Interesting discussions in the SPNS forums today. I fear I may have stepped on some toes unintentionally but I've always felt if there was something to be said it damn well should be.
Anyways, the discussion was the format for the next round of SPNS with some people asking if the knockout stages can be done one a best of three instead of single match knockout. It makes sense because the element of luck is still a factor and it's heart wrenching to see a technically superior team get eliminated due to a lucky bounce or a fluke shot. Let's face it, in 3v3 if you lose a man early on you're up sh*t creek without a paddle.
A best of 3 format allows a team to regroup and revise their strategy. This accomplishes several things, it gives teams a chance to make a comeback and also makes the games more interesting to watch.
Obviously the issue is cost. More matches means more paint used. Affordability is indeed an issue but lets face it, paintball is not a cheap sport. Unlike football, where you just run to a field somewhere and playbarefoot with virtually no cost, you have to PAY for everything in paintball.
Unfortunately, it costs a lot more here than across the causeway but we all know EVERYTHING is cheaper there. Paintball parks in Singapore like Red Dynasty also have tons of overheads so yeah, it does cost more in Singapore than in Malaysia.
It wasn't always so in Malaysia, I know cos I used to live there. It wasn't something you would get into unless you had lotsa moolah to burn. But like Houdini said in his post on the forum, it's a discussion on economies of scale that can be held another time.
For now, playing paintball requires a careful budget and proper planning for most people. Every shot you take cost a few cents and If you don't have millions sitting in a bank or have a rich sugar daddy/mommy, it's gonna burn a hole in your wallet.
Having said that, gimping a tournament that is finally getting some attention because teams have an issue with the cost is gonna throw a wet blanket on the development of paintball as a sport in Singapore.
It's good enough that we now have a decent tournament to take part in, we need to grow it. To do so we need to support the SPNS and if it means spending a bit more then why not? Less beer, watch TV instead of movies, eat out less, STOP playing World of Warcraft and etc etc etc.
