Editing Hayes Noel

'''Hayes Noel''' (born 1941) is an American former stockbroker and paintball pioneer who, together with [[Charles Gaines]] and [[Bob Gurnsey]], helped develop the [[Survival Game]], the recreational activity that became modern [[paintball]]. Noel was one of twelve participants in the first widely documented organised paintball game, held near Henniker, New Hampshire, on 27 June 1981.[1][2]

The game's origins lay in a longstanding debate between Noel, a Wall Street stockbroker, and Gaines, a writer and outdoorsman, about whether urban professionals or experienced outdoorsmen possessed better survival instincts. Their discussions eventually led to experiments with paint-firing marking pistols and the organisation of a competitive game in wooded terrain.[1][3]

Following the first game, Noel worked with Gaines and Gurnsey to commercialise the activity through [[National Survival Game]] (NSG), which sold equipment packages and developed a network of licensed paintball operators.[2][4]

Noel subsequently withdrew from active involvement in the paintball industry. In October 1998, he returned to the sport as a keynote speaker at the [[International Masters]] tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, where he discussed the game's origins and the development of competitive paintball.[5]

His firsthand recollections were subsequently documented in a 2018 WBUR investigation and in historical accounts by Charles Gaines.[1][3]

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Hayes Noel
|-
! Name
| Hayes Noel
|-
! Born
| 1941
|-
! Nationality
| American
|-
! Occupation
| Stockbroker, entrepreneur
|-
! Known for
| Co-creating the Survival Game, the precursor to modern paintball
|-
! Associated organisation
| [[National Survival Game]]
|-
! First documented paintball game
| 27 June 1981
|-
! Location
| Henniker area, New Hampshire, United States
|-
! Collaborators
| [[Charles Gaines]], [[Bob Gurnsey]]
|-
! Notable appearance
| 1998 International Masters keynote address
|}

== Early life and career ==

=== Background ===

Noel was born in 1941.

In a 2018 interview with WBUR's ''Only A Game'', Noel identified himself as 76 years old and stated that he had been born in 1941.[1]

He was a successful stockbroker working in New York.

Historical accounts describe him as a Wall Street trader who was accustomed to the competitive environment of financial markets.

=== Sporting background ===

Noel was a former college football player.

He also participated in recreational activities including tennis, fishing and skiing.

His competitive personality became a recurring feature of later accounts of paintball's origins.

=== Friendship with Charles Gaines ===

Noel developed a close friendship with [[Charles Gaines]], an American writer and outdoorsman.

Gaines was known for his literary work and involvement in the development of the bodybuilding documentary ''Pumping Iron''.

The two men shared an interest in competitive activities.

Their friendship involved frequent arguments and informal wagers.

These discussions eventually led to the idea of testing survival skills through a structured outdoor competition.

== Origins of paintball ==

=== The survival debate ===

During the late 1970s, Noel and Gaines debated whether a person accustomed to the competitive environment of a major city would be more capable of surviving a dangerous encounter than an experienced outdoorsman.

Noel argued that the psychological qualities required to succeed in financial trading could be useful in a survival situation.

Gaines believed that practical outdoor skills, including hunting and fieldcraft, would provide an advantage.

The argument continued over several years.

=== Martha's Vineyard discussions ===

During the summer of 1980, Noel and Gaines spent time together on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

They rented a house with their wives and friends.

According to Gaines's later firsthand account, the men continued debating survival skills during the visit.[3]

Noel described the excitement of stalking another person through wooded terrain.

Gaines challenged his conclusions about the experience.

The discussions helped establish the idea of creating a more formal test.

=== Competitive personalities ===

Gaines later described Noel as exceptionally competitive.

The two men regularly challenged one another in sports and informal wagers.

Their friendship and rivalry were important influences on the eventual development of the Survival Game.

== Early paintball experiments ==

=== Discovery of marking pistols ===

The men became aware of paint-firing marking pistols used for agricultural and forestry applications.

The equipment included the [[Nel-Spot 007]], manufactured for marking livestock and trees.

A mutual acquaintance, filmmaker [[George Butler]], is identified in some historical accounts as having drawn attention to the marking pistols through an agricultural supply catalogue.[6]

=== Initial equipment ===

The Nel-Spot 007 was a manually operated marking pistol powered by a 12-gram CO2 cartridge.

It fired paint-filled projectiles.

The marker had not originally been developed as recreational sporting equipment.

=== Testing the equipment ===

Before organising a larger game, Noel and Gaines experimented with the marking pistols.

Accounts describe the men firing paintballs at one another to determine whether being struck would be tolerable.

WARPIG's 1998 retrospective identifies this as an early documented instance of paint-firing marking pistols being used against another person for recreation.[5]

=== Informal stalking game ===

Historical accounts also describe an informal one-on-one stalking game involving Noel and Gaines before the twelve-person event.

In a later recollection, Gaines described playing a short game in wooded terrain during which neither participant fired a shot.[6]

These experiments preceded the organised game held in June 1981.

=== Historical distinction ===

The informal experiments should be distinguished from the first widely documented organised paintball game.

The experiments involved only two participants and did not have the larger event's established rules, flag stations and organised group of competitors.

== First organised paintball game ==

=== Planning ===

Noel, Gaines and [[Bob Gurnsey]] developed plans for a larger competitive game.

Gurnsey was a sporting goods retailer in New Hampshire.

The three men organised a contest involving twelve participants.

=== Location ===

The game was held near Henniker, New Hampshire.

The playing area consisted of approximately 100 acres of wooded terrain.

=== Date ===

The event took place on 27 June 1981.[1][2]

It is widely recognised as the first organised game of modern paintball.

=== Participants ===

Twelve people participated in the event.

The group included businessmen, writers and experienced outdoorsmen.

Noel was one of the competitors.

=== Equipment ===

Players used Nel-Spot 007 marking pistols.

They also carried:

* Paintballs
* CO2 cartridges
* Protective goggles
* Maps
* Compasses

The equipment reflected the game's original emphasis on outdoor navigation and survival skills.

=== Rules ===

The objective was to collect flags from four stations and return to the designated finishing area.

Players were eliminated if struck by a paintball.

The rules combined elements of capture the flag, navigation and individual competition.

=== Winner ===

The game was won by [[Ritchie White]], a forester from New Hampshire.

White collected the required flags without firing a shot.

His victory became a central part of the sport's founding story.

=== Noel's participation ===

Noel participated in the game but did not win.

Accounts of his performance vary.

In a 2006 ''Los Angeles Times'' retrospective, Gaines recalled that Noel spent much of the game hiding in vegetation.[2]

The comment reflects Gaines's recollection and the longstanding competitive relationship between the two men.

=== Historical significance ===

The game demonstrated that marking pistols could be used to create an organised recreational competition.

It also generated interest among participants and observers.

The event provided the basis for the subsequent commercial development of paintball.

== Early publicity ==

=== Media coverage ===

Several participants were writers or had connections to publishing.

Following the first game, articles appeared in major American publications.

These included ''Sports Illustrated'', ''Time'' and ''Sports Afield''.[2]

=== Reader interest ===

The articles generated interest from readers who wanted to organise similar games.

This response demonstrated that the activity could attract a wider audience.

=== Commercial opportunity ===

Noel, Gaines and Gurnsey recognised an opportunity to package the activity for recreational customers.

Their response led to the development of National Survival Game.

== National Survival Game ==

=== Establishment ===

Noel was involved in the establishment of [[National Survival Game]] (NSG).

The organisation commercialised the Survival Game through equipment packages and field operations.

=== Founding partners ===

The principal figures associated with the business were:

* [[Hayes Noel]]
* [[Charles Gaines]]
* [[Bob Gurnsey]]

Their responsibilities differed.

Noel contributed to the original concept and commercial development.

Gaines was closely associated with publicity and promotion.

Gurnsey became particularly involved in field operations, equipment development and business expansion.

=== Starter packages ===

National Survival Game marketed packages containing the equipment needed to organise games.

Early packages included:

* Nel-Spot marking pistol
* Paintballs
* CO2 cartridges
* Protective goggles
* Compass
* Rulebook

The packages made the activity more accessible to people who had not participated in the original game.

=== Field licensing ===

National Survival Game developed a network of licensed field operators.

The licensing model allowed entrepreneurs to establish recreational paintball businesses using the company's equipment and rules.

=== Early expansion ===

The business expanded rapidly during the early 1980s.

Licensed operators began establishing paintball fields in different regions of the United States and internationally.

=== Industry development ===

National Survival Game helped establish several elements of the early paintball industry.

These included equipment distribution, commercial playing fields, organised events and standardised game rules.

=== Financial involvement ===

Historical accounts describe Noel as providing financial support during the company's early development.

The exact amount and terms of his investment require verification from original business records.

== Development of competitive paintball ==

=== Original game format ===

The first Survival Game was an individual competition.

Each participant attempted to collect flags while avoiding elimination.

=== Team paintball ===

As the sport developed, team-based formats became increasingly common.

These formats encouraged coordinated movement, communication and tactical planning.

=== Tournament development ===

National Survival Game organised early championship competitions during the 1980s.

The company helped establish a framework for organised tournament paintball.

=== Later organisations ===

As paintball expanded, other manufacturers, tournament promoters and leagues emerged.

These included [[Pursuit Marketing Incorporated]], the [[National Professional Paintball League]] and independent tournament organisations.

The sport developed beyond the original National Survival Game structure.

== Withdrawal from paintball ==

=== National Survival Game's decline ===

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, National Survival Game faced increasing competition.

Other manufacturers and distributors introduced new equipment and business models.

The company's influence declined.

=== Noel's departure ===

Following the dissolution of National Survival Game, Noel withdrew from active involvement in the paintball industry.[5]

He continued his career outside the sport.

=== Historical perspective ===

Noel's later interviews demonstrate that he remained interested in the sport's development.

However, he was not generally associated with the equipment-manufacturing and professional tournament businesses that dominated paintball during the 1990s.

== Return to paintball in 1998 ==

=== International Masters ===

Noel returned to a major paintball event in October 1998.

He attended the [[International Masters]] tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.

The event was produced by [[Jim Lively]] through Lively Productions.

=== Invitation ===

Lively was a longtime friend of Noel.

He invited Noel to deliver the tournament's keynote address.[5]

=== Speech ===

Noel discussed the origins of paintball.

He described his debates with Charles Gaines, the first experiments with marking pistols and the development of National Survival Game.

=== Tournament developments ===

Noel also discussed changes in paintball since the original game.

He was particularly interested in the advances in equipment and the growth of competitive play.

=== Spectator paintball ===

Noel offered views on how paintball might become more suitable for television.

WARPIG's contemporary event report identified three principal suggestions:

* Paintballs should be more visible on video.
* Gameplay should include moments when players were more vulnerable.
* Individual achievement should be more apparent to spectators.

Noel suggested that slower forms of play, including pump-action competition, might be more accessible to television audiences.[7]

=== Historical recording ===

WARPIG recorded Noel's keynote address.

An approximately twelve-minute audio excerpt was published online.[5]

The recording is an important primary source for paintball history.

=== Photographs ===

WARPIG's event gallery includes a photograph of Noel with [[Bud Orr]], another influential early paintball equipment designer.[8]

== Later interviews ==

=== WBUR investigation ===

In July 2018, WBUR's ''Only A Game'' published an investigation into the first recorded paintball game.[1]

The programme interviewed surviving participants and examined differences between historical accounts.

Noel contributed firsthand recollections.

=== Birth year ===

During the interview, Noel stated that he was 76 years old and had been born in 1941.

This provides a documented basis for his approximate biographical chronology.

=== Origins of the idea ===

Noel discussed his friendship with Charles Gaines and their debates about survival instincts.

He also described the involvement of Bob Gurnsey in organising the larger game.

=== Historical disagreements ===

The investigation identified differences between the recollections of original participants.

These concerned the development of the idea, the first experiments and details of the 1981 game.

The differences demonstrate the importance of comparing firsthand testimony with contemporary documentary evidence.

== Charles Gaines's retrospective ==

=== Garden & Gun account ===

In 2024, ''Garden & Gun'' published a firsthand account by Charles Gaines describing the origins of paintball.[3]

The article discussed his friendship with Noel and the events leading to the first organised game.

=== Martha's Vineyard ===

Gaines described the summer of 1980 and the conversations that took place while the two families were staying on Martha's Vineyard.

=== Early experiments ===

The account discussed Noel's enthusiasm for stalking games and the competitive arguments that eventually inspired the Survival Game.

=== Historical value ===

The article is particularly valuable because it records the recollections of one of the original organisers.

It should nevertheless be considered alongside Noel's own accounts and other historical sources.

== Historical significance ==

=== Origins of paintball ===

Noel was one of the principal figures involved in developing the concept that became modern paintball.

His discussions with Gaines provided the original competitive premise.

=== First organised game ===

Noel helped organise and participated in the first widely documented twelve-person paintball game.

=== Commercial development ===

He contributed to the establishment of National Survival Game, which helped transform the activity into a commercial recreational sport.

=== International expansion ===

The business model developed by National Survival Game contributed to paintball's expansion beyond the United States.

=== Historical documentation ===

Noel's 1998 speech and later interviews provide firsthand evidence about the sport's origins.

=== Spectator development ===

His comments at the 1998 International Masters demonstrate early interest in adapting paintball for television and wider audiences.

== Timeline ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Event
|-
| 1941
| Born
|-
| 1970s
| Works as a stockbroker and develops a friendship with Charles Gaines
|-
| Late 1970s
| Debates survival skills with Gaines
|-
| Summer 1980
| Continues discussions with Gaines on Martha's Vineyard
|-
| 1980–1981
| Participates in early experiments with paint-firing marking pistols
|-
| 27 June 1981
| Helps organise and participates in the first widely documented paintball game
|-
| 1981–1982
| Participates in the establishment and early development of National Survival Game
|-
| 1980s
| National Survival Game expands its equipment and field-licensing operations
|-
| Early 1990s
| Withdraws from active involvement in the paintball industry following NSG's decline
|-
| October 1998
| Delivers keynote address at the International Masters in Nashville
|-
| July 2018
| Interviewed for WBUR's investigation into the first paintball game
|-
| 2024
| Featured in Charles Gaines's retrospective account of paintball's origins
|}

== Research limitations ==

Further research is needed to establish:

* Noel's full legal name
* His exact date and place of birth
* His college football career
* His complete professional career in finance
* Original correspondence concerning the survival debate
* The exact date of the first informal paintball experiments
* The original National Survival Game corporate structure
* Noel's financial contribution to the business
* The date and circumstances of his departure from National Survival Game
* Original photographs and documents from the 1981 game
* A complete transcript of his 1998 International Masters speech

== See also ==

* [[Charles Gaines]]
* [[Bob Gurnsey]]
* [[Ritchie White]]
* [[George Butler]]
* [[Jim Lively]]
* [[National Survival Game]]
* [[Nel-Spot 007]]
* [[First paintball game]]
* [[International Masters]]
* [[Bud Orr]]
* [[History of paintball]]
* [[Paintball in New Hampshire]]
* [[Paintball in the United States]]

== References ==

# [https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2018/07/20/first-paintball-game-new-hampshire "The Survival Game: The Story of the First Recorded Paintball Match"], WBUR, Only A Game, 20 July 2018. Investigation incorporating firsthand interviews with Hayes Noel and other original participants.
# [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-may-07-tm-paintball19-story.html "War Games"], Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2006. Retrospective describing the first organised game, its participants and the commercial development of National Survival Game.
# [https://gardenandgun.com/paintballs-wild-history-as-told-by-the-man-who-co-invented-it "Paintball's Wild History, as Told by the Man Who (Co-)Invented It"], Charles Gaines, Garden & Gun, 2024. Firsthand account of Gaines's friendship with Noel and the development of the Survival Game.
# [https://paintballhistory.com/rip-paintballs-creator-bob-gurnsey/ "RIP Bob Gurnsey, Paintball's Creator, and the NSG Rapide"], Daniel Bacci, Paintball History, 26 August 2015. Historical retrospective concerning the three founders and National Survival Game.
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/articles/hayes/index.shtml "The Origin of the Sport"], WARPIG, 1998. Introduction and audio recording of Hayes Noel's keynote address at the 1998 International Masters.
# [https://www.automags.org/forums/forum/automag-owners-forums/paintball-talk/122630-history-of-paintball "History of Paintball"], Automags.org. Historical chronology discussing the original experiments, the involvement of George Butler and the first organised game.
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/masters98/index.shtml "Zap International Masters 1998"], WARPIG, October 1998. Contemporary tournament coverage documenting Noel's speech and his views on spectator-oriented paintball.
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/masters98/gallery/index.shtml "1998 International Masters Photo Gallery"], WARPIG, October 1998. Includes a photograph of Hayes Noel with Bud Orr.
# [https://paintmagazine.com/paintball-history/jim-lively/ "Jim Lively Interview (1994)"], Australian Paintballer, reproduced by Paint Magazine. Contemporary interview discussing Noel's involvement in the early paintball industry and the establishment of National Survival Game.
# [https://stason.org/TULARC/recreation/paintball/2-4-What-Is-the-History-of-Paintball.html "What Is the History of Paintball?"], Paintball FAQ, compiled by Paul Kloehn. Early historical chronology of the sport.

== External links ==

* [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/articles/hayes/index.shtml WARPIG — Hayes Noel's 1998 Keynote Address]
* [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/masters98/gallery/index.shtml WARPIG — 1998 International Masters Photographs]
* [https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2018/07/20/first-paintball-game-new-hampshire WBUR — The First Recorded Paintball Match]
* [https://gardenandgun.com/paintballs-wild-history-as-told-by-the-man-who-co-invented-it Garden & Gun — Charles Gaines on Paintball's Origins]
* [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-may-07-tm-paintball19-story.html Los Angeles Times — War Games]

[[Category:American paintball figures]]
[[Category:Paintball pioneers]]
[[Category:Paintball founders]]
[[Category:Paintball industry figures]]
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Paintball in New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Paintball history]]
[[Category:Paintball in the United States]]