Editing Skirmish USA (section)

=== Establishment ===

Skirmish developed from Paul Fogal's involvement with Pocono Whitewater, an established whitewater-rafting business. Fogal first played paintball in Canada in 1983 and concluded that the activity could complement the rafting operation.[1]

Fogal and his wife, Cleo, searched for a suitable location in the Pocono Mountains. Early equipment contacts included Canadian field operators Steve Caron and David Luxton, who had developed the Uzi Mark IV paintball marker. Fogal subsequently established relationships with Jeff Perlmutter of PMI and David Freeman of Direct Connect while seeking equipment for the new field.[1]

Skirmish opened in June 1984 with one paying customer, Ken Kelsch. Its original property comprised approximately 300 acres of undeveloped woodland, including extensive rhododendron growth.[1]

A 1985 United States District Court opinion separately records that the Fogal family began operating Skirmish in June 1984. It identified Paul Fogal as president of Skirmish USA, Douglas Fogal Jr. as vice-president and Douglas Fogal as president of Pocono Whitewater, which owned and operated the Pennsylvania property where the games were played.[2]