The Zion Times

By: Sachet A. Sullivan
Karston (16) and Tegan (10) Miller are half-brothers, but their bond was unmistakable as they laughed together at Pizza Factory preparing themselves to be interviewed for the newspaper. Karston leaned in to help his younger brother decide what to order, their smiles hiding the pain of a recent loss. Just a week earlier, they had said goodbye to the most important man in their lives—their father.

Nicholas Miller was something of a legend in Southern Utah. Nearly everyone who grew up in the region knew him—or knew of him. Even as the area has grown, his name still carries weight among longtime locals. He was a familiar and happy face to some, an example to others, but above all, he was a devoted father to two boys who were his entire world.

THE BEGINNING

Over the years Miller used paintball as an outlet, what started as a hobby turned into a small business that he ultimately included his boys in. When Miller passed away in December, he left the plans to that business with his boys.

With the paintball field being located in Hurricane, it made it easy for Tegan to travel from Cedar to shoot paintball with his older brother and his Dad, who both lived in St. George– a meeting in the middle.

After overcoming addiction, Miller found unexpected solace in paintball—a sport that soon became his lifeline and passion. In the quiet after the storm of addiction, Miller found healing in the adrenaline-fueled world of paintball. Recovery gave Miller a second chance—paintball helped give him a reason to keep going.

It didn’t take long for Miller to share his newfound passion with his two sons. Before long, they were by his side, helping build Southern Utah’s only outdoor paintball arena at the time—The Otherside Paintball.

In 2019, with the support of the community and Miller’s unwavering determination, his dream came to life. Miller and his boys set up telephone poles and stretched 20-foot net between them to enclose the field. More than 200 barrels and 1,000 tires were strategically placed inside, turning the field into an intense, action-packed battlefield.

TRAGEDY STRIKES

After Miller suffered a hand injury last year, Karston and his friends stepped in to help run the operation while his father recovered.

“Last summer, it was basically me and my friends running it,” Karston said, describing his time working at the field. “We figured out how to use the air generator, then we had a gas generator hooked up to the air generator to fill our compressed tanks.”

Unfortunately, boxed homes started popping up around the paintball field, and Miller soon began receiving complaints about paintballs damaging the properties.

“Tegan and I were constantly cleaning the paintballs off the houses,” Karston said, recalling the challenges they faced with their new neighbors.

Ultimately Miller was forced to relocate the paintball arena from Hurricane to a new site near Colorado City, about 30 minutes away. However, their time there was short-lived due to a property dispute with a neighbor who allegedly seized and disposed of all their outdoor equipment while they were moving to the new location.

THE OTHERSIDE GOES MOBILE

After the field closed, Miller and his boys took the show on the road, turning their paintball arena mobile. They started hosting everything from birthday parties to day-dates—giving kids the perfect day before the big high school dances.

The mobile arena also included Orbeez guns where younger kids could have orbeez wars and play a game similar to paintball without the injuries that often accompany it. Orbeez’ are small, rainbow-colored beads that expand and fill with water but dissolve quickly after they dry.

Karston described the Orbeez Wars as being for “little kids that can’t go play paintball but, like, wanna have fun with their friends and shoot guns—but not like Nerf guns. You don’t have to keep going and picking up the bullets. You can just keep shooting.”

The mobile arena hosted more than 1,000 events, including youth groups, birthday parties and homecoming celebrations.

“It was the happiest time of his life—parties on parties,” Karston said, reflecting on how much it meant to his dad to be doing what he loved.

Tragically, not long after the boys took the arena mobile, Miller passed away unexpectedly, leaving the dream in the boy’s hands to keep alive.

THE POST THAT SPARKED THE DREAM

Shortly after Miller’s passing, a Facebook post began circulating online. The post had a photo included with Karston standing next to all his “homies” at the paintball field he and his brother built with their dad—the field stretching out behind them, full of memories, sweat, and the dream they brought to life together.

“Me and the homies are working right now to get the paintball business back up and running,” the post read. “My dad, luckily—but unfortunately—left me the blueprints I need, so I’m asking for your help getting the word out and making sure we can keep it going.” In the heart-wrenching plea for help, he stated, “If you knew my dad, you’d know his passion for paintball and how much love and dedication he put into it over the last five years. It can’t just disappear like that—not after all those years of sweat and tears.”

The post humbly asked for support from friends and family. “Donations are so much appreciated, especially because I’m gonna have to work very hard to make this happen,” it read. “I need a truck, trailer, paintballs and some more equipment for our guns. Anything helps, guys!”

KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE

When asked why he wanted to continue his Dad’s paintball business Karston replied “This is what he loved. He wasn’t in my life for the full 16 years but the last 8 years that he was in my life, it was all paintball. That was just our bond that we created over time. Then we brought Tegan in it and we all just loved it!”

“We were all insane good! Like this guy, he’d be takin’ out pro’s” as he pointed to his little brother.

Tegan bashfully added what he loved most about playing paintball with his dad.

“Doing all the tournaments I did with him, helping him out, and just playing with him on the paintball field,” he said.

“It’s just fun” he replied when asked about why he liked playing paintball.

Karston added with a laugh, “He’s actually really good—and it doesn’t hurt him. He might cry a little, but he loves it. In the end, it’s all fun and games.”

When asked about why he wants to keep his Dad’s business going, Tegan responded “we would make his dreams come true”.

GOALS FOR THE OTHERSIDE

Karston outlined some of his plans for the Otherside Paintball in his interview with The Zion Times, stating that he hopes to launch a recovery-based paintball program and involve Southern Utah’s drug courts, using color-coded paintballs to represent the different court levels. He also added that he’d like to include the local treatment centers as part of the recovery-based paintball.

With over 100 orbeez guns & blow up inflatibles, Tegan hopes to be in charge of the mobile Orbeez Wars.

Karston said The Otherside Paintball has a contract with the Concrete Factory—an abandoned cement plant about an hour south of St. George, now repurposed as a paintball field in the heart of the Moapa Desert. He’d like to host parties and events there in the future.

Another long-term goal Karston is aiming for is to launch a youth paintball league—something modeled after Little League, but designed to grow the sport and give kids a new outlet for teamwork, discipline and fun.

LIST OF NEEDS

When Miller passed, he left his boys most of the remaining gear from The Otherside—including about 50 paintball guns, 100 Orbeez guns with inflatable obstacles, five compressor tanks and roughly 20 masks.

Karston said he’s in need of three new air compressor tanks to keep the operation running but has faced challenges finding local support. Most companies in the area only offer CO₂, he explained, while his equipment requires high-pressure compressed air—a key component for refilling paintball markers.

“I have everything I need. My Dad left me the guns, the equipment, everything. I just need a little boost from the community” Karston said when addressing some of the challenges with keeping his father’s business going.

He also stated he needs paintballs, flyers, an enclosed trailer, decals for the trailer, shirts and pod packs to carry extra paint on the field.

HOW THE COMMUNITY CAN HELP

Karston is currently accepting donations via Cash App (@karstonmillz) and Apple Pay. For questions or to offer support to him and Tegan, he can be reached at (435) 301-3793. The same number is linked to his Apple Pay account.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF NICHOLAS MILLER
08-30-1985 to 12-31-2024.