At the next intersection turn right?

From 3on3

Most say we all have to be a little mad to play paintball. When my alarm went of at 3:45am this morning I should have thought the same thing about myself... I'm usually only just going to bed at this time on a Sunday morning...

All week the team had been excited to get their hands dirty in our first official tournament... this anticipation sometimes leads to sleep deprevation... which ends in us not getting to Causeway until 6am... detours, thumb prints, MS checks and finally we get into JB... being tech heads we try to use the GPS voice to guide us to our destination... I think we got better directions from the uncle at Caltex!!!

Anyway we get to Southern Extreme with enough time to walk the field and chat to the friendly guys at SX.



At first glance the field looked like a campers paradise with two large lanes running vertically through the field and small hammers that didn't cross the centreline. The rest of the teams slowly joined us and geared up. Not sure how the draw was worked out but we didn't have any much ups with Singapore teams.

Scouts JB Bravo
Evolution
Sat Spade (Our Opponents Game #3)
RPG (Our Opponents Game #5)
PSG Warfreak
Shoot In Rage
JI Team (Our Opponents Game #2 - Loss)
Queen Slayer (Our Opponents Game #4)
Killashadow
My Bro Team
Sang Kuriang (Our Opponents Game #1)
and..... Team Damnation

Scouting spies told us to be not sit back as the majority of the other teams would push up hard... First match we attack the left and right snakes with one player at the back dorito - this is how the game ended with neither team losing a player...

As we were each taking turns to substitute, each time we took to the field there was a different team combo. In hindsight probably not the smartest move but we were there for the experience so winning wasn't the priority - problem is we're competitive %$#$%^s. The rest of the matches were as much of a blur as the first - different team member combos lead to different results each game - even if we had a game plan it was forgotten 5 seconds after the break. Despite this, we got some great advice from other players and observers on how we play - and what we need to start doing to get better.

Watching the other teams compete was great - a lot showed great snap shooting skills great movement and teamwork. Some even showed you don't even need proper branded paintball gear to win.

After not making much progress in our 5 matches, our day was over. With our left over paint we tried a range of e-markers during the lunch break to get a feel for what the big boys use... (I'll let the others TD boys give their reviews on these items). I think after today we are now even more determined to drill until out legs drop off. Of course we we're still griping about how practicing paintball in SG is akin to practicing tennis without a tennis racquet - as any tennis coach will tell you how you hold the tennis racquet is paramount to your playing performance... but I'm sure this is nothing any serious Singaporean paintballer has griped about before...

So I look forward to our next training session - I think the lessons we learnt today will help improve our game a lot...

Paintball "investment"

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.

Paintball: Lifestyle activity or sport?

I'm quite sure this must have been covered a gazillion times in various forums, publications and kopitiams everywhere but since it hasn't appeared here I'm gonna shoot from the hip anyway.

I've been sending out feelers to some media folks in Singapore about coverage of tournament/competition paintball and the response, or rather initial reaction, has been rather disappointing.

Here's an excerp from an MSN conversation I had today with an ex-colleague, a former sports journalist with a local newspaper (names have been changed to protect the identity of the people involved, their respective organisations and their pet shit zu):

Amok says:
if i need to get some coverage for a paintball tournament in singapore, you know of any reporters i can speak to?
Kermit says:
hahaha
Kermit says:
someone asked me two years ago when i was at *******
Kermit says:
i dared not even ask my editor
Amok says:
why not?
Kermit says:
coz its erm... i guess its for lifestyle
Amok says:
its not man
Amok says:
paintball is a proper sport
Kermit says:
haha
Amok says:
sigh
Kermit says:
i am not having this conversation
Amok says:
but now there's a Singapore paintball Association
Amok says:
recognised by the Singapore Sports Council somemore
Kermit says:
hey, stamp of approval from the SSC is... you know the score
Kermit says:
haha
Kermit says:
i think teh lifestyle guys may do it

Doh, there's the dreaded L word again. Based on my conversation with Kermit and a few other journos, it's quite clear what the perception of paintball is here in Singapore. The fact that it is being played competitively with national, regional and even world class events taking place all over the world does not seem to convince them of its viability to be published in the Sports section of a newspaper instead of the L-word-that-will-not-be-mentioned.

So what do we do to change this? Education should obviously be the main angle of attack. We need to first educate the media about the sport and maybe then paintball might have a fighting chance of getting some decent coverage as a SPORT.

To keep the momentum going, we then need to ensure that whatever paintball tournaments/competitions that are run in Singapore are well organised and continue generating public interest. We're bound to see more people getting involved even if they only see it as the L-word activity at the start.

The more people we can get onto paintball fields, the more potential converts we have for competitive paintball. With the number of teams signing up for the Singapore Professional Novice Series (SPNS) Leg 2 doubling compared to the first event three months ago, there is hope yet for the SPORT.

Geared Up?

Back from a 10 year hiatus we're here again to play the game, Ive been looking all over for my old paintball gear. I've found them but much to my dismay, Vision systems and field gear were not meant to last for a century. My JT Flex 7 had a crack right down the lens and onto the goggle clip. A result of my self made lens defogging fan i've put in a few years ago, Ive outgrown my jersey too it seems, and when i wore the pants it looked like leotards. I found a leg and an elbow of whats left of my protective gear.

I guess its time to get new gear. So ive made a list of things to buy for Team Damnation.

Vision systems.
The most important gear in my opinion, some of you might go, why isnt it the paintball markers? Well if you have 20 balls per sec double tricked out trigger action going, you wouldn't be hitting anything if you cant see crap. I've gone through some good vision gear and a lot of bad ones too. Things to look out for when your're out shopping for headgear are

Comfort.
Please please, please do not get something that looks cool, Get something that fits well to your own head. Sizes of heads vary , granted all the masks out there have foam linings to fit the contours of your face. But if you feel the mask pinching you in the face then that mask isnt the one for you . Ideal headgear conditions are the adjustable band around your head is snug, no pinching feeling on the bridge of your nose or the sides of your head.

Lens.
Thermals, Thermals, Thermals, might cost you a little more but its harder to fog up thermal lens than regular lens. Rule 1: You cant shoot shit when you cant see crap. When looking at the lens pay attention to the field of vision it offers. The human field of vision is about 180 degrees and staring straight ahead it is even less. Unless you are planning on looking out of the corner of your eye regularly rather than turn your head, a mask with a 120 degree field of vision should be more than enough. If you cant determine this by wearing the mask, a good gauge for this would be seeing how close the lens are to your face, the closer it is the wider your field of vision. Ive always used my peripheral vision to detect motion, having a good 120 degree field of view is essential.

Behold my soon to be new system.

THE JT REAPER

What can i say Its da bomb.

What made me choose this over all the rest.

• Good field of vision
• Quick release lens/Just in case the sun is out for my chrome lens swap.
• This mask reduces the blindspot area of your body/ It allows you to tilt your head forward to see from your chest below, cant do this with many systems. Conduct your own paintcheck. Time is wasted when youre getting paint checked by the referee.
  

Good hunting fellas...