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paintballimpact.com / Cheating in Paintball / Wiping
Wiping | Cheating in Paintball
"The final kind of wiping is the worst. It is blatant wiping. This is just about the most disrespectful on field cheating that you can do." Alex Fraige, Dynasty Captain Face Full, October 2006. There are many things paintball players may try to do things to get a competitive edge on the field. Some things people do are within the rules and some things are considered cheating. Wiping is probably the most common form of cheating in tournament and recreational play. Wiping is any maneuver that attempts to brush off or conceal a paintball impact. Wiping is an intentional move to remove or hide an elimination shot. Wiping hits is a terrible offense that can result in severe penalties for the individuals and other team members in a game. Wiping can get your team eliminated from a tournament, and could result in getting you labeled as a cheater or dishonorable paintball player.
There are several forms of wiping, all tournament infractions that will penalize you and your team if you get caught. The first is the dive off wipe. The dive off wipe is when you get hit in the process of running from one bunker to the other, and you dive into the side of impact to rule the paint off. The next dishonorable paintball removal is the bunker wipe. The bunker wipe is when you use a bunker to rub off a hit. For example, you get shot in the back as you try to slide step from one bunker to the other. Instead of using your hand to wipe off the mark, you rub your back against the wall to remove the paint. Lastly, we must reference the most heinous wipe, and that is blatant wiping. Blatant wiping is when you use your hand to wipe off the paint. If caught in the act, it could get you and your team disqualified from a professional tournament.
As the stakes get higher, and the prize money and sponsor gifts go up for tournament wins, so too will the incidents of cheating rise. While there is controversy and disagreement in the field as to the impact and seriousness of wiping, most agree that referees must work diligently to minimize this shady maneuver. Some players feel like it is a part of the game, like a cornerback jamming a wide receiver at the line of scrimmage. Though there is a list of rules in place to keep the cornerback from interfering with a receiver's ability to catch a pass, he will do everything in his power to get away with as much physical contact as he can without getting penalized. In paintball, many players feel like it is the responsibility of the player to get away with as many rule infractions as they can to win, and it is the responsibility of the referee to catch them. This philosophy is espoused by Markus "The Karkus" Nielsen. He has been quoted as saying "Cheating-Schmeating. I don't think it's cheating. That's all it is. It's not cheating to me. You're doing what you're doing to win. You want to win. A basketball player goes up to make a lay-up, you're gonna hit his hand away if he's going to make the winning point, you're going to try and stop him. It's a penalty. That's why there are judges on the field, that's why there are one-for-ones. There wouldn't be one-for-ones if it wasn't something that people could do. Everybody does it."
Markus Nielsen has promoted the philosophy here that self policing is not the job of the individual player, but the responsibility of the referee. He feels that sliding or any other maneuver that keeps him in the game is fair game, as long as the referee doesn't see it. One famous line comes from football on the topic of cheating. It is only cheating if you get caught.
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