Joy Masters field design...

[Liz]

And here was silly old me thinking that one of the reasons many of us love this sport so much is because it's inclusive & NOT elitist, well this shows what an idiot I must be!
Comments like TJ's disenfranchise everyone who isn't perfectly fit, or is over the age of about 30, i.e. about 70% of tournament players.

OK, rant over at being dismissed as irrelevant & useless. Now from a practical point of view who is going to shoot in these fast little front players who are running half the length of the field on the break? Oh of course, no-one will be shot out now until they all run head long into each other on the 50

 

[manike]

Originally posted by Liz
And here was silly old me thinking that one of the reasons many of us love this sport so much is because it's inclusive & NOT elitist, well this shows what an idiot I must be!
Comments like TJ's disenfranchise everyone who isn't perfectly fit, or is over the age of about 30, i.e. about 70% of tournament players.

OK, rant over at being dismissed as irrelevant & useless. Now from a practical point of view who is going to shoot in these fast little front players who are running half the length of the field on the break? Oh of course, no-one will be shot out now until they all run head long into each other on the 50

 

[goose]

I don't think the fields made it difficult for back players at all, a good back player could find a spot to play on all the fields. It may not have been the typical I'm-gonna-stand-in-the-corner-and-do-nothing-but-shoot-a-million-paintballs position, but there where more than enough places for back players to do their stuff - ours found it and so did many others.

As far as descrimination goes.... well, maybe there was some but it wasn't back-or-front player it was in-shape athlete to out-of-shape paintballer and as far as I see it this is the way the Millennium Series should be going.

Before everyone starts jumping on my case - please let me explain. All we ever hear about on this and other forums is "When will we be accepted", "Why aren't we taken seriously" or my favourite "When will paintball be an olympic sport". But let me ask you this - since when is top level sports geared to the lowest common denominator? In most "recognized" sports if you can't compete at the top level you find one can compete at - or don't bitch if you get your butt whupped. I didn't see that poor african swimmer at the olympics saying he thought it was unfair that he had to swim 100 meters when he could barely swim 20.

If your team can't play at the top level then maybe you shouldn't be there - this is not meant to knock Novice or Am teams, because god knows there are enough pros (if not more percentage wise) who bitch if things aren't just the way they like them - but a knock on the teams who don't train enough/drink too much beer/party too much, when others are busting their butts to be the best they can - THIS INCLUDES THE NOVICE AND AM TEAMS WHO STRIVE TO MOVE TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE but not the ones content with "just showing up". The Millennium Series is the top league in Europe and should be treated as such.

As it is other sports leave the top level to those who want to become the best - and for those who just like playing, and god knows we need you more than anything because without you there would be no top level teams - find a lesser league to play in or maybe we should start an "old timers" tour for players over 35.

People get caught up in pro sports for the simple fact that the athletes they are paying to watch are doing something they, themselves can't - but that also doesn't stop them from playing football/basketball/softball/whatever in the local rec-leagues and pretending they are Beckham/Jordan/Babe Ruth/whoever it adds to the fun.

-----

TJ, we agree on something - go figure?

-----

Liz - aren't you one of the people who is working mighty hard to get PBall recognized as a sport? If you are then you should be happy that someone is finally trying to make it one, NOT A HOBBY.

Not all the players at this years Joy broke to the 50's, we only did a couple of times and only one player - as a matter of fact many players played the back positions on the fields, and mighty lonely positions they where - they just weren't allowed to stand in one place for 10 minutes and unload cases of paint in a completely useless cause.

-----

Hey, that's it for now, but I'm sure there will be more later.

goose

 

[TJ Lambini]

Is that what's known as a bite...

in internet terms?




Seriously though, it started with arena games and now X-Ball and field design are moving tha process along...hell, Robo wouldn't pick Ledz for XBall purely on his size and perceived level of fitness..

Tha days of larger, unfit, older players playing at a reasonable level - i.e. Am in tha NPPL/Millennium upwards, - are coming to an end. Not right, not wrong, not fair, not unfair - just tha way it's gonna be. Look at Robo's selection - he's basically admitted that for the new generation of 'ball, he himself is past it - and if ya got an ego his size and you say that, it's gotta be pretty damn obvious. Check tha selection policy of tha top captains - speed, agility, fitness, all top of tha list.

Gonna get like soccer - an exceptional player who can read tha game well and stays in shape may be able to hang into their late 30s, early 40s at a push, but no more.

I give it 3 years before that's the scenario we're in - two if things shift up a gear quicker than expected.

 

[Baca Loco]

Taking myself outta the game, too

Liz--get a grip. Manike just thinks he has another populist cause to champion.
Reality Check--IF, and that's a big if, paintball is going to become a real, accepted sport it ain't gonna be played the way y'all are playing it today. Does that mean you won't be able to play any more? Of course not, it just means that maybe in the future when we talk about pro players we're really talking about pro players and if you're not one you won't be playing them. Simple as that.

The reality is most commonplace field layouts trend to a status quo which, if decently done, doesn't penalise aggressive teams but which lend themselves to defensive, drawn out, potentially boring paintball--and you all know it's true.
What Magued's fields demonstrated was that calculated and thoughtful changes to layout can impact the way the game is played and that's important. Might it be possible to find a balance that both rewards aggressive play and still allows for more conventional set-ups? Probably.
Bottom line--if nobody had been willing to try something more radical you'd all be complaining about that team of sitters who kept you outta the semi's cus they were dug in like ticks and that's no way to play paintball.

 

[Baca Loco]

Goose & Teej

You beat me to it!

 

[TJ Lambini]

Thass cos

you is old and on your way out!



Hey Goose - even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while...

Seriously, great post - agree 100%.

 

[Liz]

Goose

OK, just wrote a bit more of a rant & then saw you'd all started to be reasonable(ish) so I've deleted it. It WAS a bit inflammatory though, implying that all paintball would only be for the fit & young.

Put it down to me feeling my age a bit this week

 

[manike]

My post was more about the danger of stopping styles of play not making the sport reward those who are fitter etc.

If you only had aggressive teams who run up field and shoot everyone out in 30 seconds would it be as exciting to watch different games?

Many of the most exciting games in sports come when you have different styled teams play each other.

For instance in the Football World Cup there was much hype about the best defence playing the best attack when England came up against Brazil. This happens in Paintball when you see teams like RL come up against BL Ironmen or the AA's. And I think you will see it happen all the more with X-ball.

Fine make the pinnacle of the sport require fitness (too damn right it should, I'm all in favour of that!) but don't limit them in the way they can play the game. Fields should enhance the game as a sport and thus give teams lots of options on how to play them.

I also agree the sport needs to change to move forwards and have been involved in many discussions on such. I prefer the X-ball method of adding bunkers to promote 'wanted styles' of play, rather then the removal of bunkers to prevent 'unwanted styles' of play.

manike

p.s. Baco, don't tell me what I think, thankyou.

 

[TJ Lambini]

Liz

I was on what you Brits refer to as 'the wind-up'...