Several students were armed but not necessarily dangerous at Ohio University Southern this week. The students, part of a physical education class, learned the basics about paintball Friday with an inflatable course provided by the Ohio Army National Guard.

‘Today is basically an introduction to the sport of paintball,” Steve Call, the class instructor, said. “(It’s) an introduction to the gun and how to operate it with a big focus on safety.”

Ohio Army National Guard offers several events like this one that give the Guard an opportunity to tell students about opportunities for college students.

“The benefits are tremendous,” First Sergeant Steve Stormes said. “Especially for college kids.”

Students got to shoot the paintball gun, but have not actually played the game yet. Call said when they do it will be a great workout for them.

“The running and the dodging and jumping,” he said. “Really it’s a good cardio sort of workout.”

In the coming weeks the class will travel to the Athens campus and to a course in West Virginia to play paintball. They have also received clearance to play in the Wayne National Forest.

Of the school’s physical education classes, this is one of the most popular. Seventeen students are taking it for credit. Ten offers are participating but not for credit.

“This is to give the students some opportunities other than just coming to class,” Call said.

Sophomore David Rowe is glad to see the school offer such a class.

“Paintball is a decently big sport around here,” he said. “There would not be a particularly big reason not to have it here.”

Rowe has been playing the sport for the past two years.

“It’s kind of exciting going up against other people without having to worry about dying,” Rowe said.

He added that paintball players have to anticipate their opponents next move, much like a chess player does. “It’s like chess with guns.”