It seems FOV (Friend of VFTD) and renowned paintball photog Gary B. is gonna be participating in a paintball photography clinic in Thailand. (Is that what you're really doing in Bangkok, Gary?) At first blush I confess I thought maybe this was a bit over the top--but then it occurred to me we already have player clinics and referee clinics--so why not? (Except of course we already have too many photographers gracing our fields but that may be a North America thing. I look forward to your angry comments. For all I know our friends around the globe despair because they don't have access to vanity paintball photography.) So best of luck on this latest venture--but I'm thinking there may be more opportunities here.
I am fortunate to have a world class pit manager and pod bitches extraordinaire. I have no doubt there's lots of poor pit crewing and pod bitching going on out there. The obvious answer is pit crew & pod bitch clinics. If photogs can sign up teams before events why couldn't certified pit crew offer their services? Does chaos reign in your pit? Sign up bitches trained by the best.
There's more. I don't mean to be critical but how 'bout sideline coaching? Not always a strength. And how many sad players have you seen desperately seeking aggness--and failing? Agg clinics could be the answer. Maybe a bonus balling clinic too. Lot of players talk big but fail to deliver in the clutch. I'm thinking there could be some big bucks in counter-coaching clinics as well. We need to think outside the box too. Everybody has heard the shrieking mom and cringed. There's a real need for a spectators clinic. How to be loud and supportive without inviting a parking lot beating. The sky is the limit!
Who says there's no money in paintball?
Showing posts with label paintball stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paintball stuff. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Paintball Awards
The kids at ProPaintball have posted--out of the blue--a "best" of 2011 list. If you missed it the post title is a link. But before I get into the subject of this post I would be remiss if I didn't thank ProPaintball for the honor bestowed on me. And I will refrain from thanking everybody I've ever known but it remains a fact that no individual succeeds in team sports alone and I am very fortunate to be part of a first class organization and surrounded by some of the best players in the world. Okay, enough of that.
While there is nothing new in doing best of lists or handing out annual awards I'm beginning to come around to their utility. You see, the thing is I've been, in the past, rather ambivalent about the whole idea of awards, player of the year, team of the year sorta thing, even All*Star players for the simple fact it often seems either political or a popularity contest that fails to acknowledge teams and players that don't have sponsor ads touting them or videos featuring them or who go out of their way to put themselves in the public eye. As a consequence I tend to view such things cynically. But it has occurred to me that such things might serve another purpose beyond simply recognizing excellence (to whatever degree of accuracy.) They might serve to help make competitive paintball more accessible.
For example, what if PBN did power rankings over the course of the season for each of the major leagues? The ranking needn't follow results alone but could include match-up results in the prelims, point margins, etc. or be voted on by members or players of the particular league. At the same time perhaps ProPaintball has the Insider's or the Expert's poll running concurrently doing much the same thing but with a limited list of voters chosen for their insider knowledge or expert opinions. Do such things change the results of matches or events? Of course not but they do create a potential for dialogue amongst fans of the different teams and leagues. And once you begin with an opinion you have to have reasons and before long people are talking about competitive paintball the way sports fans talk about other sports.
And while All*Star events have at best a checkered history there's nothing wrong and a lot right with the idea of awarding the best players All*Star recognition. Maybe mid-season each team nominates 3 or 4 players and over the rest of the year fans vote and the teams vote for the best players on their competitors' teams and at the end of the year when the series titles are handed out the individual All*Stars are acknowledged as well.
Which still leaves Top Tens, Best of's and whatever other annual awards anybody wants to assign and what better time to start drawing those up than after the final paintball has been shot in competition for the season and the off season is looming. It would be an excellent way to keep people interested and actively involved if, say, social media and networks were used interactively or to collect votes or whatever. And under those circumstances more than one batch of awards is both welcome and adds to the potential debate. It seems to me that the good outweighs any potential negatives and every handle that gives players and fans a positive, fun way to talk about competitive paintball is a plus.
While there is nothing new in doing best of lists or handing out annual awards I'm beginning to come around to their utility. You see, the thing is I've been, in the past, rather ambivalent about the whole idea of awards, player of the year, team of the year sorta thing, even All*Star players for the simple fact it often seems either political or a popularity contest that fails to acknowledge teams and players that don't have sponsor ads touting them or videos featuring them or who go out of their way to put themselves in the public eye. As a consequence I tend to view such things cynically. But it has occurred to me that such things might serve another purpose beyond simply recognizing excellence (to whatever degree of accuracy.) They might serve to help make competitive paintball more accessible.
For example, what if PBN did power rankings over the course of the season for each of the major leagues? The ranking needn't follow results alone but could include match-up results in the prelims, point margins, etc. or be voted on by members or players of the particular league. At the same time perhaps ProPaintball has the Insider's or the Expert's poll running concurrently doing much the same thing but with a limited list of voters chosen for their insider knowledge or expert opinions. Do such things change the results of matches or events? Of course not but they do create a potential for dialogue amongst fans of the different teams and leagues. And once you begin with an opinion you have to have reasons and before long people are talking about competitive paintball the way sports fans talk about other sports.
And while All*Star events have at best a checkered history there's nothing wrong and a lot right with the idea of awarding the best players All*Star recognition. Maybe mid-season each team nominates 3 or 4 players and over the rest of the year fans vote and the teams vote for the best players on their competitors' teams and at the end of the year when the series titles are handed out the individual All*Stars are acknowledged as well.
Which still leaves Top Tens, Best of's and whatever other annual awards anybody wants to assign and what better time to start drawing those up than after the final paintball has been shot in competition for the season and the off season is looming. It would be an excellent way to keep people interested and actively involved if, say, social media and networks were used interactively or to collect votes or whatever. And under those circumstances more than one batch of awards is both welcome and adds to the potential debate. It seems to me that the good outweighs any potential negatives and every handle that gives players and fans a positive, fun way to talk about competitive paintball is a plus.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Paintball Myths
There's a thread in the WCA (Asia) forum at the Nation about girls in paintball. Specifically about girls playing at World Cup Asia but as such posts always do it quickly devolved into the usual irrational nonsense--except for one sensible girl, IceBox. (You go girl!) Let me see if I have this right: Girls are every bit the equal of guys, Grrl Power, girls are tough, capable and can do anything a guy can do. Except, apparently, on a paintball field where if the girls aren't treated with the utmost care like little porcelain dolls they'll run away and never come back again. So when there aren't enough girls playing paintball it's all the guys' fault. Newsflash: I hate to break it to you but that's a cognitive disconnect, kids. Pick one. You can't have both.
How many girls play Airsoft?
On the flipside there's the common claim (almost invariably offered up by young males) that competitive paintball (and depending on the conversation pretty much all other forms of paintball) demands aggressive hardcore play--and as a hyper aggressive game it's not for everybody who isn't drenched head-to-toe in testosterone. Every time I read one of those kind of posts it makes me smile. It's the (unintended) gift that just keeps on giving. Especially the ones in which the writer really seems to believe it. One of the unwritten truths of paintball is that most of the (younger in particular) participants have little to no sports backgrounds. (And for purposes of this post and the point being made baseball doesn't count unless you use your Louisville Slugger for a Saturday night rumble with the Jets or the Sharks.) If they did they'd know how silly their claims are. And then there's what you see on most fields the world over. I'm sorry but hiding behind your primary spraying away at 12 bps pod after pod is not raw untempered aggression. And that heart-pumping adrenaline dump that makes 5 minutes seem like an eternity? That's not berserker aggression, it's called fear. But whatever you do keep writing those posts, kids. I can always use the laugh.
How many girls play Airsoft?
On the flipside there's the common claim (almost invariably offered up by young males) that competitive paintball (and depending on the conversation pretty much all other forms of paintball) demands aggressive hardcore play--and as a hyper aggressive game it's not for everybody who isn't drenched head-to-toe in testosterone. Every time I read one of those kind of posts it makes me smile. It's the (unintended) gift that just keeps on giving. Especially the ones in which the writer really seems to believe it. One of the unwritten truths of paintball is that most of the (younger in particular) participants have little to no sports backgrounds. (And for purposes of this post and the point being made baseball doesn't count unless you use your Louisville Slugger for a Saturday night rumble with the Jets or the Sharks.) If they did they'd know how silly their claims are. And then there's what you see on most fields the world over. I'm sorry but hiding behind your primary spraying away at 12 bps pod after pod is not raw untempered aggression. And that heart-pumping adrenaline dump that makes 5 minutes seem like an eternity? That's not berserker aggression, it's called fear. But whatever you do keep writing those posts, kids. I can always use the laugh.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
VFTD Challenge
No, this isn't Format Wars. You know the routine. It's still coming blah blah blah lazy slacker get used to it.
I thought in light of the controversial nature of the two leagues, the merger prospects and my general comments on the subject that I would make an open offer to anyone who would like to debate the relative merits favoring the NPPL and/or the merger. It seems some supporters of "the player's league" struggle with my criticisms of that league and I'd like to give any or all of them (you) an opportunity to respond.
I do however have a couple of conditions. The terms of the debate need to be set out formally in advance so that we can address specific questions one at a time in order to make the debate more interesting and helpful to the readers. And two, participants need to identify themselves in order to be accountable for their arguments, statements, etc.
I have no interest in restricting what you can say or how you say it as long as the basic agreed upon debate format is adhered to.
Right now I'm thinking in terms of NPPL v. PSP but there's no reason not to consider other potential points of contention for future debate(s). Should anyone take up the offer future posts will lay out the details & agreed terms as we proceed.
I will not, however, wait with bated breath for a response.
I thought in light of the controversial nature of the two leagues, the merger prospects and my general comments on the subject that I would make an open offer to anyone who would like to debate the relative merits favoring the NPPL and/or the merger. It seems some supporters of "the player's league" struggle with my criticisms of that league and I'd like to give any or all of them (you) an opportunity to respond.
I do however have a couple of conditions. The terms of the debate need to be set out formally in advance so that we can address specific questions one at a time in order to make the debate more interesting and helpful to the readers. And two, participants need to identify themselves in order to be accountable for their arguments, statements, etc.
I have no interest in restricting what you can say or how you say it as long as the basic agreed upon debate format is adhered to.
Right now I'm thinking in terms of NPPL v. PSP but there's no reason not to consider other potential points of contention for future debate(s). Should anyone take up the offer future posts will lay out the details & agreed terms as we proceed.
I will not, however, wait with bated breath for a response.
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Monday Poll: Photogs Gone Wild
In a very special The Monday Poll VFTD examines the troubling rise in belligerence amongst photographers of tournament paintball. Case in point: the angry thread in the NPPL forum over at ***, oops, I meant PBN. (VFTD doesn't have a policy of denying the existence of certain other paintball-related websites.) It seems that someone within the NPPL hierarchy modified their league policy with respect to so-called media. In this case, photogs. Part of the problem seems to have arisen when the changes in policy were dictated to a seven year old for dissemination on the league's website. Or wherever.
The larger issue seems to be that the league has scaled their media pass fees in accordance with whether or not the photogs in question make their photos available to the league. (Apparently.) Hordes of angry photogs have gathered their metaphoric pitchforks and are gathering around the metaphoric curtain walls of castle NPPL--along with their torches--they present quite a metaphoric sight. [Enough already.] (Sorry about that. Got carried away. Not literally. Or metaphorically even, but you know ...) Given that VFTD recently raised the issue of vanity photography at tournaments I couldn't let this pass without some comment.
So here it is: Right now all the "professional" photogs at events are cutting their own throats competing with each other for the attention (and cash payments) of mostly a bunch of broke ass kids. Which is their right. (But if they intentionally "under"-value their own work why so upset when the league does the same thing?) If however the league was to limit the number of photogs allowed at any event that scarcity would do a couple of things; keep everyone from tripping over hordes of photogs and increase the value of the ones who are there. Which might be a win, win sort of situation.
It also seems to me that in general the raging photogs are confusing their interest in signing up teams willing to pay for pictures with the general promotion of paintball much less the promotion of the league everyone is participating in during such an event. If 100 photographers take a combined 50,000 photos of an event is the promotional value greater than if 5 photographers take 100 pictures each? Suffice to say it's a weak argument. (And, no, the aesthetic value of the photographs isn't particularly relevant. I know, it's a sad indictment of our culture & times but true nonetheless.)
What's your view? Check out this week's The Monday Poll (sidebar, d'oh!) and choose the option that best represents your point of view--or, as usual, feel free to post up in the comments. (But you won't 'cus you're a--say it with me now--lazy slacker.)
The larger issue seems to be that the league has scaled their media pass fees in accordance with whether or not the photogs in question make their photos available to the league. (Apparently.) Hordes of angry photogs have gathered their metaphoric pitchforks and are gathering around the metaphoric curtain walls of castle NPPL--along with their torches--they present quite a metaphoric sight. [Enough already.] (Sorry about that. Got carried away. Not literally. Or metaphorically even, but you know ...) Given that VFTD recently raised the issue of vanity photography at tournaments I couldn't let this pass without some comment.
So here it is: Right now all the "professional" photogs at events are cutting their own throats competing with each other for the attention (and cash payments) of mostly a bunch of broke ass kids. Which is their right. (But if they intentionally "under"-value their own work why so upset when the league does the same thing?) If however the league was to limit the number of photogs allowed at any event that scarcity would do a couple of things; keep everyone from tripping over hordes of photogs and increase the value of the ones who are there. Which might be a win, win sort of situation.
It also seems to me that in general the raging photogs are confusing their interest in signing up teams willing to pay for pictures with the general promotion of paintball much less the promotion of the league everyone is participating in during such an event. If 100 photographers take a combined 50,000 photos of an event is the promotional value greater than if 5 photographers take 100 pictures each? Suffice to say it's a weak argument. (And, no, the aesthetic value of the photographs isn't particularly relevant. I know, it's a sad indictment of our culture & times but true nonetheless.)
What's your view? Check out this week's The Monday Poll (sidebar, d'oh!) and choose the option that best represents your point of view--or, as usual, feel free to post up in the comments. (But you won't 'cus you're a--say it with me now--lazy slacker.)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Vanity Photography
There's an amusing thread over in the PSP section of The Nation--I'm not intentionally dissing the NPPL by mentioning the PSP so lighten up--posted by an erstwhile "professional" photographer informing his potential customer base how to be proper customers. I have in the past commented (at least briefly) on this whole notion of vanity photography for paintball players and wondered aloud more than once what possesses any man--or future man--to pay somebody for "action" shots of them playing paintball. (It's okay if your Mama wants your picture taken playing the game. That's what mothers are for, embarrassing their offspring.) But I struggle with how self-respecting members of the Man Club find vanity photography appealing in any way, shape or form. Perhaps it's a generational thing but I'm not so sure. Sure, I pretty much hate everything and everybody and am the proud three-time winner of the silent loner award so maybe I'm not the best judge of this sort of thing either. But then I think, what about other non-professional and/or youth sports? Or even organized school sports? If this is perfectly normal, acceptable behavior where are the photogs at Little League games around the country? Youth soccer matches on Saturday mornings or high school football games from Cali to Miami. I've never seen a professional photographer at a Parks & Recreation adult basketball league game either. Or at a men's or women's softball game. Now maybe I haven't been looking in the right places and God knows I don't habituate Pee Wee sporting events as a rule but even when my kids were younger I just don't remember for hire photogs working their games.
Maybe one of y'all can help me out. Does vanity photography happen in other sports? Or is paintball all alone in this? And if so what does that say about paintball players? Just asking.
Maybe one of y'all can help me out. Does vanity photography happen in other sports? Or is paintball all alone in this? And if so what does that say about paintball players? Just asking.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Paintball Miscellany
One quick additional word on the errant story Facefull posted yesterday and then pulled at the NPPL's request (apparently). Seriously, the sources must have been either NPPL people or bigwigs at KEE 'cus none of the primary PSP movers were present. Missed the story? Facefull was claiming the merger a veritable done deal until told their "facts" were mistaken and they should post haste pull their story. Which they did.
ProPaintball has a follow-up today on the latest rumorology regarding a merger and given the information in their latest missive VFTD will be doing a pre-merger analysis next week after the NJ Open as ProPaintball's sources are sufficiently well-informed (and willing to talk) that I no longer feel under any obligation to keep things under wraps at least in a general sense because plainly some NPPL sources have been talking.
Regarding last weekend's Paintball Festival I am hearing it was sparsely attended pretty much across the board. A couple hundred scenario players--maybe. A dozen teams competing in the UWL event--which is pretty typical. And perhaps as many as three or four dozen of the bread-and-butter field & store owner types which must have been a huge disappointment--but was readily predictable. And I'm not sure you can legally call it a trade show if there are fewer than 10 vendors present. The same people who ran the once mighty cash cow of the IAO into the ground show up a few years later trying to run a variation on the same theme and it is somehow supposed to magically fill up as the little people come from far and wide grateful for the privilege of attending? Really? Debra Dion Who? Oh, sure, apparently there was a decent turnout of bigwig types prepared to be seen and pontificate but it's easy to get them to come. They'll gather faster than you can say open bar. And it seems they were all a-twitter over airsoft which makes absolutely no sense to me at all. (We got into this a bit last week but it's back!) The fact is plenty of local fields already accommodate airsofters but how exactly does that help paintball and the paintball industry? Airsoft isn't a gateway to paintball play, it's a direct competitor to a (supposedly) strong element of paintball. And inviting airsoft in now only provides another non-paintball alternative to the new or occasional player. Unless the paintball industry is looking to morph into the airsoft industry--and last time I checked there already was an airsoft industry--none of their enthusiasm makes any sense. Unless Tom Cole is a master hypnotist too.
Did you see the new Tippmann multi-purpose Tippmann tool? (Designed specifically for Tippmann markers.) It's blunt, sturdy, nearly indestructible and fits in your pocket like a stubby, fat wrench. Am I the only one disappointed that it won't attach to my pickatinny rail system?
This last item is about the sold out, over sold even, final MS event of the season and more specifically about the size of the D2 division. For the 2011 season the MS cleverly disguised a shrinking base and incorporated scarcity into the mix by limiting the size of each competing division. This also helped in determining well in advance the scale of each event, fields required, etc. Consequently each event maxed out in all the divisions except M5 which has been discontinued. (And that one London event division that came up a couple teams shy.) Anyway the demand for Paris-Disney was apparently such that the MS has oversold D2 by 75% and D3 by 20%. In actual team numbers that means there will be an additional 30 teams competing, 24 of them in an enormous D2 of 56 total teams, on the same number of fields as an MS event intended for 30 fewer teams. (Or so I'm told.)
I have no idea if the days are long enough in Paris in early October to avoid playing under the lights or if there was enough scheduling time leeway that fitting an extra 30 teams in won't be an issue but what I do know is there are some teams and players who are concerned about how it's all going to play out. Unfortunately there is nothing VFTD can do for them so I hope they also mentioned their concerns to the MS. (haha) And I further hope the MS doesn't screw up what has proved to be a very good season for them at the last minute because they got too greedy--again. VFTD will wait and watch and see what happens.
ProPaintball has a follow-up today on the latest rumorology regarding a merger and given the information in their latest missive VFTD will be doing a pre-merger analysis next week after the NJ Open as ProPaintball's sources are sufficiently well-informed (and willing to talk) that I no longer feel under any obligation to keep things under wraps at least in a general sense because plainly some NPPL sources have been talking.
Regarding last weekend's Paintball Festival I am hearing it was sparsely attended pretty much across the board. A couple hundred scenario players--maybe. A dozen teams competing in the UWL event--which is pretty typical. And perhaps as many as three or four dozen of the bread-and-butter field & store owner types which must have been a huge disappointment--but was readily predictable. And I'm not sure you can legally call it a trade show if there are fewer than 10 vendors present. The same people who ran the once mighty cash cow of the IAO into the ground show up a few years later trying to run a variation on the same theme and it is somehow supposed to magically fill up as the little people come from far and wide grateful for the privilege of attending? Really? Debra Dion Who? Oh, sure, apparently there was a decent turnout of bigwig types prepared to be seen and pontificate but it's easy to get them to come. They'll gather faster than you can say open bar. And it seems they were all a-twitter over airsoft which makes absolutely no sense to me at all. (We got into this a bit last week but it's back!) The fact is plenty of local fields already accommodate airsofters but how exactly does that help paintball and the paintball industry? Airsoft isn't a gateway to paintball play, it's a direct competitor to a (supposedly) strong element of paintball. And inviting airsoft in now only provides another non-paintball alternative to the new or occasional player. Unless the paintball industry is looking to morph into the airsoft industry--and last time I checked there already was an airsoft industry--none of their enthusiasm makes any sense. Unless Tom Cole is a master hypnotist too.
Did you see the new Tippmann multi-purpose Tippmann tool? (Designed specifically for Tippmann markers.) It's blunt, sturdy, nearly indestructible and fits in your pocket like a stubby, fat wrench. Am I the only one disappointed that it won't attach to my pickatinny rail system?
This last item is about the sold out, over sold even, final MS event of the season and more specifically about the size of the D2 division. For the 2011 season the MS cleverly disguised a shrinking base and incorporated scarcity into the mix by limiting the size of each competing division. This also helped in determining well in advance the scale of each event, fields required, etc. Consequently each event maxed out in all the divisions except M5 which has been discontinued. (And that one London event division that came up a couple teams shy.) Anyway the demand for Paris-Disney was apparently such that the MS has oversold D2 by 75% and D3 by 20%. In actual team numbers that means there will be an additional 30 teams competing, 24 of them in an enormous D2 of 56 total teams, on the same number of fields as an MS event intended for 30 fewer teams. (Or so I'm told.)
I have no idea if the days are long enough in Paris in early October to avoid playing under the lights or if there was enough scheduling time leeway that fitting an extra 30 teams in won't be an issue but what I do know is there are some teams and players who are concerned about how it's all going to play out. Unfortunately there is nothing VFTD can do for them so I hope they also mentioned their concerns to the MS. (haha) And I further hope the MS doesn't screw up what has proved to be a very good season for them at the last minute because they got too greedy--again. VFTD will wait and watch and see what happens.
Friday, July 15, 2011
A Little Light Housekeeping
I'm taking a breather today from all the heavy topic stuff of the last few days. Partly because I've had my knuckles rapped with the ruler (again) (mostly for just generally pissing off certain people) and partly because Mr. Curious has a couple of revelations in the pipeline he's not ready to release just yet--some top secret industry shens is all he'll tell me. (I hope to have postworthy info next week.)
There will be a new The Monday Poll on Monday. It will be a completely self-serving poll.
VFTD will also have a report (and pics) next week on the crazy game Shoreline is running (Real Extreme Paintball) on some nameless Dalmatian coast island this weekend (even as I post.)
Requests have come in for a review of the upcoming WCPPL event layout and I'll try to post something during the weekend.
If you missed hearing the news CFP (Central Florida Paintball) received the (near?) unanimous support of the county commissioners at a hearing on the 12th of July which will allow the field to continue offering the best tourney fields in Florida to a lot of paintballers. Well done to all involved and a special thanks to everyone who supported CFP especially those able to appear at the hearing.
Finally VFTD would like to offer a belated thanks and welcome to the most recent recruits to the Deadbox Puppet Army; CTTA Global, Patrick Sheegog & Gary Baum of PaintballPhotography.com who has recently posted some cool aerial footage of D-Day Oklahoma 2011. World domination is on the horizon. (Too bad I couldn't copyright the world domination schtick since everybody and his cousin Elmo has been ripping it off lately.)
There will be a new The Monday Poll on Monday. It will be a completely self-serving poll.
VFTD will also have a report (and pics) next week on the crazy game Shoreline is running (Real Extreme Paintball) on some nameless Dalmatian coast island this weekend (even as I post.)
Requests have come in for a review of the upcoming WCPPL event layout and I'll try to post something during the weekend.
If you missed hearing the news CFP (Central Florida Paintball) received the (near?) unanimous support of the county commissioners at a hearing on the 12th of July which will allow the field to continue offering the best tourney fields in Florida to a lot of paintballers. Well done to all involved and a special thanks to everyone who supported CFP especially those able to appear at the hearing.
Finally VFTD would like to offer a belated thanks and welcome to the most recent recruits to the Deadbox Puppet Army; CTTA Global, Patrick Sheegog & Gary Baum of PaintballPhotography.com who has recently posted some cool aerial footage of D-Day Oklahoma 2011. World domination is on the horizon. (Too bad I couldn't copyright the world domination schtick since everybody and his cousin Elmo has been ripping it off lately.)
Friday, June 10, 2011
Calls to Action (Paintball Edition)
I did it myself yesterday. A call to action. On behalf of Central Florida Paintball--a place I've spent more weekends than I can count. And I'd do it again. Anytime. But being a cynic (and a lazy slacker) I'm not giddy with excitement awaiting the outpouring of happy (weekend) warriors ready & willing to combat the retrograde anti-paintball forces all around us. Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to see but my hopes are modest and my expectations more modest still. It would be nice to see but every day we are tugged and pulled this way and that by a thousand and one things demanding our attention. From a quick glance through the latest paintball news there are numerous calls to action--of one sort or another.
What merits our interest and attention? Why?
Before I go further I need to confess a thing or two. I'm not a joiner. A member in good standing of much of anything. Nor am I a team player by nature. (Though I can make it happen when needs be.) My default position is to push back against authority. I don't play well with others--and I frequently run with scissors. Consequently I tend to rebel against any and all calls to action regardless of their nature.
Besides the upcoming hearing involving CFP there is also the pending law hanging over the heads of Californians, the Facebook group gathering round the idea of 'Respecting Paintball' and a charity scenario game benefiting the wounded warriors organization. Each is promoting a cause and in one way or another issuing a call to action. It's a pretty diverse group considering they all fall under the banner of paintball. And they are just representative samples. (Hell, I was invited to join 3 other Facebook groups (that I remember) in the past few days and all of those mostly wanted easy access to try and promote stuff at me. Have I ever mentioned before how much I hate social networking? I have? Well, I do.)
Despite the lack of outrage from much of the VFTD universe--which legitimately spans the globe--if not the solar system--at least that I'm aware of (or the galaxy) (or universe) the pending legislation in Cali is a big deal for paintball--or it might be depending on how things turn out. It's of immediate concern to much of PBIndustry and many west coast players but after that it's hard to say. Even if you're concerned what can you do? Does the voice of one guy in Arkansas make a difference? Or a Facebook group called Friends of Cali Paintball? Maybe. What about a paintball team from Finland? Seems kinda unlikely. But what about the PSP or the NPPL or Millennium Series or PALS or paintball federations from around the world? Closer to home there's the Airsoft industry. Are they up to speed on this? How many stores and fields in Cali are working together to reach out to these politicians?
Then there's the Facebook group (plus available T-shirt) started by a sincere (and earnest) woman who is a long time player and nostalgic for the good old days when honor and respect ruled the playing field. As an ideal (if never quite the reality) it's a swell notion and God bless 'em. And as long as it's a voluntary association of like-minded peeps I say more power to them. But good intentions are also the paving stones on the road to hell. How long does it take before if you're not a member you're assumed to be without honor and disrespectful? That the litmus test of the "good" paintballer is the one willing to join in lockstep with the majority. Sound silly? Give it time. If it isn't this one it will be something else and then it'll seem prophetic. It won't happen on purpose. There will be no malice aforethought. But that won't matter and won't change the outcome. Anytime something like this reaches a critical mass it goes south and turns sour and becomes a vehicle for somebody's dreams of power--even if it's just another big fish in a little pond.
The final example of a call to action is a charitable scenario game honoring (I was sorely tempted to put that in quotes) real wounded warriors. I have issues with reenactment-type scenario games (yes, like D-Day) and I'm a cynic. 9 times out of 10 I see 'charity' attached to some routine commerce and I assume it's a gimmick. In this case it would be to pump up the turnout with a game while also delivering the personal satisfaction of contributing to a worthwhile cause whilst running around in the woods reliving the Battle of the Bulge--or whatever. What's better than entertaining altruism? Which is okay. What looks like a cynical move to me may in fact be completely innocent. But does nobody else sense the intellectual disconnect between legitimately honoring the sacrifice of real soldiers while trivializing everything about real combat running around with paintball guns pretending to be the Allies vs. the Axis. Reenactment scenarios intentionally attempt to frame their game with some vestige of "reality"--and they can't. All they end up doing is making a mockery of what they are supposedly honoring.
So what's the point? Don't have one really. It was just one of those how are these things like the others moment. And a tiny rant of sorts if I'm honest. I found it momentarily distracting--and kinda interesting. If you're reading this--so did you.
Oh. One last thing. There's no links to any of these calls to action because they were unnecessary and to include them would have been to promote them--and there's already plenty of that going around.
What merits our interest and attention? Why?
Before I go further I need to confess a thing or two. I'm not a joiner. A member in good standing of much of anything. Nor am I a team player by nature. (Though I can make it happen when needs be.) My default position is to push back against authority. I don't play well with others--and I frequently run with scissors. Consequently I tend to rebel against any and all calls to action regardless of their nature.
Besides the upcoming hearing involving CFP there is also the pending law hanging over the heads of Californians, the Facebook group gathering round the idea of 'Respecting Paintball' and a charity scenario game benefiting the wounded warriors organization. Each is promoting a cause and in one way or another issuing a call to action. It's a pretty diverse group considering they all fall under the banner of paintball. And they are just representative samples. (Hell, I was invited to join 3 other Facebook groups (that I remember) in the past few days and all of those mostly wanted easy access to try and promote stuff at me. Have I ever mentioned before how much I hate social networking? I have? Well, I do.)
Despite the lack of outrage from much of the VFTD universe--which legitimately spans the globe--if not the solar system--at least that I'm aware of (or the galaxy) (or universe) the pending legislation in Cali is a big deal for paintball--or it might be depending on how things turn out. It's of immediate concern to much of PBIndustry and many west coast players but after that it's hard to say. Even if you're concerned what can you do? Does the voice of one guy in Arkansas make a difference? Or a Facebook group called Friends of Cali Paintball? Maybe. What about a paintball team from Finland? Seems kinda unlikely. But what about the PSP or the NPPL or Millennium Series or PALS or paintball federations from around the world? Closer to home there's the Airsoft industry. Are they up to speed on this? How many stores and fields in Cali are working together to reach out to these politicians?
Then there's the Facebook group (plus available T-shirt) started by a sincere (and earnest) woman who is a long time player and nostalgic for the good old days when honor and respect ruled the playing field. As an ideal (if never quite the reality) it's a swell notion and God bless 'em. And as long as it's a voluntary association of like-minded peeps I say more power to them. But good intentions are also the paving stones on the road to hell. How long does it take before if you're not a member you're assumed to be without honor and disrespectful? That the litmus test of the "good" paintballer is the one willing to join in lockstep with the majority. Sound silly? Give it time. If it isn't this one it will be something else and then it'll seem prophetic. It won't happen on purpose. There will be no malice aforethought. But that won't matter and won't change the outcome. Anytime something like this reaches a critical mass it goes south and turns sour and becomes a vehicle for somebody's dreams of power--even if it's just another big fish in a little pond.
The final example of a call to action is a charitable scenario game honoring (I was sorely tempted to put that in quotes) real wounded warriors. I have issues with reenactment-type scenario games (yes, like D-Day) and I'm a cynic. 9 times out of 10 I see 'charity' attached to some routine commerce and I assume it's a gimmick. In this case it would be to pump up the turnout with a game while also delivering the personal satisfaction of contributing to a worthwhile cause whilst running around in the woods reliving the Battle of the Bulge--or whatever. What's better than entertaining altruism? Which is okay. What looks like a cynical move to me may in fact be completely innocent. But does nobody else sense the intellectual disconnect between legitimately honoring the sacrifice of real soldiers while trivializing everything about real combat running around with paintball guns pretending to be the Allies vs. the Axis. Reenactment scenarios intentionally attempt to frame their game with some vestige of "reality"--and they can't. All they end up doing is making a mockery of what they are supposedly honoring.
So what's the point? Don't have one really. It was just one of those how are these things like the others moment. And a tiny rant of sorts if I'm honest. I found it momentarily distracting--and kinda interesting. If you're reading this--so did you.
Oh. One last thing. There's no links to any of these calls to action because they were unnecessary and to include them would have been to promote them--and there's already plenty of that going around.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Being Charlie Sheen
Has absolutely nothing to do with today's post--other than it's an eclectic assortment of odds and ends of a paintball variety--and I'm still trying to decide if his recent interviews demonstrate nothing more than mental oddness (and who among us would deny a fellow his own epic reality as long as its harmless) or mental illness. But if nothing else old Charlie is about winning and who can argue with that? Asked if he was bi-polar he claimed to be bi-winning! "That's how I roll. And if it's too gnarly for people, then buh-bye," "Oh wait, can’t process it. Losers. Winning. Buh-bye." I for one would love to see Charlie Sheen writing press releases for the paintball industry. That would make me sit up straight and pay attention.
In case you missed it, it seems DC Arsenal (T4's personal money pit) has not only been reconstructed but has picked up the final CPL spot from a grateful Millennium Series.
And while I don't normally do this--in other team-related news TB Damage has made it official and added Alex Delannoy to the team roster. Nicknamed (as of last weekend) "Deuce" because he's the team's second Alex, behind Spence, Alex was one of those who attended a recent by invitation only tryout. Despite being French Alex proved to be a very solid player. He has the work ethic, attitude and desire to learn and succeed. Bon chance. (By the way I expect this to improve jersey sales to France. Get 'em while they're hot.)
Anyone want in on the betting pool for the date GOG paintball files suit on a patent infringement claim? (Did you get it? No? Think about it a little longer. It will come to you.) Dollar a day, winner takes all (minus overhead and administrative costs, of course.)
On the subject of getting old farts to play competitive paintball again I'd like to announce a tiny success I had absolutely nothing to do with. Some of my old teammates are putting the old team back together to play the next CFPS event in March. A bunch of them were out practicing the layout this past weekend and had a great time. In fact, from the moment Ed first suggested it the idea seemed to capture the imaginations of most of the guys despite the fact some of them hadn't touched a marker in as many as 6 or 7 years. And they weren't put off by the ROF or an xball field even though one of the guys insisted on using his Revy--unaccustomed as he was to the new heavyweight hoppers. There is no point to this happy little anecdote other than it took one guy to step up and say, "Hey, why don't we play some paintball? We haven't played in forever and, call me crazy but it sounds like fun."
On the downside the old team isn't playing the PSP despite the new rule changes and it's very unlikely they ever will. Most have families and the responsibilities that come along with that and don't have the drive, time or commitment anymore. But who knows, having gotten a fresh taste of the paintball drug they just may prove to be semi-regulars on the local scene again.
Speaking of the PSP it looks like the most official attendance numbers for Galveston will be 124, which is a 15 team improvement over last year's Phoenix season opening event. 124 is a very positive number given the number range the PSP was considering in their worst case scenario projections. It's important now to solidify a good start and build on it by getting everything in order (and the information out to the playing public) on the next event. The lack of continuity and sense that the near term future isn't settled is, in a word, unsettling.
NPPL 3.0 also has 124 teams registered for HB with plenty of time left for additional teams to get on board. While it isn't clear how many of the registered teams are paid the registrations alone indicate at least as much interest as last year. I am curious though as to how teams are responding to the new Stay, Play & Save policy and whether or not the league will really enforce the policy id or when push comes to shove. Regardless the Blast on the Beach appears to be on schedule and on target to help launch the 2011 NPPL season.
Oh, here's another one; Charlie-ism that is: "The only thing I'm addicted to right now is winning." Call me crazy but at least in the world of competitive paintball you could do a lot worse.
In case you missed it, it seems DC Arsenal (T4's personal money pit) has not only been reconstructed but has picked up the final CPL spot from a grateful Millennium Series.
And while I don't normally do this--in other team-related news TB Damage has made it official and added Alex Delannoy to the team roster. Nicknamed (as of last weekend) "Deuce" because he's the team's second Alex, behind Spence, Alex was one of those who attended a recent by invitation only tryout. Despite being French Alex proved to be a very solid player. He has the work ethic, attitude and desire to learn and succeed. Bon chance. (By the way I expect this to improve jersey sales to France. Get 'em while they're hot.)
Anyone want in on the betting pool for the date GOG paintball files suit on a patent infringement claim? (Did you get it? No? Think about it a little longer. It will come to you.) Dollar a day, winner takes all (minus overhead and administrative costs, of course.)
On the subject of getting old farts to play competitive paintball again I'd like to announce a tiny success I had absolutely nothing to do with. Some of my old teammates are putting the old team back together to play the next CFPS event in March. A bunch of them were out practicing the layout this past weekend and had a great time. In fact, from the moment Ed first suggested it the idea seemed to capture the imaginations of most of the guys despite the fact some of them hadn't touched a marker in as many as 6 or 7 years. And they weren't put off by the ROF or an xball field even though one of the guys insisted on using his Revy--unaccustomed as he was to the new heavyweight hoppers. There is no point to this happy little anecdote other than it took one guy to step up and say, "Hey, why don't we play some paintball? We haven't played in forever and, call me crazy but it sounds like fun."
On the downside the old team isn't playing the PSP despite the new rule changes and it's very unlikely they ever will. Most have families and the responsibilities that come along with that and don't have the drive, time or commitment anymore. But who knows, having gotten a fresh taste of the paintball drug they just may prove to be semi-regulars on the local scene again.
Speaking of the PSP it looks like the most official attendance numbers for Galveston will be 124, which is a 15 team improvement over last year's Phoenix season opening event. 124 is a very positive number given the number range the PSP was considering in their worst case scenario projections. It's important now to solidify a good start and build on it by getting everything in order (and the information out to the playing public) on the next event. The lack of continuity and sense that the near term future isn't settled is, in a word, unsettling.
NPPL 3.0 also has 124 teams registered for HB with plenty of time left for additional teams to get on board. While it isn't clear how many of the registered teams are paid the registrations alone indicate at least as much interest as last year. I am curious though as to how teams are responding to the new Stay, Play & Save policy and whether or not the league will really enforce the policy id or when push comes to shove. Regardless the Blast on the Beach appears to be on schedule and on target to help launch the 2011 NPPL season.
Oh, here's another one; Charlie-ism that is: "The only thing I'm addicted to right now is winning." Call me crazy but at least in the world of competitive paintball you could do a lot worse.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Paintball Stuff
I'm dodging a mailbag question I agreed to answer. Nothing outrageous or scandalous--I'd never agree to answer any of those--but it's gonna be a bit of work so why do today what I can put off until the weekend? Today you get a stream-of-consciousness response to various items of paintball news from the last few days. And if you find it all rather dull, join the club.
A marriage made in heaven--or was that hell?--redux. I apologise in advance for finding the news that Valken will be distributing Bob Long guns--again--rather amusing. Given that they've been there done that before and it worked so well they ended up in court suing each other what could possibly go wrong?
Then there's the latest scheme from Empire tying the Axe marker to potentially valuable paint savings in order to make a big splash in 2011 at the major league tourney level throughout the divisions. I don't know whose brainchild that was but it's looking like a winner and a number of the related emails I've seen have Johnny Posterivo's signature on them. Is it wrong of me to feel a little nostalgia for the old days, ugly and unproductive as they often were, when PBIndustry was a bunch of big fish in a small pond and every day was a food fight in the cafeteria? Johnny versus Gino in the squared circle. Family feud. Valken versus Kee. Let's get it on!
Speaking of the Axe dealio there's a bigger picture here, it seems to me. Given the price point and the general lack of flash if Empire can make the Axe both a general sales success and create a "cool" factor around its performance in 2011--putting the Axe in the dialogue--of must have markers it would be a real marketing coup. And could conceivably seriously erode the high priced end of the market. Peak popularity is fickle and if the time is right for the next "it" gun and it turns out to be the Axe ... all bets are off.
Then there's the new pro format announced recently by the NPPL. It's Race 2-2, more or less. And I don't think I like it much. Sure, one argument is that the better team(s) should win through more consistently and that the occasional flukey loss or poor referee's decision won't determine the final result--and I concede the point. And it's a good one. What kinda rubs me the wrong way is the sense that teams won't get to play against as many different teams in the new format as the old--and that's particularly true if you don't make it out of the first bracket--but in crunching a few numbers the teams that make the semi-finals will end up playing anywhere from 7 - 9 different teams during the event. The old way the max is 11 different teams with everybody playing at least 7 different teams. With the new formula 8 teams will only play 3 other teams. Perhaps it's viewed as potentially better TV. More pressingly I'd like to know how the initial seeding will be done and the reseed into the second round. And the scoring. And maybe even the new rules ...
I'm also still wondering about Facefull's future--and I'm still not seeing it. This isn't a covert rumor or anything of the sort. I just haven't seen a new mag in months, the website is collecting cobwebs and the lights were turned off a while ago at Facefull Online as the most recent mags available are over a year old. And I can't remember the last time I was able to pick one up at an event. (Yes, I'm a cheap bastard and part of the problem. It's that cursed pro sense of entitlement.) Somehow it seems inevitable--which is a shame. Perhaps the current plan is to keep the magazine alive by not actually printing any new editions.
In closing I'd like to welcome Robbo (of all things paintball fame) to the cyberpages of X3. Pete brings a unique perspective and I'm looking forward to his monthly contribution (in the Queen's English) and to see what our semi-literate hordes of punks and thugs make of his special brand of English abuse. Perhaps a small wager on the first appearance of "rocking horse poo" in his column is in order? (March) Almost like the good old days.
A marriage made in heaven--or was that hell?--redux. I apologise in advance for finding the news that Valken will be distributing Bob Long guns--again--rather amusing. Given that they've been there done that before and it worked so well they ended up in court suing each other what could possibly go wrong?
Then there's the latest scheme from Empire tying the Axe marker to potentially valuable paint savings in order to make a big splash in 2011 at the major league tourney level throughout the divisions. I don't know whose brainchild that was but it's looking like a winner and a number of the related emails I've seen have Johnny Posterivo's signature on them. Is it wrong of me to feel a little nostalgia for the old days, ugly and unproductive as they often were, when PBIndustry was a bunch of big fish in a small pond and every day was a food fight in the cafeteria? Johnny versus Gino in the squared circle. Family feud. Valken versus Kee. Let's get it on!
Speaking of the Axe dealio there's a bigger picture here, it seems to me. Given the price point and the general lack of flash if Empire can make the Axe both a general sales success and create a "cool" factor around its performance in 2011--putting the Axe in the dialogue--of must have markers it would be a real marketing coup. And could conceivably seriously erode the high priced end of the market. Peak popularity is fickle and if the time is right for the next "it" gun and it turns out to be the Axe ... all bets are off.
Then there's the new pro format announced recently by the NPPL. It's Race 2-2, more or less. And I don't think I like it much. Sure, one argument is that the better team(s) should win through more consistently and that the occasional flukey loss or poor referee's decision won't determine the final result--and I concede the point. And it's a good one. What kinda rubs me the wrong way is the sense that teams won't get to play against as many different teams in the new format as the old--and that's particularly true if you don't make it out of the first bracket--but in crunching a few numbers the teams that make the semi-finals will end up playing anywhere from 7 - 9 different teams during the event. The old way the max is 11 different teams with everybody playing at least 7 different teams. With the new formula 8 teams will only play 3 other teams. Perhaps it's viewed as potentially better TV. More pressingly I'd like to know how the initial seeding will be done and the reseed into the second round. And the scoring. And maybe even the new rules ...
I'm also still wondering about Facefull's future--and I'm still not seeing it. This isn't a covert rumor or anything of the sort. I just haven't seen a new mag in months, the website is collecting cobwebs and the lights were turned off a while ago at Facefull Online as the most recent mags available are over a year old. And I can't remember the last time I was able to pick one up at an event. (Yes, I'm a cheap bastard and part of the problem. It's that cursed pro sense of entitlement.) Somehow it seems inevitable--which is a shame. Perhaps the current plan is to keep the magazine alive by not actually printing any new editions.
In closing I'd like to welcome Robbo (of all things paintball fame) to the cyberpages of X3. Pete brings a unique perspective and I'm looking forward to his monthly contribution (in the Queen's English) and to see what our semi-literate hordes of punks and thugs make of his special brand of English abuse. Perhaps a small wager on the first appearance of "rocking horse poo" in his column is in order? (March) Almost like the good old days.
Friday, February 4, 2011
How Big Is Paintball?
Our industry equates the size of paintball with sales numbers. The let's get along crowd wants paintball to be a big all-inclusive happy family with a shared passion and others acknowledge the diverse possibilities under the banner paintball but tend to focus on the form of paintball that interests us. The numbers of participants for assorted tournaments or scenario games are bandied about and compared with past participation. Some of our local fields are doing great business while others are veritable ghost towns. We wonder about players in other parts of the world. What does it mean--in actual numbers--if we read that paintball in Indonesia is exploding? I don't have any particular answers. Just another way of answering the question: How big is paintball?
Earlier this week on Facebook Freddie Brockdorff got the (paint)ball rolling with an open group called, How Big Is Paintball?
In Freddie's own words--"Lets see how big paintball really is, please add all your friends playing paintball. So that we can get outside sponsors to enter the sport of paintball ...
Just wanted to clarify why I started this group! I work on a global market meeting with a lot of big brands so I wanted to bring them all in to spend marketing money in the paintball world. To help in that effort I want to be able to show how big the following and how loyal paintballers are to the sport by starting this group!"
Since you and I know Facebook is an evil plot to pacify the proletariat (while Google invidiously invades our privacy) using it for good is a revolutionary act. That means go sign up and join the group. Yeah, I know you're a slacker but odds are you're also on Facebook twelve times a day already or your phone has an app for that. And really, wouldn't it be kinda cool to see how big is paintball as a giant Facebook group? It won't answer the core question of course but who knows, it might make a difference some day--and if it doesn't, at least you'll know who your real friends are.
PS--don't bother telling me I could have signed you up myself (if you're a friend) and why aren't you? (Because you can't even be bothered to click the damn "Like" button on the sidebar.) Besides, I didn't even do either of the VFTD-related Facebook pages myself. And you know how I do things like add numbers to my phone? I call my daughter.
Earlier this week on Facebook Freddie Brockdorff got the (paint)ball rolling with an open group called, How Big Is Paintball?
In Freddie's own words--"Lets see how big paintball really is, please add all your friends playing paintball. So that we can get outside sponsors to enter the sport of paintball ...
Just wanted to clarify why I started this group! I work on a global market meeting with a lot of big brands so I wanted to bring them all in to spend marketing money in the paintball world. To help in that effort I want to be able to show how big the following and how loyal paintballers are to the sport by starting this group!"
Since you and I know Facebook is an evil plot to pacify the proletariat (while Google invidiously invades our privacy) using it for good is a revolutionary act. That means go sign up and join the group. Yeah, I know you're a slacker but odds are you're also on Facebook twelve times a day already or your phone has an app for that. And really, wouldn't it be kinda cool to see how big is paintball as a giant Facebook group? It won't answer the core question of course but who knows, it might make a difference some day--and if it doesn't, at least you'll know who your real friends are.
PS--don't bother telling me I could have signed you up myself (if you're a friend) and why aren't you? (Because you can't even be bothered to click the damn "Like" button on the sidebar.) Besides, I didn't even do either of the VFTD-related Facebook pages myself. And you know how I do things like add numbers to my phone? I call my daughter.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Dates, Puppets & Other Observations
If you are gnawing on your knuckles because you were anxiously awaiting the next Bacaball post, relax. By the time I'm done with Bacaball you will be bored to tears and contemplating the least painful ways to die as a means of escape.
It seems the PSP has settled on a first event location and dates. Even though the official word has yet to be released I think it's safe to say it will be Galveston TX in mid-March. Galveston has been on the short list for a while and looks like a good place for an event. An easy run from the airport the area is, among other things, a tourist center & spring break mecca. And it saves on a Left Coast flight. (I'm too old for this and cross country flights make me cranky. Crankier than normal, that is.) The only downside I can think of is the prospect of a sandy playing surface and on that score I'm only guessing it might be a concern. Along coastal Florida the ground can be very sandy and while grass grows it isn't the sturdiest of stuff. Guess we'll find out.
It's Friday and I've been remiss the last couple of weeks in welcoming VFTD's latest recruits to the (DPA) Deadbox Puppet Army. Over the last couple of weeks it is VFTD's great privilege to announce the recruitment of Ryan Gray, Pat Smith & Tom. (I didn't forget you guys.) Welcome & well done. World domination is that much closer to being within our grasp. If the purpose and potential of the DPA remains unclear look here & here for a fuller explanation.
And I wanted to take a moment to recognize the slackitude y'all display in measuring up to my expectations. Voting once a week. Joining the DPA & clicking on the damned Facebook 'like' button. There are more peeps signed up for the RSS feed than could be bothered to click the 'like' button. Way to go, kids! That is the true slacker spirit, well done. Or not done as the case may be.
I also noticed Paintball.com reported the possible move of Tyler Harmon from, er, Blast or was it Impact or both, to Infamous. If it works for Tyler that's swell. It only caught my attention 'cus I was under the impression Infamous already had like 47 guys on their roster--and it got me to wondering. Suddenly it's that time of the year again when I'm actually getting curious to see who is gonna end up where and who the new or up & coming teams will be. Will the PSP manage 8 pro teams this year? And who is the new NPPL team? (That's what I heard but I'm so far outta the loop ...)
While I'm at it Baca's Mailbag is getting a little thin. If I don't hear from you I might have to answer Joe from Peoria's question about paintball and his girlfriend and you really don't want me to do that. Not a threat. I'm just saying.
It seems the PSP has settled on a first event location and dates. Even though the official word has yet to be released I think it's safe to say it will be Galveston TX in mid-March. Galveston has been on the short list for a while and looks like a good place for an event. An easy run from the airport the area is, among other things, a tourist center & spring break mecca. And it saves on a Left Coast flight. (I'm too old for this and cross country flights make me cranky. Crankier than normal, that is.) The only downside I can think of is the prospect of a sandy playing surface and on that score I'm only guessing it might be a concern. Along coastal Florida the ground can be very sandy and while grass grows it isn't the sturdiest of stuff. Guess we'll find out.
It's Friday and I've been remiss the last couple of weeks in welcoming VFTD's latest recruits to the (DPA) Deadbox Puppet Army. Over the last couple of weeks it is VFTD's great privilege to announce the recruitment of Ryan Gray, Pat Smith & Tom. (I didn't forget you guys.) Welcome & well done. World domination is that much closer to being within our grasp. If the purpose and potential of the DPA remains unclear look here & here for a fuller explanation.
And I wanted to take a moment to recognize the slackitude y'all display in measuring up to my expectations. Voting once a week. Joining the DPA & clicking on the damned Facebook 'like' button. There are more peeps signed up for the RSS feed than could be bothered to click the 'like' button. Way to go, kids! That is the true slacker spirit, well done. Or not done as the case may be.
I also noticed Paintball.com reported the possible move of Tyler Harmon from, er, Blast or was it Impact or both, to Infamous. If it works for Tyler that's swell. It only caught my attention 'cus I was under the impression Infamous already had like 47 guys on their roster--and it got me to wondering. Suddenly it's that time of the year again when I'm actually getting curious to see who is gonna end up where and who the new or up & coming teams will be. Will the PSP manage 8 pro teams this year? And who is the new NPPL team? (That's what I heard but I'm so far outta the loop ...)
While I'm at it Baca's Mailbag is getting a little thin. If I don't hear from you I might have to answer Joe from Peoria's question about paintball and his girlfriend and you really don't want me to do that. Not a threat. I'm just saying.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
World Cup Winner?
I won't say it's better than a Monday Poll but Cade's PBPick'em gives you an opportunity to display your powers of prognostication--guessing who will win--and the bragging rights that go with it. Don't be a lazy slacker 'cus you've only got until Oct. 21st the get your picks in. So what's keeping you? It's easy. It's free. (Cade does all the work.) What more could you ask for? Don't answer that. Go make your picks.
Friday, October 8, 2010
The Championship Season
The next three weeks will determine the outcome of the competitive paintball 2010 season. NPPL Vegas has already started the first divisional games of the day. I'm traveling light so no computer this weekend, no posts until a Monday wrap-up of the event. I'm planning on bringing good news--at least good as I would define it--but whatever happens I'll deliver the inside view. It would be foolish to call a season with 2 wins out of four events a failure but anything less than the series will be a disappointment. That's just the reality of the situation.
Today is the last official day to register for WC. So far paid has jumped to 197. 11 more slots in Race 2-2 and 39 unpaid in Race 2-X. I'm seeing quite a few team names I expect to see playing. I think by next Tuesday we could see final numbers close to 240. I hope we do anyway.
Last week a new recruit joined the Deadbox Puppet Army. Thanks, ibra5. Welcome! What's the matter with the rest of you lazy slackers?
There's another Baca's Mailbag in the works. Got a question? Post it up in comments or drop me an email. (The link is on the sidebar. D'oh.) And if you have so little self-respect you'd like to follow an angry tweeter hit the link in the sidebar for VFTD Tweets and together we can take our communal self-loathing to a whole new high.
Today is the last official day to register for WC. So far paid has jumped to 197. 11 more slots in Race 2-2 and 39 unpaid in Race 2-X. I'm seeing quite a few team names I expect to see playing. I think by next Tuesday we could see final numbers close to 240. I hope we do anyway.
Last week a new recruit joined the Deadbox Puppet Army. Thanks, ibra5. Welcome! What's the matter with the rest of you lazy slackers?
There's another Baca's Mailbag in the works. Got a question? Post it up in comments or drop me an email. (The link is on the sidebar. D'oh.) And if you have so little self-respect you'd like to follow an angry tweeter hit the link in the sidebar for VFTD Tweets and together we can take our communal self-loathing to a whole new high.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
In the News
Saw this item over at the Big Bullet. It's an interesting twist on the tourney norm, if it even qualifies as a tourney format. Whatever it is it's an intriguing hybrid and I'll be looking forward to see how it works out as it could unite all kinds of ballers behind a fun, flexible competitive format.
More news on the HydroTec paintball front too thanks to the Catshack. (Litter is not optional.) In an interview that recounts elements of the conversation instead of verbatim quotes it sounds like the new paintball may be underweight compared to current 68 cal paintballs. Depending on the variance it's unlikely to be a big deal except in the competitive arena where an underweight paintball could be at a performance disadvantage. And in discussing pricing it sounded like it may end up closer to current paint prices than a lot of the rumors have suggested even though no actual pricing was given. Something to keep an eye on anyway.
More news on the HydroTec paintball front too thanks to the Catshack. (Litter is not optional.) In an interview that recounts elements of the conversation instead of verbatim quotes it sounds like the new paintball may be underweight compared to current 68 cal paintballs. Depending on the variance it's unlikely to be a big deal except in the competitive arena where an underweight paintball could be at a performance disadvantage. And in discussing pricing it sounded like it may end up closer to current paint prices than a lot of the rumors have suggested even though no actual pricing was given. Something to keep an eye on anyway.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Paintball News
That's the forum over at TheNation and the specific item that caught my interest was a new billboard campaign from KEE. Check it out. What do you think? (Title is link.)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Miscellaneous Paintball Ramblings
Big news from PALS (that doesn't include an end run around the existing league.) Our friends at Villian Paintball reported recently there will be a PALS event in China next year. The report includes a statement from the PALS peeps. This is a big deal as it's a hopeful sign that China may be receptive to paintball as it could provide a huge new market.
Latest word on KEE move to Arkansas is that Chicago area offices are most likely to be moved to Arkansas when the leases are up soon. That may mean corporate HQ will stay in New Jersey. At least more than a few current employees and New Jerseyites who are hopeful that's what it means.
The kids at ProPaintball posted a guest post from regular VFTD commenter "be smart" regarding the potential for serious heat-related issues at the MAO--after the PSP issued a warning of the possible dangers--suggesting that going one step further and modifying the schedules might be worth doing so that everyone (more or less) gets some respite from the projected heat. Which is all well and good. I don't expect the league to shuffle the schedules at this point and that's fine too. The part I didn't understand was all the animosity reflected in the comments. Heat and hydration issues have come up before and will come up again. What the hell is the matter with some people? And, no, I'm not going soft in my old age. It just strikes me as a bout the dumbest possible stand to take; screw you, drink water and anyway, heat stroke ain't so bad. Really?
Last but definitely not least there has been talk floating around the paintballosphere about a new, virtually unknown, paintball company for some time now. It's rumored to be a paintball manufacturing company. I first caught wind of it some weeks ago but have been sitting on it hoping to get some real meaty details. In the last week or so it seems the word has gotten out but so far the meaty details remain a secret--or so it would seem--as it appears that nobody knows much at this point. If you like enigmas wrapped in mystery and surrounded by secrecy this the conspiracy for you. More when I can confirm it.
Latest word on KEE move to Arkansas is that Chicago area offices are most likely to be moved to Arkansas when the leases are up soon. That may mean corporate HQ will stay in New Jersey. At least more than a few current employees and New Jerseyites who are hopeful that's what it means.
The kids at ProPaintball posted a guest post from regular VFTD commenter "be smart" regarding the potential for serious heat-related issues at the MAO--after the PSP issued a warning of the possible dangers--suggesting that going one step further and modifying the schedules might be worth doing so that everyone (more or less) gets some respite from the projected heat. Which is all well and good. I don't expect the league to shuffle the schedules at this point and that's fine too. The part I didn't understand was all the animosity reflected in the comments. Heat and hydration issues have come up before and will come up again. What the hell is the matter with some people? And, no, I'm not going soft in my old age. It just strikes me as a bout the dumbest possible stand to take; screw you, drink water and anyway, heat stroke ain't so bad. Really?
Last but definitely not least there has been talk floating around the paintballosphere about a new, virtually unknown, paintball company for some time now. It's rumored to be a paintball manufacturing company. I first caught wind of it some weeks ago but have been sitting on it hoping to get some real meaty details. In the last week or so it seems the word has gotten out but so far the meaty details remain a secret--or so it would seem--as it appears that nobody knows much at this point. If you like enigmas wrapped in mystery and surrounded by secrecy this the conspiracy for you. More when I can confirm it.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Telford Take
The title is the link. Check out Rich's take over at Rich Telford's Wide World of Paintball. It may not be quite that simple but I am convinced that competitive paintball isn't the lodestone some make it out to be. In fact, I'm convinced it's an integral part of a healthy game and industry.
The Sound of Shutters
Digital SLRs still have shutters, right? Of course they do. I think. Anyway, it doesn't really matter. I was reviewing some paintball sites looking for info that could pertain to upcoming posts on the PSP affiliates and the next promotions post--yes, I'm still going to finish those posts--when I noticed how many photographers there are trying to drum up business at paintball tournaments. It almost seems like it's inversely proportional to the number of teams and players participating. The fewer players there are the more photographers looking for a gig. Which is a good thing if you're not a photographer...
(It could also be I just never noticed before.) It also seems as if the numbers of photographers has exploded since the print magazines died. Almost as if Joe Photographer no longer has to justify his (or her) work in the context of "what magazines have you been published in?" Of course there have always been photographers at events and since I shun having my picture taken like a superstitious New Guinea headhunter I'm the last one to notice just how many. Even so, it's kinda creeping me out. I assume most of them got into shooting paintball events through playing paintball. At least I hope so. If increasing numbers of professional photographers are circling around tournament paintball like sharks attracted by chum in the water is anybody still making junior high yearbooks anymore? At this rate how long will it be before the sound of shutters drowns out the rat-a-tat-tat of paintball guns?
(It could also be I just never noticed before.) It also seems as if the numbers of photographers has exploded since the print magazines died. Almost as if Joe Photographer no longer has to justify his (or her) work in the context of "what magazines have you been published in?" Of course there have always been photographers at events and since I shun having my picture taken like a superstitious New Guinea headhunter I'm the last one to notice just how many. Even so, it's kinda creeping me out. I assume most of them got into shooting paintball events through playing paintball. At least I hope so. If increasing numbers of professional photographers are circling around tournament paintball like sharks attracted by chum in the water is anybody still making junior high yearbooks anymore? At this rate how long will it be before the sound of shutters drowns out the rat-a-tat-tat of paintball guns?
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