July 9, 2021 (Camp Ripley, Minnesota) -- Recruiters in the Minnesota National Guard hosted a paintball event on Camp Ripley on June 8, 2021. The event is one of three total paintball events planned this summer.
Events like paintball are put on here by recruiters as a way for civilians to enter and explore Camp Ripley and to receive more information about what the National Guard has to offer to those who are interested in joining.
“We host events like paintball at Camp Ripley to draw attention to individuals that are interested in the Army National Guard and to get them engaged in fun activities that we do here,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Solway, a Construction Engineering Supervisor and MN National Guard recruiter at Camp Ripley. “Civilians can register for events on Facebook, Instagram, or by calling or texting my cell phone.”
These events are created for students and other civilians that are looking for free fun. All events hosted by Army National Guard recruiters are free and have no registration fee or additional costs. There are more than just paintball events hosted here. Recruiters will often use the many other facilities available on post so that civilians can experience more of what the base has to offer.
“Paintball and obstacle courses, confidence courses, are the two primary things that I host at Camp Ripley. Usually I host them for high school sports teams or just for a group of people to come out and have fun,” said Solway.
Elliot Korth, a high school senior at Coon Rapids, was one of the students that attended the paintball event on June 8th and describes his experience as new and entertaining.
“It was really fun,” Korth said. “It was a smaller group and it was my first time doing it, but I think it would be even more fun with a lot more people.”
Korth plans on attending more events on the future, like the next two paintball events on July 21st and August 4th. Next time he plans on inviting his friends and bringing them along so that they can enjoy paintball and other events here just like he did.
“I’m going to try to get my buddies on board. They couldn’t make it this time, but I’m going to try to get them out here the next time that I’m able to come back up,” said Korth.
It’s not just the civilians that can have a fun time at these events. The recruiters that host them like to join in on the games and play alongside the people that they bring here.
“The best part about these events to me are seeing people have a good time and getting out of their comfort zone,” said Solway. “Another thing that I like is that it gets me out of my office and lets me have some fun too.”
Events like paintball are a great time for both soldiers and civilians alike and, according to the students who attended the event, it’s fun opportunity for them to learn more about both the National Guard and Camp Ripley and to take advantage of what the recruiters can offer them.
Date Taken: | 07.09.2021 |
Date Posted: | 07.12.2021 11:04 |
Story ID: | 400716 |
Location: | LITTLE FALLS, MINNESOTA, US |
Web Views: | 175 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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