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The New Year came in with a bang for Texas paintball players, when field owner Patrick McKinnon announced the sale of Brazos Survival Games to Houston businessman and paintball player, Mark Irvin.

McKinnon, 40, who opened the Southwest Houston field three years ago, says he sold BSG because 'he wanted to move on to other ventures' and to 'devote more time to my family.'  McKinnon has one daughter, Jamie (Jester), 16, and married paintball scenario personality, Diane (Mother) Howe, in November.  The McKinnons are members of the international paintball scenario team, Blitzkrieg.

The McKinnons will remain in Houston for the time being to accomodate Jamie's treatment for lymphoma cancer at MD Anderson Cancer Center.  Patrick says the family will continue to play paintball, but he will 'miss seeing the players - all the good friends I've made - every day."

Future plans were not divulged, with McKinnon saying only, 'Stay tuned, baby.  The best is yet to come.'

Mark Irvin hails from Oklahoma City, but lives now in Houston with his wife and two children.  He owns several local Sonic drive-in eateries, and has interests in other businesses.  Irvin got into paintball on Thanksgiving Day in 1997 when he took 17 family members to a Houston field.  He has missed only two weekends of play since.  Jeff Kraft, captain of Team Blast and a friend of Irvin's, talking him into playing tournament ball.

Their first tournament was a CPL event at Houston's Planet Paintball in March of 98, where they came in seventh out of 14 teams.  Since then, the team was finished sixth or seventh in the GTS series and 17th in the 1998 World Cup in the Amateur B division.  They missed the semifinal by one point, Irvin adds.

Irvin, 40, who names Bob Long as 'the coolest,' wants to promote 'taking paintball to the people.'  He bought BSG as a business interest, and sees the sport 'getting bigger and bigger.'  He states he will rely on the experienced employees to continue to run BSG.  The managers at BSG have over 30 years paintball experience betweeen them.

Brazos Survival Games, says Irvin, 'Has a great rec ball atmosphere, and that stays, no matter what.'  His philosophy of, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' will come as a relief to the hundreds of Viper Scenario Game players who attend these events every three months in Houston.  Says Irvin, 'It's a great marriage (with Viper Scenarios).  Great for the field; great for Viper and for paintball.'  Kerry (Viper) Rosenberry will remain at BSG in his management duties, as will airsmith and manager Keith Kaminski.  Jeff Kraft will be joining the staff.

McKinnon says Irvin, 'will do great.  He has already made some good changes.  I think he will fine-tune BSG and take it to the next level.'

BSG is an APL field, with six fields covering 100 acres.  It has multistory buildings and command bunkers, speedball fields, a six-acre 'town field' with spectator viewing, a fully stocked pro shop, indoor bathrooms, and a resident WGP and AGD-certified airsmith.

For more information, call Brazos Survival Games at 281.342.5885 or e-mail bsg@texaspaintball.com