Memories

[Ronnie Hollington]

Hello people its been a while,

Personally i think paintball lost its fun, it Ramping, small fields ******** marshalls no customer service.
When i started playing we would play the 10 man league, off to Doug Setters for the 5 man league and 7 man league 2 comps a month. We were forever playing events around the country. There were lots of team everywhere playing there local leagues.

Paintball is having a resurgence just not at tounement level, we hosted
our first big game on sunday, and funnily enough there were a few people i didnt expect to see like Phil Webb Jamie Luck, Iron wolf amongst others all turned up they all play scenario games now. There was not really a need to cheat i didnt argue with one Iron wolf play now thats a first The atmostphere is very relaxed.

i have reffed a lot of comps over the years and i have to say tourney players = To££ers. i reff a big game and no grief easiest days marshelling i have ever done in my life no back talk no arguing often people walk off with out hits on them. I have to say it was more fun that playing a tournent, no pressure play when you want for as long as you want.

The mililenuim i personally doubt i will ever play again, its very expencive, very little playing time. i think the style of reffing is for idiots, i think they have forgotten its a customer service industry, fields so small no one can move at some events. Now i have been out of the game for a while a few years but last couple of events i attended i didnt think oh i miss paintball, i thought this is ****!!!

Best paintball ever is playing with your mates!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Robbo]

I think it's posts like Ronnie's above that blow away the clouds that surround paintball as it is now.
He's been off the scene for a while and for all the differences Ronnie and myself have had, he's hit the nail right on the head with this post and I just wish people would try to nudge our game back toward putting the customer first ..and not just the customer first, the customer's enjoyment first.

As Ronnie suggests, it is exactly the above that seems so conspicuously absent and the sooner it returns the better for everybody.

 

[RoryM]

I agree with Ronnie as well, 2 tourneys a month, Eurosplat/Wicked limited paint/Detling/Dragons lair, cost was a box or so and entry. you played all day, and welcomed the breaks!

The atmosphere was completely different because I think that back then we were just doing it for the love of the game, not the constant need for fame and status that so many crave nowadays, greed almost. The holy grail of paintball on TV that so many of us wanted as the way for the sport to grow was not the route we should have taken? But we tried it with the vision of Ged, Laurant and Chuck, and we had to try it, because we did not know, and it seems maybe we still don't. That is not a snipe at any Federation or body around the world, we just have to take the ideas, and see how they fly, and hopefully solutions will evolve.

Back at the start of my playing career, average team ages were nearer 30, mostly due to cost, but with that came a maturity that some times seems to be missing today. Do we need to re-build the tourney scene again by going way back to our roots, and getting the scenario guys to play woods tourneys again? I for one would see no downside for this. Get the scenario guys to form teams again, get them out playing twice a month, for fun as well as the trophy (no prize money back then!).

I would consider playing again regularly if it had that old whiff about it! (stop laughing)
Not saying the old ways was the best way, but somtimes going back to square one and rolling the dice again is a good thing....

 

[sjt19]

Like Al & Ronnie said, it's been a while

I haven't played in nearly 3 years, but still follow things on here with a keen eye catching up on developments.

There always seems to be a certain irony with this sport, and in life in general I suppose, because back when I spent every weekend playing from 2002 - 2006, it seemed that people in the position to really develop the sport, who were backed up with the resources to do so would always think of number 1 first. There were a few people who seemed to be trying to swim against the current and develop the sport, but usually, personal interest prevailed at the expense of everyone else. I appreciate completely that people approached the sport from a business perspective, but it seemed that they tried to milk the tournament customer base for all that they could (Pedro for example) at a time when paintball was not secure and established enough to be treated as such.

It seems that now, with the group that Pete is talking about, there is a recognition that people need to put personal interests aside, which I think is fantastic. It is rare that people that have this kind of 'community spirit' are backed up by the serious resources needed to really make a difference, and I sincerely hope in this case the group has the backing and clout financially to effect change. I know that most of the people involved probably have some really great ideas to make some much needed change; fingers crossed they have the support to do so

Pete, I know that you are someone that cares deeply about the sport, and wish you all the best with what you are trying to do. I hope you can get the support of those (few) in the sport that do have deep pockets, and who are prepared to eat some of the cost of getting the sport to a stage where everyone wishes it to be. Typically people are unwilling to make that initial investment because competitors with the resources to help usually sit back and do not contribute, knowing that they will ultimately benefit from the time and financial investments that others are putting in.

Hopefully, you will get the support that you need.

Sam

 

[Robbo]

Like Al & Ronnie said, it's been a while

I haven't played in nearly 3 years, but still follow things on here with a keen eye catching up on developments.

There always seems to be a certain irony with this sport, and in life in general I suppose, because back when I spent every weekend playing from 2002 - 2006, it seemed that people in the position to really develop the sport, who were backed up with the resources to do so would always think of number 1 first. There were a few people who seemed to be trying to swim against the current and develop the sport, but usually, personal interest prevailed at the expense of everyone else. I appreciate completely that people approached the sport from a business perspective, but it seemed that they tried to milk the tournament customer base for all that they could (Pedro for example) at a time when paintball was not secure and established enough to be treated as such.

It seems that now, with the group that Pete is talking about, there is a recognition that people need to put personal interests aside, which I think is fantastic. It is rare that people that have this kind of 'community spirit' are backed up by the serious resources needed to really make a difference, and I sincerely hope in this case the group has the backing and clout financially to effect change. I know that most of the people involved probably have some really great ideas to make some much needed change; fingers crossed they have the support to do so

Pete, I know that you are someone that cares deeply about the sport, and wish you all the best with what you are trying to do. I hope you can get the support of those (few) in the sport that do have deep pockets, and who are prepared to eat some of the cost of getting the sport to a stage where everyone wishes it to be. Typically people are unwilling to make that initial investment because competitors with the resources to help usually sit back and do not contribute, knowing that they will ultimately benefit from the time and financial investments that others are putting in.

Hopefully, you will get the support that you need.

Sam

Sam
the people we have on board are exactly the people needed to put right that is wrong .... it remains to be seen whether we are successful or not.

Our success / failure will have nothing to do with the board's pedigree or abilities ... these are unquestioned, or at least should be.

I was impressed with a lot of the guy's determination and breadth of ideas and we have a good chance of success though it is not assured.
The inevitable problem with politics hasn't really emerged in any significant form but we haven't an easy ride that's for sure.
As long as we uphold and maintain our commitment and we keep focused on exactly what we are trying to do, then I think we'll be OK.

Lord knows why they made me chairman coz all of them have known me for a long time and so I can only put it down to an uncontrollable bout of mass hysteria coz I always tend to fcuk things up somehow by clumping some schmuck somewhere

 

[Tony Harrison]

Love this hazy retrospective ****!!

I've been out of balling really since 05. Still kinda follow it and still love it, just moved on now and can't put in the time...which, looking back is kinda where the buck stops for me but I'll get back to that in a min. Me and my boy Latham always get giddy when we chat about ball as we still have a HUGE soft spot for it as it is paintball that made me and all my close buds super happy between 2000 and 05 anyway. We were competitive and were respected (ish) but never quite got to where we really wanted to be. Why? Where we good enough? Damn straight we were but, this is where I bring back the time thing, we just couldn't commit the time and money that was needed to get there, so we didn't. Paintball is awesome and I really wish I could still play, problem being is that when I play I want to compete and when you know you as a player can't commit what is needed to be up there but know you have the skills to do it, it kinda hurts, or hurt, a bit.

Thing is, the UK ball scene was always in its own bubble with no real long term plan. Think about it, Ged and co. made some awesome ground up with Pure Promotions and took things 10 levels higher, which was great for paintball and for them as a business, but, they also saw that trying to do it in the UK first at that level would be totally pointless, so they went stateside. Tourney balling will always be a tiny fringe sport in this country and to make a huge impact on the sport as a whole can't be done here. What needed to happen was all the smaller companies to take notes, make changes and lift the smaller side of things up a notch but also knowing that it would only ever be a support act to keep us in touch. As business ideas go that doesn't sound too promising does it, so as much as was attempted over here it just wouldn't have been enough so the decline would have begun pretty quickly I would have thought.

Not sure what I'm trying to say here actually, I think something along the lines of going back to the roots a bit and sorting our own backyard out first. Do it for the right reasons, not because you think you'll be a superstar and paid monies to play (although that did happen). Paintball is paintball, a small fringe sport that we f'kin love(d) and big business to some but just because some people make good livings out of it as businessmen, doesn't mean we as players should expect the same ****. Maybe because everyone kinda knows everyone and is exposed to the high levels of industry peeps regularly that its hard to make the divide sometimes. Get yer money out, play some ball and don't expect to be on MTV cribs and it should all be alright.

I watched PUSH again last night for the first time in ages. Anyone that has to ask what that is needs to sit down, have a minute with themselves then buy it online. Its 9 years old and still sums up what paintball is all about for me.

Anyways, I'll be ripping Blackpool up this weekend...in my mind anyways, and enjoying every minute of it.

You need to watch "Sunday Drivers", bro. I'll hook you up.