Brilliant reply..... Better to burn out than to fade away
When is the right time to pack it in?
- Thread starter gambo47
- Start date
I'll try and offer up my view, as it's something I did 10 years ago.
I started playing in the mid to late 90's. I played on tournament teams throughout 2000-2004. In 2000-2001 I played for Sin-dicate and Animal Paintball factory in the Mardi Gras Open (Rab's tourney). I was at an event every 3 weeks for nearly 2 years. Even with all my sponsors it was over 20,000 USD out of pocket. I walked away after an event in 2001 for several years because the turmoil and politics of teams and paintball made me lose the love for the game that I had.
I came back for a year in 2004, played NPPL events with Conspiracy. Had a blast, rocked my Joy division angel, playing against the Naughty Dawgs again, hanging out with friends I hadn't seen in a couple years. Great time.
Then my girlfriend wanted to get married and all my paintball money went to ring/marriage.
10 years later, never got married, got a new girlfriend, moving from the US to Dublin, and seriously thinking of pulling the trigger on an Lv1 package and spending some saturdays on the field again, knowing me I'd end up going to mills and cps events, but I think the real answer is...if you have spent more than a year or two, have tried to walk away and come back, it's in you, this sport has its hooks in us, and no one but us understands that.
The intro to Sunday Drivers nearly brings a tear to my eye, because it is everything I have done, everything I've felt, put into a wonderful intro speech.
I don't think we can ever get away, we can only look for a balance of what we can afford (time/money/health) and what we can give. We'll always end up playing/reffing/coaching, no matter what our age is.
55? You're fine, the scariest guy I knew 14 years ago was in his mid 40's played with the original Ironmen, and was the best 1v1 gun I've ever seen, and that's playing/practicing against the Ironmen/XSV/Kapp factory/Iron Kids. To this day, I bet he's still one hell of a gunslinger.
If you can find that balance of life and ball, then enjoy, if not, you'll always have the memories...but hold on to a set of kit just in case
I started playing in the mid to late 90's. I played on tournament teams throughout 2000-2004. In 2000-2001 I played for Sin-dicate and Animal Paintball factory in the Mardi Gras Open (Rab's tourney). I was at an event every 3 weeks for nearly 2 years. Even with all my sponsors it was over 20,000 USD out of pocket. I walked away after an event in 2001 for several years because the turmoil and politics of teams and paintball made me lose the love for the game that I had.
I came back for a year in 2004, played NPPL events with Conspiracy. Had a blast, rocked my Joy division angel, playing against the Naughty Dawgs again, hanging out with friends I hadn't seen in a couple years. Great time.
Then my girlfriend wanted to get married and all my paintball money went to ring/marriage.
10 years later, never got married, got a new girlfriend, moving from the US to Dublin, and seriously thinking of pulling the trigger on an Lv1 package and spending some saturdays on the field again, knowing me I'd end up going to mills and cps events, but I think the real answer is...if you have spent more than a year or two, have tried to walk away and come back, it's in you, this sport has its hooks in us, and no one but us understands that.
The intro to Sunday Drivers nearly brings a tear to my eye, because it is everything I have done, everything I've felt, put into a wonderful intro speech.
I don't think we can ever get away, we can only look for a balance of what we can afford (time/money/health) and what we can give. We'll always end up playing/reffing/coaching, no matter what our age is.
55? You're fine, the scariest guy I knew 14 years ago was in his mid 40's played with the original Ironmen, and was the best 1v1 gun I've ever seen, and that's playing/practicing against the Ironmen/XSV/Kapp factory/Iron Kids. To this day, I bet he's still one hell of a gunslinger.
If you can find that balance of life and ball, then enjoy, if not, you'll always have the memories...but hold on to a set of kit just in case
I considered it last year when my doctor said 'it's time to take you down to operating room to repair your knee'......I had to think weather or not it was worth buggering my knee again for this sport. I watched some PSP in the months after the surgery and came to the realisation that the bug was still there.
Played for years,eighties through to the mid nineties for a fairly successful tournament team, then quit never thought that I missed it until we dragged our old camo and kit of storage and played in the 'old school' 7 man tourney at Holmbush and here I am,fast approaching my 50th, joining paintball forums and buying LV1s and starting all over again! It never leaves you!
Walked away few years back, when the sponsor package was more than the value of my car, and a friend went up in smoke at an event, sold all my kit more or less but kept a yellow mask as thought one day become a ref [as long as I get a shield] didn't take too much arm bending to get me to start another team, tis a young mans game for sure but that said the center temple or coke can is only a few feet away, if you can make it to that, then play away.[YELLOW MASK SOLD]
I played and marshalled from 88-95 as a broke student making my way through with teams Fly Fishing and The Ditch dogs eventually winning Mayhem young Guns in 1994. Played all over the UK and Europe and spent a lot of money having the best time of my life..
I've played against all of the big teams winning and losing along the way. Made a lot of friends and spoke to most of you on here (Mr Robinson included)
Why did I quit? - because i got disillusioned by people wanting to **** you over repeatedly when you had them beat bang to rights. Mass cheating ruined this game for me. Shame really, because i look back at this game and at its best it WAS such a great time.
My nickname - Chutney
I've played against all of the big teams winning and losing along the way. Made a lot of friends and spoke to most of you on here (Mr Robinson included)
Why did I quit? - because i got disillusioned by people wanting to **** you over repeatedly when you had them beat bang to rights. Mass cheating ruined this game for me. Shame really, because i look back at this game and at its best it WAS such a great time.
My nickname - Chutney