There are sports, and there are extreme sports. And the University of MinnesotaâÄôs Paintball Club is quietly making a splash nationwide among other extreme sports clubs. The team is heading to Lakeland, Fla. Thursday to participate in the National Collegiate Paintball Championships. The team is currently ranked fifth in the nation in class AA. The club has never won a regional competition, but the squad placed top four in four different competitions to claim the Northwest Division championship this season. The team is extremely successful, considering the club is only in its second full season of competition. Economics senior John Thomason, the clubâÄôs founder and president, was involved with the paintball club at St. MaryâÄôs University of Minnesota his freshman year before transferring to the University of Minnesota. Thomason exudes passion for the messy sport. âÄúItâÄôs just one of those sports where thereâÄôs a huge adrenaline rush,âÄù he said. âÄúItâÄôs a lot more fast paced than a lot of sports.âÄù Thomason said when he got to the University he was surprised there wasnâÄôt a paintball team on such a big campus, and immediately tried to get one assembled. In the fall of 2007, he formed the club heâÄôs taken all the way to nationals. Jon Chelmo , one of two first years in the club has been involved in paintball since the 7th grade. Chelmo has been very active with the team and has been a major contributor, attending every event and practice. Chelmo said he is pleased with the teamâÄôs rank, and thinks they have a great chance at victory in the national competition this week. Thomason said there are about 15 active members in the Paintball Club. None of the group members knew each other prior to joining the team and they say it has helped foster some wonderful friendships. Since the team is not a University varsity athletic team, they must find their own ways to fund their activities, which can be quite costly. Thomas said that overall, each member of the group probably spent more than $1,000 of their personal money for club-related costs. New paintball guns can cost as much as $1,500 , which represents only a portion of the sportâÄôs many expenses including tournament traveling, registration fees and equipment costs. The club was only able to acquire $1,000 in funding through a University grant. To alleviate some of the costs, the group sought out sponsors and grants. One of the clubâÄôs primary sponsors is Action Packed Paintball Games in Jordan, Minn. Store owner Jim Emmerich assisted the team with supplies and a practice field since Thomason had worked for him in the past. âÄúI provide them with a place to play and give them discounts for paintballs and that kind of stuff,âÄù Emmerich said. Emmerich said he is pleased with what the team was able to accomplish this year, but heâÄôs yet to get a chance to see them in action. Heading into Florida, the team is confident in their abilities, and hopes to come out on top in the pool of 56 teams. âÄúI am super excited for this, I canâÄôt wait to go.âÄù Chelmo said. âÄúWeâÄôll break top five for sure unless something catastrophic happens.âÄù