically costs between $25 and $30, depending on how many paintballs are shot.

“To start off with buying paintball gear,” he added, “you’re looking at $100 to $120, just to get set up and started. It’s a win-win situation. You like it, now how often do you want to play it? That’s going to determine what kind of gear you want to get.”

For those worried about getting hit by the paintballs, Lagendyk says not to be afraid. “You’re going to get a welt,” she said. “Really, it looks a lot worse that it actually is. Sometimes when you’re out there, you don’t even realize the ball hits you. The adrenaline is a huge factor.”

While adrenaline might be a factor for some people, age certainly isn’t, according to Lagendyk. Players range from 10-years-old to their mid-60s. “We have guys that play tournament level in their late-40s and 50s,” she said. “There are a couple of grandparents that come out with their grandchildren to play, and they’re in the mid-60s.”

Spreading the sport of paintball throughout south Louisiana has been the Lagendyk’s main focus over the past eight years, but by the end of this year, they are hoping to have a ShellShocked skate park open for use.

“We just purchased this piece of land that our new (paintball) field is on,” he said. “We plan on doing a skateboard park right next to it. Hopefully we can get that going by the end of this year.

But until then, the Lagendyk’s are hoping for the continued growth of paintball. “Our goal is get everybody, in one way or another, out there to play just one time,” she said. “That’s all it takes. One time. Even if they don’t play it on a regular basis, they’ll know what it’s about. It’s something that’s fun, and they’ll consider doing it again.”