Paintball in Singapore 101

SPS Referees in MPOC 2012 Leg 1!

2012-01-10T14:14:00.003+08:00

Lum Hui (third from top row) and Rudy (fifth from top row) with the rest of the MPOC Referees who are amongst some of the best paintball referees in the Asia region.

Shahirah (second from bottom row) with the MPOC Referees. Shahirah is the only female paintball referee over the MPOC weekend and did an excellent job as compared to the local boys!

As part of Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) Referees development plans for 2012, SPS Referees were on overseas assignment in the MPOC 2012 Leg 1. Officially formed in 2010, the SPS Referees is now a 20 men and women team which has an important role to play in the development and promotion of paintball refereeing in Singapore. As our continuous support to promote tournament paintball, it is imperative for our local referees to gain overseas and officiating experiences in overseas paintball tournament. Under the guidance of AsiaRef Manager, Mr. Junaidi Kalil and Senior SPS Referee, Ms. Shahirah, newly recruited referees Lum Hui and Rudy "Junior" were officiating in the Division 1 field during the MPOC weekend. "This is a very prestigious moment for our local referees as we do our best to give opportunities to every SPS Referees. Our aim is to ensure that the right culture and fundamentals are set up from the beginning and who else can we learn from except from the best in Asia" exclaimed Ben Seow, SPS Tournament Promoter, referring to the AsiaRef body as the top refereeing body in Asia. Headed by Mr. Azhar (SPS Head Referee) and Mr. Idi (SPS Referees Manager), the SPS Referees will be featured in several overseas tournaments in 2012 and will continue to develop the refereeing scene in Singapore. The SPS Referees will conduct at least 3 basic refereeing certification in 2012 and will work with AsiaRef to certify our local referees for the overseas scene.

For more information about paintball refereeing, please email to info@singaporepaintballseries.

Singapore paintball regular updates...

2012-01-10T13:35:00.008+08:00

31 Dec 2011 - Local based team, Natural Born Killers took part in the recent 1NPS (Northern Paintball Series) held in Kedah, Malaysia and clinched a 5th position finish against teams from the Northern territories. The Natural Born Killers was formed in 2010 and made their first appearance in the Novice Division of the Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Leg 2. The trip to Kedah which is about 6-7 hours drive from Singapore is a showcase of pure dedication for these boys where paintball goes beyond boundaries and distance.

7 Jan 2012 - 3 Singapore based teams (The Outlaws, Team Enraged and ZOO) participated in the recent MPOC (Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit) 2011 Leg 1 held in Bukit Jalil Xtionpaintball Park, KL. Being the very first leg of the MPOC series, kudos to these teams to be able to make the trip up north and to represent Singapore. The Outlaws participating in the Division 4 category had a smooth sailing start when they were getting every points on the field but as the scorching sun sets in, the smooth ride became a little tougher with multiple 1for1 penalties. Qualifying as a lower tier team in the Quarter Finals, The Outlaws soon recovered from their field mistakes and took on the teams one by one. They were very close to entering the finals until a delayed call from a referee which them the possible champion medal. Nevertheless, it was a good outing for the team as they inducted 2 new players who were totally new to competitive paintball. The Outlaws was eventually awarded the 3rd position.

Team Enraged a Singapore Johor based team participated in their very first MPOC tournament. Competing in the Division 3 Race-2 format was entirely new for the team as they were used to playing in semi-automatic and M5 game format. With 2 guests players from Raving Lunatics, it was time to show their rage in the field. However, lady luck wasn't shining on Enraged the entire weekend and they were soon out gunned by the Malaysian teams who are more familiar and experience with the Race-2 game format. Team Enraged did not qualify into the next round.

ZOO participated in the MPOC Division 2 category. The format of the game took a change to become a Race-3 format this year and it can only means more paintballs and more games, however, with an additional inclusion of 2 players to the roaster, we might be able to find some equilibrium. ZOO finished 2nd position in their group after Day 1 and qualified for the Quarter Finals. In the Quarters, ZOO had to face Dark Knights but soon experience prevail and they won the game which set them up against another paintball powerhouse, Grammaton Clerics with their fast attacking plan took their games early with a score of 2-1 which ran out of regulation time. ZOO eventually settled for a 3rd position in the Division 2 category.

All photos from www.residentevilchef.com

My paintball story

2011-12-28T22:54:00.005+08:00

Shared this too many times and thought I pen it down so that people who chance upon this blog can also see the light of this game we love. I have been playing competitive paintball since 2006. In a few more days, I will be going into my 6 years of competitive paintball. Similarly, one thing that is always doing the catching up is my age... I will be 34 years old in a few days. I started the game in what I considered as a out-dated age for any athlete, at the age of 28 years old, you will roughly have an idea if you are going to treat sport as just a recreational hobby... and this was what I thought until I found out about competitive paintball. I have been playing sports my entire life... I did a little bit of everything but seriously a master of none. I had my first taste of volleyball at the age of 10 and knew that volleyball was not my cup of tea. I ran in National events when I was in primary school and thought that running was all that I knew. In secondary school, I was crazy about basketball and played a lot until I saw my results at the final exam. Then I took up running again... but this time, I did a longer distance. Although I am an asthmatic, I considered myself to be a pretty good long distance runner having been one of the very few to cross the finishing line early when I was an officer trainee in the army. Short and long burst of 5km, 10km, 15km, 21km was a daily affair. Running stopped after I started working and I returned to my first love, basketball. I was working in a tertiary institution back then and sports was easily available. I started playing recreational soccer and did a little bit of running here and there just to keep myself fit for the annual IPPT. And of course, being a social runner and with the growing popularity of endurance events in Singapore, I tried my hands on the Osim Triathlon. Well... just say that I finished the event with many unforgettable memories. My love of sports persuaded me to find out more about this wonderful social invention and soon enough I was going back to school again and took up a part time Sports and Exercise diploma in Singapore to further my interest. I graduated in a pretty well known university in Australia with an Electrical Engineering honours degree. When I was studying in Australia, I was playing a lot of weekend soccer and was very impressed with the sporting culture downunder. Sport is not just an individual affair, it is a family affair. People will come and support friends and family members who are playing sports. When I came back to Singapore, I wasn't ready to accept the fact that most of the buddies that I used to play sports with are now setting different life priorities and commitment which leaves them with no time for sports... I suddenly had no one to run with, no one to play basketball with, no one to talk about sports except to watch them on TV, usually with a bag of chips. And I seriously thought that things are going to be so dull and all my aspirations of being a good sports fan had to die a horrible death. But my life soon change after I found out about competitive paintball, speedball.

It happened at the end of 2006 when I was on a trip to Malaysia to find out about the Paintball World Cup Asia. Very soon enough, I was already playing this sport. But surely of course, no one else in Singapore was playing competitive paintball back then and so I had to recruit people of the same interest and it didn't help that there wasn't many videos on the internet for us to relate the sports to anyone who might be interested. Every weekend, I will have to travel 640km back and forth to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia to learn more about this competitive sport. Trust me it wasn't easy travelling this distance every weekend for a period of more than 1 year. I have to miss precious time with my family and was constantly on the road. But most importantly, I found a new sport which took me to a new level that I never knew existed. I was like a crazy man thinking about paintball almost every single minute of my life. I would look into the mirror, pretending that someone was shooting at from the other end and dodging my way out of the shot. I would do nothing at times but to "run my fingers" like I was going to pull the trigger at the fastest speed that I can ever attain. I was looking out for information about the game and how to perfect my posture and movement. I was constantly searching videos and spent hours watching, talking and thinking about paintball. It changed my life again but more importantly, I found the real essence of playing sports again.

6 years down the road, I am now still an avid paintball player with a Division 2 Champion title under my belt. I have coached countless number of paintball players who are now far better and more skillful than me. I have affected everyone who crossed my path and was as crazy as myself 6 years ago. There are still a lot to be done for the sport in Singapore. While we now have a large community of players and the right development plans for paintball in Singapore, we are still very far away from achieving flexibility to the restriction that will give many 2nd life to many "athletes" like myself. I believe every paintball player have their own story to tell and I wish that by writing this paragraph, I am able to stimulate the passion within each and everyone of you to write something about paintball. Something about how you first started playing this game about how you met the many players and friends that you never knew existed but will always carry a thought about them when you don't see them playing paintball anymore. Paintball is not just about passion for sports, paintballers live their life thinking about their fellow comrades all the time.

How much does a paintball marker (gun) cost in Singapore?

2011-12-26T11:58:00.004+08:00

Thought that this might be an interesting awareness entry so that everyone is aware about the cost of a paintball marker (gun) in Singapore. I have heard this so many many times and thought that it might be good to clear the air so that everybody is on the same page. From hereon, I am going to use the word "gun" instead of "paintball marker" so that it will be easier for you to relate to this topic though in the world of paintball, the word "marker" is often used for the promotion of the game to mummies and daddies. We wouldn't want to see a kid relating his paintball experiences with his family using words such as "guns", "kills", "dead", "bullets". While some might disagree with the use of these industry naming convention, we are pretty clear about our direction for paintball which is to make it more welcoming for everyone to play. Paintball is after all one of the safest activity in the world!

But isn't it illegal to possess a paintball gun in Singapore? Yes, you can't own a personal paintball gun in Singapore. I hope this does not kill your interest to continue reading this article as I am about to share with you what if it is entirely legal to possess your own personal marker in Singapore? Not that it is already legal (though we were very very close...) but WHAT IF....

Before doing that, let us take a step back to understand that if this regulation does change, it doesn't mean that you can own the world. It only means that you can individually possess a personal paintball gun in the eyes of our law enforcers. So what does this really mean for you? Firstly, congratulations, the paintball gun is now lawfully yours. So what's the catch now? Simple... you are now entirely responsible for your paintball gun, meaning if it is stolen, damaged or lost, you are the main man who is now responsible for its safekeeping, repairs and whereabouts. Spiderman says "With great powers come great responsibilities". Surely, there will be terms and conditions that you will have to follow since you are now the licencee of your own personal paintball gun. Let me remind you again that a paintball gun is considered as a firearm in Singapore so quit asking if you are able to take your paintball gun home and keep it at there. I am sorry but it doesn't work that way. But surely, this might be a redundant condition in years to come but we'll never know what lies in our future.

This exact question was asked: "I want to own a Dye NT, let me know what you can do for me? I have budgeted $800.00 for it". No offence to this question, it is definitely legit. So what must you know about owning a paintball gun in Singapore, IF it really happens for us. I am also going to draw a comparison to our daily activities so that it will be easy for everyone to comprehend.

1) Membership. To possess a paintball gun in Singapore, you will need to be a registered member of the paintball field. There is a annual membership fee. Taking Red Dynasty Paintball Park (www.weplaypaintball.com) for example, this paintball field has an existing incentive membership program for regular players which cost $150.00 per year and $95.00 for subsequent renewal. Being an incentive program, regular players pay for discounted game packages at the paintball field. The common question: "Cannot you not be a member but purchase a paintball gun in Singapore?" The answer is, not possible. This is a directive.

Comparison = You can only borrow books from the library if you are a member of the library.

2) Cost of a paintball gun. Simple, just google it. Pick up a calculator and multiply by a conversion rate. Add another couple of cents to round up a more realistic figure. For example, if the conversion rate is USD1=SIN1.29 (based on XE.com, 26 Dec 2011), add another couple of cents to these figures in relation to bank charges, credit card conversions, etc. A reasonable figure in will be USD1 = SIN1.35.

Comparison = Petrol prices that you pay for at the petrol station is surely different from the market value at the stock exchange.

3) Shipping charges. Unlike conventional postage charges. A paintball gun is a firearm as such it cannot be posted like a conventional mail. Charges include shipping, handling, registered mail and custom clearance. A good estimate for one unit of paintball gun is about $450.00. Again, this is just an estimate and might be cheaper or more expensive depending on your shipping agent and the quantity of guns shipped.

Comparison = Imagine yourself in the shipping business and you are shipping a fleet of cars into Singapore. Surely, you cannot do it through parcel post. Unforeseen charges such as GST, handling fee, delivery fee, etc do apply.

4) Licence fee. Unlike other countries, you will need to possess a licence for your gun and yes, you will need to pay for this licence. The cost of this licence is $220.00 for 2 years. Who do you pay this amount to? The governing agency of course, in this case, the Singapore Police Force. Consider it with 730 days (2 years), you are effectively investing $0.30 a day.

Comparison = In Singapore, you need a licence to do anything and everything.

5) Storage fee. Surely you are unable to keep a paintball gun at home so you will NOT be able to bring it home as such you will have to store it at a paintball field. A reasonable fee will be $150.00 a year which works out to be about $0.40 a day. Slightly more expensive than a packet of tissue.

Comparison = Just consider this as parking your car at a shopping mall. A space is allocated for your car and thus it is only reasonable that you are charge a fee for using the space.

So if you are still reading this article... let's do an example for a Dye NT11.

A Dye NT11 with a free Rotor cost USD1350.00 on the internet.

Membership = $150.00 (to the paintball field)

Cost of the marker = USD1350.00 x 1.35 = SIN1822.50 (to whom you buy the gun from)

Shipping charges = $450.00 (to the forwarding agent)

Storage charges = $150.00 (to the paintball field)

Licence fee = $220.00 (to the Singapore Police Force)

Total investment = $2792.50.

And say if you use this gun for a span of 2 years (which is a normal lifespan of a paintball gun), you will be paying about $3.87 a day. Yeah, we made assumptions that you have your own paintball tank.

Will you be ready when it is time to buy your own personal paintball gun?

Time of the year again... Paintball in Singapore

2011-12-25T09:39:00.005+08:00

Let's take a look back for 2011 and make a quick assessment of the things that have happened for Singapore paintball. But before we go into that, I have attached an entry of last year's version so that we can make a quick comparison for 2010 and 2011, http://singaporepaintball.blogspot.com/2010/12/so-whats-next-for-singapore-paintball.html

I was hoping for 20 participating teams for WCA 2011 but we had 12 Singapore teams. Guess we didn't make the cut for 2011. One possible reason could be due to the expenses of travel since the WCA is not held within mainland Malaysia. If the dates are already locked in the calendar in the beginning of the year, there shouldn't be any doubt for non-attendance in Asia'a biggest paintball event. But hey, we can only improve from here and I don't speak on behalf of everyone.

So...what have we achieved in 2011? The Singapore Paintball Series was held over 2 legs in April and October. We managed to invite a government official to grace the tournament which is a first in Singapore. In addition, for the first time in Singapore history, we have a total of 38 participating paintball teams and among them are 2 overseas Division 1 paintball team from Malaysia. On the contrary, we had to cancel the Inter Tertiary Paintball Championship (ITPC), a paintball competition meant for tertiary institution at the beginning of the year and the SPS Friendship Cup which was organized to commemorate the good friendship within the paintball community. Both events were cancelled due to poor response which I felt was a waste considering the fact that paintball tournament is not a frequent come by in Singapore.

Year 2011 saw many local teams winning overseas honours for the local community and making their mark in overseas tournaments. As the saying goes: "Winning is a habit". To continue this winning trend, we must not forget about the hard work that has been put in. Winning a tournament is easy, defending the win and keeping it consistent is the harder part. Teams must continue to improve and train to better themselves if they want to continue the winning ways.

Unfortunately, the local community did not receive confidence from governing authorities in the possession individual of paintball marker; however, we remain highly positive that this will change in 2012. The question remains are we ready to embrace this change? I hope we are. I really hope so...

SPS Friendship Cup 2011

2011-12-09T18:18:00.004+08:00

The inaugural FRIENDSHIP CUP is a NO FRILL paintball tournament which will be held on the last weekend of every calendar year. There is no registration fee to participate in this tournament but there is a lot to play for and that is friendship. The FRIENDSHIP CUP marks the closure of the Singapore paintball season for the year as we recognize the strong camaraderie within the paintball community and what a better way to celebrate the new year with some adrenaline pumping action!

As this is a no-frill tournament, there will be no prizes but just bragging rights! Being an informal tournament you do not have to play together with your team (you can if you wish to). You can either take this opportunity to try out your any potential recruits or to allow the newly joined players to play with the senior players and not be wary of any positional rankings. The main aim of the Friendship Cup is to allow everyone to come together on the last weekend of the year and have some fun! For teams that are new to the Race2 Format, this is also a good chance to have a go at it and work out your best strategy for the new year! This annual tournament is only limited to the first 8 teams which register with us. If you are interested to have some fun and "mark" the new year with a bang! Why wait?

Information for Friendship Cup

Date: 31 December 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 9.00 am - 2.00 pm
Venue: Red Dynasty Paintball Park

Game Format

Format: Race2 Format (Race to 2)
House electronic markers will be provided (ETEK3 AM and/or Proto PMR) for Friendship Cup
12 balls semi automatic
Team roaster of up to 8 players
4 Race-to-2 games for each team if we have a total of 8 participating teams.

Game format will be as such (based on 8 participating teams), randomly drawn:

Round 1
Group 1 - A, B, C, D (Round Robin)
Group 2 - E, F, G, H (Round Robin)

Round 2
Based on ranking after Round 1 where if your team is ranked 2nd in your group after Round 1, you will be playing against the 2nd rank team from the other group.

Registration Fee - Not Applicable
Players ID Tag Fee - Not Applicable

Paintballs will be sold at SPS box rate of $(To be disclosed) for a box of 2000 paintballs.

Please email to info@singaporepaintballseries to register your interest! Closing date will be on 28 December 2011. All registration will be based on first come first served. For more information, please visit www.weplaypaintball.com/forum

Rumours...

2011-12-05T10:01:00.003+08:00

With the new year approaching, we went around the field and asked for some insider news of some local paintball teams. We choose to spread these rumours to make the local paintball scene a more exciting one... but since these are only hearsay from the community, take it with a pinch of salt. It is entirely up to you to believe or to call it a fake.

1) Singapore will have a new Division 2 team in 2012. Following Red Sevens and ZOO, this local outfit will add a twist to the 2012 season by participating in the Division 2 category... My gut feel tells me that this is a decent team that has been around the paintball scene for a couple of years. Some call them the boys in blue...

2) Ballistics Origins will be history, the founding members of the team is combining the entire Ballistics roaster into one. We will see a stronger Ballistics Aftermath team in 2012 which this movement. We heard about a week of training camp with the MacDev Ronins from Malaysia... sources tell us that we might see a few Ronins in SPS 2012.

3) The boys that go around breaking hearts are having a few new inclusion into the team. Rumour tells us that they are "catching lost souls" and putting them into a completely new team. More heartbreakers perhaps?

4) Due to player movement and retirement from the game and to adapt to the changes to the regional league, Red Sevens Division 2 and Division 3 team are joining forces for 2012. Division 1 or Division 2? The truth remains unfold. As a ongoing recruitment, we will see a Division 4 team forming from the Red Sevens. Talk about recruiting youngblood... keep a look out for this team in 2012.

5) Blitzkrieg has recently added a few new players to its 2012 roaster. Our molly mole, tells us that we might see Blitzkrieg participating in a Thailand competition in 2012. PALS or TPOC, we cannot confirm as of this release.

More juicy news as we approach 2012!

If you have exciting news about your team and would like to share it with everyone... please find your ways to contact us. Surely, we will make it juicer so that it fits our local taste.

A brand new year! Here we come 2012!

2011-12-01T18:54:00.002+08:00

Photo from Tilt and taken during Singapore Paintball Series 2011.

A brand new year with brand new hopes. My personal wishlist for Singapore paintball:

1) De-regulation of paintball marker from the Firearms Act by the Singapore Police Force.

2) De-regulation of paintball marker from the Firearms Act by the Singapore Police Force.

3) De-regulation of paintball marker from the Firearms Act by the Singapore Police Force.

and the list goes on...

Congratulations Team Generation Kill!

2011-12-01T18:47:00.002+08:00

Photo is shamelessly ripped from Team Generation Kill's facebook page.

Well done team Singapore! Another podium finish in the final leg of the My-NPL 2011 held in Melaka. Team Generation Kill fought with gusto and clinched the 1st Runner Up position in the Division 4 category. This team which was formed in 2009 is made up of students mainly from Singapore Polytechnic. Playing in the 2nd MY-NPL tournament which the team won a 2nd Runner Up position in the previous leg, this team is ready to make a strong impact for the future of Singapore paintball. With good fundamental training and a good spirited team, we can only see this team going very far in the sport of paintball.

Once again, congratulations and thank you for flying the Singapore flag high!

Where to buy paintball gear in Singapore?

2011-12-01T18:38:00.003+08:00

Are you looking for the cheapest paintball in Singapore?

This might be one of the most common search phrase in the search engine. But if you are looking for paintball gear, look no further than Paintballers World located at One Commonwealth Building, 1 Commonwealth Lane, #03-03, Singapore 149544 (5 minutes walk from Commonwealth MRT). Established in 2009, Paintballers World is the only paintball proshop in Singapore that are managed by active paintball enthusiasts. Don't know what to get? Don't worry, all you will need to do is to ask! Visit their website at www.paintballersworld.com

*Paintballers World is having a festive sales from 1st - 31st Dec where more than 150 items are up on sales! Make use of its FREE 7 days local delivery service!

Paintball possession in Singapore remains status quo!

2011-12-01T18:27:00.004+08:00

New release from Red Dynasty Paintball Park about individual marker possession. After months of planning and development, it seems that more needs to be done for the Singapore paintball scene. Paintball marker is classified as a firearm under the Firearms Act and possession without a licence can face a penalty of up to $100000 fine or/and jail term. This regulation has been a hindrance to the development of paintball sports in Singapore. However, we remain positive and optimistic that this regulation will be lifted in the near future. Coincidentally, the people behind Vision 2030, a platform created for the everyone in Singapore to voice out about the future of sports in Singapore is taking a closer look into the development of non-traditional sport, http://vision2030.uservoice.com/forums/141295-how-can-we-promote-and-develop-non-traditional-s Make some noise and have you say in this.

World Cup Asia 2011 - A Family Affair!

2011-12-01T14:58:00.006+08:00

A family affair indeed. A closely knit family is how I will describe this paintball event that was held in Langkawi, Malaysia on 11 - 13 November 2011. Many describe this paintball event as the biggest paintball event in Asia and I couldn't agree more. A weekend of travel to one of the world's most mesmerizing beach resort to paintball is what every paintball could ever wish for. This paintball event attracted more than 130 paintball teams from over 22 nations with several semi and professional teams from Europe and US plying their trade in the ever popular Inter-Continental Cup (ICC). Ton Ton from France walked away with the silverware edging out Ironmen from USA in the ICC. Both teams displayed perfect athleticism and won the respect of many for their performance. To see a professional team playing in this part of the world was simply amazing. There were a few complains about lightings, air, scheduling, players area, etc but none of these complains outweighs the significant and successful completion of this indoor event. Kudos to the organizers for putting on such a good show. Comparing with world class tournaments in USA to the WCA, I can confidently say that Asia paintballers are simply one of the best spoil child in the entire paintball scene. The good show that was put up by the organizers are second to none in this world. While there might be some hiccups along the way but which human do not err? With the organizers confirming that WCA will be held in the same venue for the next 2 years, I am sure they will do a better job the next round.

I am delighted to see many friends coming together again to play paintball. Paintballers are one of the most welcoming people around. Once you have made acquaintance with them, there is a certain belief that this friendship is going to last forever... I call this the Christmas where family members come together to celebrate the festive season and to see and say hi to one another and after the event... to remain in contact until they see one another again the following year. Singapore team, Rampage Onslaught is one team that took my attention away. As Liverpool fans would like to say: "You'll never walk alone". This team went to the event in full force with uncles, aunties, girlfriends, friends, cousins, everyone!!! A family affair indeed! Another team from Singapore, SKIN went to the event with a lineup of family members and found valiantly in the Division 3 category. When blood is thicker than water, the passion never die. A.C.E.S played with true dedication even though the team had to play with a lineup of only 4 players. While some may call it a last minute preparation but to be out in the field gunning down teams with an outnumbered situation is not everyone's best desired wish. I salute you! 2 other Singapore teams, Blitzkrieg and Outlaws decided to co-op on the final day to participate in the Command and Conquer Series and won a podium finish to add to the families roll of honour.

For those who were unable to make your presence at the WCA, you will get another chance to be part of the family!

A total of 12 Singapore teams participated in this year's event and each came home with a taste of international paintball at the very best!

Photo from www.residentevilchef.com

What lies in our future?

2011-11-07T19:55:00.005+08:00

With 1 more day left to Asia's biggest paintball event, World Cup Asia... many are ready to enjoy themselves in the island of Langkawi playing paintball and making more friends from the game they love. As many embark on this journey to experience the best of Asia, many more remain rooted in Singapore only to envy those who make the trip. The question remains... what lies in our future? I am urging those who are making the journey to think and reflect about how paintball in Malaysia has grown over the years to where they are today. Do take note that all that what you are about to witness do not happen overnight and yet it only took Malaysians less than 8 years to achieve. So where are we now? With marker ownership regulation lifted recently, the ball is now in your court to implement the changes we have always wanted. You can now contribute to the growth of paintball in Singapore! We have open the gate for many great opportunities, the future lies in your hands. No more complains about centre line as we have clear that, no more complains about playing only at licenced premise as we have clear that, no more complains about marker ownership as we have clear that too... what else? The future lies in your hands...

If you are a registered SPLAT player, you have 7 days to let us know if you would like to purchase a 2nd hand ETEK3 AM at only SGD$499.00. Possession licence not included. First 10 buyers will get free storage at Red Dynasty Paintball Park for 1 year worth $160.50. Do your maths! No other hidden cost! Send an email to sales@paintballersworld.com

Changes to SPS 2012 - A big leap towards the future

2011-11-07T10:04:00.008+08:00

SPS Announcement

Greetings my fellow Paintballers, It is indeed with great pleasure for me to make this announcement to the local paintball community which may possibly revolutionize or create possible future changes and opportunities to the way paintball sport is being played in Singapore.

We have just concluded the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2011 in October with the highest showing of 38 local and overseas teams. This result would not have been possible if not for the staunch support that is given by the local paintball community. A flourishing paintball tournament can only be regarded as successful with a good turnout and likewise a good turnout will need a professionally run tournament to bring out the best of any paintballer. As an avid paintballer myself, I do understand the continuous commitment and effort that one has to sacrifice in order to upkeep a dedicated paintball team. Forming a team to play paintball is the easiest part; the hardest part in competitive paintball is keeping the team together. The cost of training and expenses that are involved in this sport have punctured holes in our limited budget in these uncertain times. As a result, teams do not train as often as they would like to and players are unsure about how they can contribute to make this sport grow in Singapore. With 13 local based teams participating in next week’s World Cup Asia tournament as compared to a few years ago when there were only one, Singapore paintball has seen tremendous growth in recent years. As Singapore’s premiere paintball event, the SPS is committed to the continuous growth of this sport in Singapore and will devote our limitless effort in creating awareness and publicity for the game we all love. In our effort to develop the sport, the SPS committee will be implementing several changes to SPS. These changes have been stoutly proposed, debated and reviewed where the final objective is to allow Singapore paintball to progress to the next level where we can benchmark our playing standards to our overseas counterparts. I am extremely thrilled to announce the following changes to SPS 2012 and would like to seek your incessant support in our new implementation:

a) With immediate effect, SPS Tertiary Division will ceased to continue and will not be included in future SPS events. Students from tertiary institutions can look forward to the Inter-Tertiary Paintball Championship (ITPC) which will be organized as a competition series in 2012.

b) Renaming of divisional category will be introduced to allow for wider classification of skill set level. SPS 2012 will see the renaming of Novice Division to Division 4 and Open Division to Division 3 classification similar to Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) classification. A new category catering to Division 2 and Division 1 teams will be introduced and named as the Open Division.

c) Along with the renaming of divisional category will be the introduction of a SPS pilot initiative to better classify all SPS registered players into their respective playing category. This is to allow players to be better classified according to their playing experiences in all paintball events organized by the SPS.

d) The newly introduced Division 3 and Open Division will adopt the Race-to-2 and Race-to-3 format respectively. Division 3 teams can roster up to 8 players and Division 2 teams can roster up to 10 players. Format for Division 4 (Novice Division) remains unchanged.

e) With the introduction of individual marker possession in October 2012, the SPS will cease to provide the use of electronic paintball markers to all teams participating in Division 3 and above. With this implementation, the SPS is taking a leap into standardizing the way paintball should be played across the world where participants have legal ownership to their paintball equipment. Rental of electronic paintball markers can be pre-arranged with additional rental charges from SPS.

f) Participants of the SPS Corporate Division can now have the option to use an additional 2 pods of paintballs on top of the 100 paintballs which will be allocated for each game.

g) To allow the SPS to better facilitate the smooth running of the event and to provide adequate game participation for teams, the following team participation ratio will be adopted as a guide in participation numbers, Open Division:Division 3:Division 4:Corporate Division – 8:8:16:8. However, this ratio might be subjected to change depending on the number of participating teams and number of allocated fields during the event.

h) In the event where a player’s ID tag is confiscated from a player by the head referee due to game infringement, the affected player will not be able to participate in the remaining games of the tournament. At this juncture, the affected player will not be allowed in/near the tournament area not limiting to the paintball fields, the players’ area and the technical area until his charges are cleared by the tournament director and the head referee.

i) A disciplinary panel will be set up for each event to oversee the management of errant players. We hope that with these changes and implementation, we will be able to bring Singapore paintball to greater heights and to allow teams to prepare for a very exciting year ahead. As we approach year 2012, we would like to thank you for your contribution to the progress of Singapore paintball, for without your display of passion and dedication to the game, we will not be able to reach higher achievement for this sport.

Thank you.

Jane Koh

SPS Tournament Director

"Don" of Asia paintball: Paul Lam

2011-10-31T09:50:00.003+08:00

Photo is shamelessly ripped from Paul Lam's facebook
If Al Pacino is the Don of the Italian mafia in the movie "Godfather". Paul Lam would be the "Godfather" of Asia paintball... With Asia's biggest paintball event approaching on 11th November 2011 in Langkawi, I thought it might be good to introduce the good people behind PALS WCA 2011. Paul and his group of ardent committee has placed Asia paintball on the world map for everyone in the world to only envy and praise! In my recent trip to the PSP, I have heard of so many good words and positive comments about the promotional leadup to this world class event. I have people approaching me to find out more about the PALS World Cup and as an Asian participating in the US World Cup, it is indeed an honour to answer their queries pertaining to the Asia paintball scene. Not many people knew about the people behind PALS and indeed all of these would not have happend if not for this man, Paul Lam or commonly known as Gungho Paul. With his continuous vision and goal oriented mindset, Paul has not only allow paintball in Asia to flourish but also to allow most countties in Asia to formulate a common goal towards the development of paintball in this part of the world. While a commercial event like most paintball tournaments in the world, we cannot deny the fact that through these events, more people are getting to know more about paintball and recognize the sporting side of paintball besides the recreational side of the game where most of the people are familiar with. To garner the support of a commercial airline, AirAsia and the Malaysia government towards a paintball event is by no means an easy feat. To have the world paintball community talking about the biggest paintball event in the Asia is just as tough and things do not happen just overnight. While good participation is just as important in managing a good event, to venture into the unknown is a bigger risk. On behalf of everyone in Singapore, I wish you and your committee all the best in organizing the WCA and may you bring Asia paintball to greater heights. Well done!

Full Results of Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Leg 2 - My Buona Vista Cup

2011-10-23T21:16:00.004+08:00

Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Full Results

Open Division Overall Series Champion - Red Sevens

Novice Division Overall Series Champion - Heartbreakers

SPS 2011 Leg 2 My Buona Vista Cup

Invitational International Division

Champion - Team Xtioneers

2nd - Team Demonz Red

Force 21 Open Division

Champion - Red Sevens

2nd - Ballistics Aftermath

3rd - Contract Killer - SG

4th - Team Enraged

Most Improved Team - Ballistics Aftermath

Force 21 Novice Division

Champion - Heartbreakers

2nd - Blitzkrieg

3rd - Rampage Onslaught

4th - A.C.E.S

Most Improved Team - Blitzkrieg

Force 21 Corporate Division

Champion - SAESL Sharks (SAESL)

2nd - Nocturnal (Singapore Night Safari)

3rd - Aurasevenz (Singapore Prison Service)

4th - Pumperz (Singapore Civil Defence Force)

Tertiary Division

Champion - ReaPers (Republic Polytechnic)

2nd - Team Generation Kill (Singapore Polytechnic)

3rd - Ghost Kids (Singapore Polytechnic)

4th - Team Pyro-X (Singapore Polytechnic)

For more information about Singapore Paintball Series, please visit www.singaporepaintballseries.com or join our facebook page

Red Sevens and Heartbreakers - Singapore Champion in 2011!

2011-10-19T19:02:00.006+08:00

Red Sevens has clinched the title of Singapore Champion when the team won the Singapore Paintball Series Open Division Overall Champion for 2011. Red Sevens, Singapore's oldest paintball team was established in 2006/2007 and has been an ambassador for the sport of paintball in Singapore since formation. Proudly sponsored by Dye Asia, Furious, Pro Paintball, Red Dynasty Paintball Park, PaintballersWorld, SEED.

Heartbreakers took the Overall Series Champion of the Novice Division!

More news.... updating.

A Champion in everyone!

2011-10-13T19:12:00.003+08:00

Ahmad winning the TPOC 2011

First of all, I would like to congratulate Ahmad Sophian commonly known as "Vandal" for winning the 2nd placing in Division 1 category of the final leg of Thailand Paintball Official Circuit 2011. Ahmad has come a long way in paintball... locally, Ahmad is also known for his leadership in Team Ballistics which also claimed the 2nd position in Open Division of the Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Leg 2. I have been thinking of writing this topic for the longest time and finally set some time aside. I am now in the US awaiting for the start of the Paintball Sports Promotion (PSP) event - World Cup. I would have never imagine coming to a PSP event a few years ago, let alone say becoming the first Singaporeans to play in a PSP World Cup event. In this event, 3 players from the Red Sevens team will be participating in Division 2 category with Team Tyranny (sorry guys, another paintball history...)

Me in the PSP World Cup 2011

2011 has been an amazing year to my paintball journey, I have been to places that I would have never imagine going if not for this crazy sport. Just this year alone, I have been to no lesser than 6 countries for paintball events and India being one of them... who would have think that I will go to India for paintball? sometimes, it amazes me too... Which brings about the point that I am going to raise: "How far are you willing to go for paintball?"

Ahmad Sophian is the most classic example... and to be really honest, I do see some resemblance in him as well (okay I am not talking about our complexion). As a pilot by profession, Ahmad started his interest with paintball while part timing in Red Dynasty Paintball Park and since then, his paintball journey has took him to countries such as Thailand, Philippines and Australia. In Singapore, Ahmad captained Team Ballistics but outside of Singapore, Ahmad has played with some of the most amazing paintball teams such as Rage City from Gold Coast, Australia, Team Hellborne from Thailand and even a fling with Red Sevens from Singapore in PALS Philippines. This guy is never afraid to play anyone or any team. All the talk about being divisional class players simply do not mean anything to him and does not exist in his dictionary at all. Ahmad has stepped out of his comfort zone to perfect his own paintball knowledge and take on anything that is being thrown to him and he has definitely done that! The more games that he has played and the more teams that he is being associated with, Ahmad brings these knowledge back to his team, Ballistics. You will be blind to have not observe that transformation in him. His willingness to take on whatever that is being thrown at him is nothing but admirable. Playing out of one's comfort zone can only make you a better player and thus allowing you to broaden all you need to know about the sport of paintball. Paintball is just like fencing... the more you fence, the better you will become. So, how far do you want to go? Ask yourself that question and ponder hard...

So here's to Ahmad, our local Singaporean boy, you have took the courage to play and you have seen the results you truly deserved. Well done!

Singapore's biggest paintball tournament - Singapore Paintball Series

2011-09-29T22:51:00.003+08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PAINTBALL BONDS THE COMMUNITY
Changing the perspectives of a war game into a sport

28th September 2011 - The Finale of the Singapore Paintball Series 2011 – My Buona Vista Cup will be held on 8^th and 9^th October 2011 at East Coast Park. Established in 2008, the Singapore Paintball Series has now more than 400 registered players with the youngest participant – a student at the age of 16 years old and the eldest participant being a Union leader at the age of 50 years old. All participants compete on equal grounds within their divisions regardless of age and gender.

Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, MG(NS) Chan Chun Sing will be gracing the event as the Guest of Honour. In support of Minister Chan’s initiative for Vision 2030, a platform to gather feedback and suggestions to formulate a master plan for the sporting scene in Singapore, local paintball enthusiasts voiced their concerns about the development of paintball in Singapore in a Strait Times report in July. While at the event, Minister Chan will witness an exhibition game between the SPS All-Stars, comprising of local players, and an International All-Stars side with overseas players from Malaysia paintball teams, Xtioneers and Demonz, who are both ranked as Division 1 teams in the paintball scene. The exhibition game will be organized in the Race-to format which is a popular format in the US and many European countries. Ben Seow who is the series Tournament Promoter exclaimed: “This sport is gaining popularity amongst Singaporeans and in Asia. Teams work together to strategize game plans to counter opposing teams and in the process help the team to bond and foster camaraderie.

The Singapore Paintball Series has grown from a league of 7 teams in 2008 to a league of 36 teams in 2011. The unwavering passion of the sports has brought many players from 2008 to 2011, still competing in paintball and promoting the sports of paintball. In the few years of the development by Singapore Paintball Series, an official refereeing body has been formed to provide an international standard of paintball refereeing in Singapore similar to regional countries. The Singapore Paintball Series is also affiliated to and a promoting partner with the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) which is Asia’s most recognized paintball series. PALS has a network of promoting partners across more than 10 Asia Pacific countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Australia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Japan and Taiwan. PALS will be organizing Asia’s biggest paintball tournament on 10-13 November this year – the World Cup Asia – which will be attended by more than 140 paintball teams from across 30 nations. The Paintball World Cup Asia is a strongly endorsed sport event by the Malaysia government and Forbes Billionaire, CEO of Air Asia, Tony Fernandez who will be participating in the event. Singapore will be represented by 14 Singaporean paintball teams across 3 divisions out of the 4 in World Cup Asia 2011 in Langkawi, Malaysia.

“Since I started playing paintball in 2008, I have become more socially engaged with people who are older than me. The demographic of participants is wide and comes from all walks of life. In the team that I am playing for, we have a graphic designer, a professional golfer, a veterinarian’s assistant, a university student and dance instructor, said Mr. Gerald Lee, 21 who is working as surveyor for an oil company.

Paintball marker is not a plate of char siew rice...

2011-09-23T10:05:00.003+08:00

From our last entry about paintball possession in Singapore, we managed to raise some eyebrows... Any we are pretty sure that: All that glitter is not gold. So what's the catch? For a start, a paintball marker is not a plate of Char Siew rice (for non-locals reading this entry, Char Siew rice is BBQ pork rice, one of Singaporean's favourite dish). It is not as simple as going to a Char Siew stall and order from the stall owner. Secondly, there are certain things that you will need to know about buying a paintball marker in Singapore (notice I say the word buy and not rent or tag but BUY, cos we made it happen!) Unlike in overseas (we are still dealing with that), there is no stock loads of paintball arsenal tuck in an armoury somewhere in Singapore and so all paintball marker purchase will have to be flown in and for that to take place, there are something that as a consumer that you will have to take note: You can only place and order and await its arrival... don't get it? Think about buying a car from an authorized dealer... no new car will be waiting for you to pick it up at the showroom. So if you are thinking about getting a paintball marker in Singapore, you will have to.... yes, wait. This ain't rock science, it is the same when you are buying a car, a BTO flat, a furniture... think of it that way for paintball in Singapore.

I was taken aback by some of the most common reaction. "Wait a minute... are you telling me that a Dye NT11 will cost me more than USD1550.00!!!" Yeah... do your math. Might not be the most tempting brand to get but yeah a paintball marker is not a plate of Char Siew rice. Let's not forget that you will have to pay for the shipping of the marker into Singapore and licences that you will need to apply before you can land your hand on the grip. But hey... that's the best you have got.

So if getting a marker is not going to be cheap (as some might put it)... how then can you still be a rightful owner of a paintball marker in Singapore? Here's a few advice:

1) Do your research. If you have some dough in the wallet, you might want to go for a good reliable marker with the intention of using the marker for at least 1 - 2 years and when the life span of the marker is due, you can still squeeze some "mola" for its afterlife. Alternatively, you can choose to purchase a marker of a lower value but be aware of this phrase: "what you pay, is what you get". Don't set your expectations too high.

2) Frequency of participation. Buying a marker is an investment thus you want the marker to work the best for you on the field. Think about how often do you play in a month, then if you are a competitive paintballer, think about how many tournaments you are going to attend in a year. Think of the number of practices that you are going to. Does your marker allow you to play in a higher division which most probably would require the marker to be shooting in ramping mode with lesser maintenance?

3) Set an objective for yourself. I was once told by a senior paintball player and he said:"Everyone enjoys playing paintball for many different reasons, we all love the game but it is how far you want to bring the game to" I thought this all makes sense since everyone comes from different background and have different life commitment. Not everyone can play paintball as often as everyone does. So how is this even link to getting your own marker? Simple. If you want to go far in paintball, you will need the equipment to allow you to go far... so set an ultimate goal for yourself and ask yourself: Where do you see yourself in the paintball scene and do you need a personal marker to reach that goal?

4) Stick to the rules. Living in Singapore, I do not think that there is a need to even explain the existing restrictions for firearm. So if you are able to possess your own personal marker now, don't ask question like: Are we able to bring it home? And before you answer this question, let me remind you that paintball marker is considered as a firearm. So do you think that you can bring a firearm home? Common sense just died here... Yes, yes, yes, I am very well aware that in the US, in Malaysia or matter of fact most of the other countries in the world... you can bring your marker home but this is Singapore. So will this deter you from playing the sport?

In summary, I am pretty skeptical that even with the ease of regulation to allow us to possess our very own markers will we see an influx of players wanting to have their own personal equipment. This is because with our ever strong "wait and see" attitude of the local community, it will surely be a while before everyone gets acceptance to this change.

Now that individual paintball marker possession is no longer a restriction, I wonder what will be the next deterring factor... stay tuned.

Paintball Marker Ownership in Singapore

2011-09-11T00:04:00.003+08:00

Have you felt frustrated about the firearms restrictions in Singapore?

Have you been playing paintball outside of Singapore due to strict firearms in Singapore?

Have you been finding it a hassle travelling in and out of Singapore competing in paintball tournaments?

Have you always been wanting to own your very own personal paintball marker?

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER!

For the first time in the history of Singapore paintball, we are honoured to be able to bring this news to you which will be a new milestone and development for the sport in Singapore. Red Dynasty Paintball Park, in partnership with the Singapore Paintball Series, has truly led Singapore paintball in its development and will continue to innovate the paintball scene in Singapore and in the Asia region. From 1st October onwards, Red Dynasty Paintball Parkis proud to launch marker ownership and storage for all its members under terms and conditions as advised by governing agencies. The following will be implemented:

1) Individual possession of paintball markers in Singapore – Individual ownership and licence

2) Able to compete in all overseas tournament subjected to approval from authorizing agencies

If you are serious about owning your personal paintball markers in Singapore and be able to bring the markers in and out of Singapore for paintball tournaments, please make an appointment with me so that I can elaborate further. Our office is located in Paintballers World, One Commonwealth Building, 1 Commonwealth Lane, #03-03, Singapore 149544. Prior appointment needed and for SERIOUS members only.

Paintball in Singapore - Implement Change

2011-09-08T03:02:00.004+08:00

A man once said "Change is at the very core of evolution and without it, all creatures would look alike and behave the same way"... wouldn't you agree? Where are we now for Singapore paintball? Are we already part of an evolution or are we at a standstill right now? Competitive paintball was first introduced to Singapore in 2008, 3 years of promotion and development; we now have a seasoned paintball series, the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) (www.singaporepaintballseries.com) which caters to an active paintball community. There is an estimation of up to 400 regular paintball players in Singapore and about 30 active paintball teams. Progressively, we also have a group of dedicated referees who are passionate about developing paintball refereeing in Singapore. Many local teams and players have also taken on higher responsibilities by competing in overseas tournaments such as the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC), the Malaysia National Paintball League (MY-NPL) and Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) and delivered impressive results doing Singapore based teams proud in the regional circuit. These progressive changes to the local scene have been evident with overseas teams speaking well of Singapore’s increase participation and performance of local based teams in overseas tournaments. Unlike a few years ago where there were no paintball enthusiasts in Singapore, many things about the sport have changed and looks promising in years to come. While things may seem to have taken off, there are many areas that are still left untouched and under developed.

Paintball Association (Singapore), PBAS which was formed in 2007 has come a long way from formative days to the organization of Singapore’s first paintball tournament in 2008, the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS). The idea of forming an association was mooted with aims of creating awareness about competitive paintball in Singapore and to promote tournament paintball with a structural system complete with paintball refereeing and coaching. Meetings with the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) for SPNS looked promising with sponsorship reimbursement under the Sports Partnership Promotion Program in 2008 and 2009. Envisioning a progressive path to address the restriction on how paintball was being played in Singapore, the PBAS implemented the Basic Tournament Orientation (BTO) course for beginners to learn more about competitive paintball. The BTO was designed to allow beginner players to play without a center dividing line which was then a restriction under the Singapore Police Force. This regulation was abolished in late 2009 under the recommendations provided by EK Paintball which operates Red Dynasty Paintball Park and the support of PBAS to the Pro Enterprise Panel (PEP), a body set up by the Singapore government to facilitate unnecessary “red tapes” for businesses in Singapore. Alongside the BTO, the Basic Marshal Orientation (BMO) was also devised to promote and develop paintball refereeing in Singapore. A PBAS website was (www.singaporepaintball.org) also set up to allow the public to learn more about the history of Singapore paintball and the safety aspects of the game. On April 2010, the first non-elected group of committee which founded the PBAS stepped down from their roles and handed over to an interim committee to honour the association’s mission and goals of promoting and developing Singapore paintball. Due to several governance factors such as the declaration of annual returns and changing of members’ names, the handover process was delayed and was known to be officially handed over in July 2010. Actually a year since the handing over, a PBAS forum (www.singaporepaintball.org/forum) was established to gather likeminded people to discuss paintball. In March 2011, a meeting with the SSC was established and scopes of new directions were presented to the SSC by the interim committee. It was reported that the meeting was fruitful with immediate goals such as passing a newly edited PBAS constitution to be further approved by the Registry of Society. The calling for the formation of clubs and associations to support the PBAS structure were also discussed. In April 2011, an open discussion was convened by the PBAS to discuss further development. During the meeting, the newly drafted constitution was passed by the interim committee. Topics pertaining to the development of Singapore paintball were also discussed with modest representation from the local teams and representatives from the industry who were keen to find out more about Singapore’s paintball future. New faces were present during the meeting which signal good movement for changes. Discussions revolved around membership recruiting, formation of clubs and associations, coaching and refereeing, local event support and scenario paintball. The meeting ended with little conclusion on plans to change or modify existing paintball restrictions and developmental of the sport in years to come. While it may seem like a new wave of revolution is ready to take charge and change the way paintball is being played in Singapore and to create awareness for the game, actions remained unfold. Perhaps only time will tell if this committee will bring about changes to Singapore paintball.

In the midst of this growth is the rise of businesses and interest which seek opportunities in this growing industry in Singapore. Bunkerz Clothing (www.bunkerz.com.sg) a local set up which focuses on transforming paintball from a sport into a lifestyle product is taking shape and looked ever promising and set to launch their products in October. Paintballers World (www.paintballersworld.com), Singapore’s first paintball proshop launched its online store becoming Asia’s first online web store. Paintballersbuyme (www.paintballersbuyme.com) a local online entity seize the opportunity by providing another source of online retail service. Tour companies are starting to offer short day paintball trip to Malaysia with a scrumptious seafood dinner to end a day of fun. Evidently, more local teams are also taking on roles to organize paintball games and doing their part to create paintball awareness in Malaysia for Singaporeans. A group of Milsim paintball enthusiasts from Singapore even took on the role to organize a full scale milsim scenario game known as Project Milsim (www.facebook.com/groups/milsim) with a twist of difference from the usual shooting game with gaining popularity amongst the scenario paintball community in Singapore and in Malaysia. However, the real question remains: “Are we there yet?”

The developments of paintball as a sport in Singapore remain with many uncertainties and have not seen any significant or major progress in the last one year. This is apparent from the number of new paintball teams that are being formed in Singapore. There are many factors attributing to this dawdling growth such as cost of participation, opportunities of awareness, lack of interest, etc, the main reason behind this sluggish growth is the non-unified efforts to promote the sport in the way a new sports should be developed. Paintball is still and widely regarded as a recreational game by in Singapore, many people are unaware or have little knowledge about the competitive side of the sport. Numerous efforts to reach out to government organizations and schools remain status quo. Few were impressed with the growth and potential of the sport and often regard the sport as an expensive and meaningless shooting game. These misconceptions about the sport are often glorified by the same people who love the sport and affirm by their words to promote the game in Singapore. The popularity of Singapore mainstream sports such as soccer, table tennis and sailing often outweighs the attention that is much needed for new sports to grow and to develop in Singapore. The non-unification or existence of an international paintball governing body did not help in this “paper world” where support and sanction by a higher body or organization is deemed necessary for any proposal to the governing authorities. The fact remains that if nobody is stepping out to improve the current restriction and misconception, paintball could remain stagnant in years to come. Unlike most sports, paintball has only about 30 years of history when it was first played as a “survival game”. Tournament paintball using inflatables as obstacles was barely played a decade ago. With different governing laws in different countries, paintball can be developed in many different ways with different firearms restrictions. While millions of people from across the world has tried and played paintball at least once during a birthday party, a stag party, a company organized event or gathering amongst friends to allow individual possession of paintball markers seem too much to ask for with the local authorities. If marker possession is illegal in Singapore, how can this regulation be changed or reviewed so that the sport is not hinder by restrictions that are mean for the “real” firearms? This question continue to remain a mystery in the last few years even though it has been pondered by many but never really got down to the end of the road where changes are made or reviewed. The realistic truth is that this regulation might never change given the current status and rate of sports development in Singapore.

With these regulations that restrict individual possession of a paintball marker (gun), many local teams are pursuing their paintball interest out of Singapore by training and competing regularly in Malaysia. This does not come as a surprise as paintball markers are easily accessible in Malaysia with many paintball pro shops sprouting across the country making it convenient for anyone to pick up the sport. Hobbyist can visit a paintball proshop and purchase a paintball marker depending on his level of interest (scenario or speedball). Many fail to take note that while individual possession of paintball markers are considered as illegal in Malaysia, the authorities seem to comprehend the “Bigger Picture” behind the sport where community building and cohesion amongst the paintball community cannot be easily duplicated with mainstream sports. Paintball events in Malaysia are often very well supported by their local governing bodies and even the Royal Family! If only things were that simple in Singapore!

There is no refutation that strict regulations are important to regulate anything new and especially so in Singapore where any action must be justified with a purpose. However, the authorities and the sport council have failed to put their attention on the evolvement of the sport and adopting this sport with an open mind. By open mind, we refer to the general acceptance of the paintball as a mainstream sport. Surely with general misconceptions about paintball being a dangerous sport and the constant association with words such as “painful” and “bruises” does take a toll on anyone who wants to have a go at the game. Paintball as per any other sports in the world does have an element of risk during participation. Feeling painful and seeing bruises are just part and parcel of the sport. Being a non-contact sport, paintball does have a huge advantage over physical contact sports such as boxing, taekwondo and wrestling where cases of injuries amongst athletes are comparatively higher. While paintball might not qualify as a sport with elite status such as sailing, bowling, soccer where millions of funding are allocated to ensure sporting success, paintball as a teambuilding sport can exist in the area of mass participation where people can participate regardless of different ages, gender, religion, language and culture can co-exist and enjoy the sport in a common ground. Till today, paintball remains to be one of the very few sports where people of different skill sets can get together to compete and have fun. A family of 3 generations can enjoy a day of paintball together and foster relationship much to what the sports council are looking for. Paintball at its current state is unable to produce a world champion for the country but it does play a role in getting a community together. Peculiarly unique to the sport of paintball is the camaraderie and friendship out of the sport that you cannot duplicate in any other sports. As it is, recreational paintball still remain as a popular teambuilding game for corporate organizations looking for a little bit of fun out of their office.

Despite the fact that several local paintball teams are beginning to make a mark in international paintball events, little has been done to ensure sustainability of the game in Singapore. Limited playing fields and strict possession laws continue to be a stumbling block for this sport to grow in Singapore. Presently, majority of awareness and educational initiatives are spearheaded by the Singapore Paintball Series, a paintball event company that has been a pillar of support in the development of the sport in Singapore. Initiatives such as refereeing and coaching certification are initiated to cater to the development of the sport amongst enthusiasts. The company’s continuous effort in creating diversity for the sport amongst youth participants was complimented with free coaching lessons to support the formation of paintball as a CCA in tertiary institutions. One such institution which took on this opportunity to introduce new sports into its long list of school activities is Singapore Polytechnic where its students won accolades for their recent performances in an overseas tournament. However, not all efforts are rewarded with success stories as many cited the lack of funding, non-recognition as a National Sports Association (NSA) sport and no participation opportunity as reasons to reject applications. The same reasons have since surfaced when new CCA applications are submitted yearly by students (mostly year 1 students) who are introduced to the sport. The chicken or the egg causality dilemma? You decide...

Similar to the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Singapore Paintball Series is a commercial sport event which leverage on the support of sponsorship and participation. A very big part of the league’s success is attributed to the ongoing development to encourage and introduce new paintball players into the sport with progressive development of skill sets. As a commercial company promoting a new sport in Singapore, the Singapore Paintball Series with its stakeholders such as athletes, paintball field operators, paintball pro shops, clubs and associations need to understand the commercial viability of these developments. Being commercially viable, companies involving in these developments will have a stake to play in order to witness the success of them taking the risks to grow the sport. With a trend of paintball enthusiasts bringing their presence overseas, it will be soon before local development become stagnant due to the lessen participation.

In a city with limited natural resources, land spaces in Singapore are scarce and highly valuable. The usage of state land under the land development blueprint is well envisioned with high commercial returns on property value. As a developed country with respectable Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and inflation growth, the economy of Singapore continues to remain strong as compared to many regional countries. Where paintball is concerned, the cost of participating regularly in this newly formed sport will unsurprisingly be higher as compared to playing the same sport in regional countries. Business operators with existing overheads and high rental cost will need to maintain a good balance between the developments of the sport versus the high cost of running organizing a tournament in Singapore. With proper governance and support from the governing authorities, more land spaces can be identified and be utilised to cater to the growing need of developing paintball as a sport in Singapore where rental are marginal to support the growth of the sport. But is this even possible?

Vision 2030, an initiative by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports encourages people from all sectors to provide their feedback and suggestions on how sports can be further developed for the future. This platform is open for anyone and everyone to suggest their views about Sporting Singapore. Many potential sports which often went unnoticed under the “Elite” status now have an opportunity to voice their opinion about how their respective sport can be developed and the obstacles they faced when promoting their favourite sport. Paintball sport is definitely one of the many sports which will be extensively mentioned in this movement and very well supported by the local paintball community. Surely, we can remind one another and highlight our grievances about our current horrific state of participation and the difficulties that we faced without the adequate infrastructure and playing equipment. But if we further examine this and walk another step to dwell on the possible recommendations that are much needed to improve the sport, wouldn’t we be asking ourselves what do we really need to make these changes and provide solutions for review instead of highlighting the obvious? Questions such as: “What do we really want?”, “What do we need from the governing agencies to help us promote this sport in Singapore?”, “What do we really need in order for us to compete like how it is done everywhere in the world?” What we want is to suggest recommendations for the current state of paintball sports in Singapore and move towards executing these suggestions. Annoyance and frustrations about the liberalism of the sport were voiced more than 12 years ago when the paintball game was first introduced. These are nothing new to local paintball enthusiasts. The question remains... what do we really want?

Many can mourn about cost, infrastructure and regulation for the longest time but do nothing... or they can start collating grievances into action and work around irregularities by recommending changes to authorizing agencies. If liberalisation in paintball ownership in Singapore can be approved overnight, if government state land available for paintball, if paintball is recognized as a mainstream sport in Singapore, if we are able to lower the age of participation, the question remains, are we ready to effect these changes? Do we have a common voice to bring us all together? A party which is free from biasness and the ability to envision the growth of paintball in Singapore perhaps... a body to unify all paintball operators in Singapore and to path the growth for Singapore paintball? If only things were that easy.

There is no quick solution to this problem but progressive steps can be taken to resolve this chicken and egg story.

Build a Vision: Set a vision for paintball to grow in Singapore. The outlook for paintball at this stage has lots of potential for growth. Ask yourself, what do you hope to see for Singapore paintball in years to come? Do you hope to see a regular community participating in the sport? Do you hope to see the relief of marker ownership restriction in Singapore? Do you hope to see several divisional categories of competition? Devise a blue print for the sport and work towards progressive implementation.

Change in Perspective: For many years since intervention, paintball has been associated with words such as “dangerous”, “painful”, “bruises”, etc, while these words are factual to some extent, many other words such as “fun”, “stimulating” and “challenging” can be used to describe the sport. When people are educated and aware about the positive aspects of paintball, mindset and perspectives will changed with more becoming less fearful of the sport. When more people play the game, this sport will naturally be more receptive, economies of scale can then be fulfilled with a larger playing population thus creating opportunities for business potential. Only with an open mind that does not withhold to beliefs and assumptions then are we able to channel implementation for changes.

Progressive Learning: Providing a competitive platform for enthusiasts to learn and to compete. Introduce a variety of skill sets for enthusiasts to improve in their game thus maintaining the motivation to learn, to compete and to win. Avenue of coaching and guidance must be available for players to learn about competitive paintball. Tournaments must be organized to validate skills that have been learnt so as to accomplish sense of achievement from competing. Clinics and workshops will provide a bridge for introduction to rookies to learn and have some fun in a non-competitive environment.

Partnership and Collaboration: Establish a healthy network for collaboration with experience bodies through knowledge sharing and creation of new ideas. Institute shared vision and goals by way of observation from reputable associations. Formulate mutual benefits and support through representation, publicity and marketing. Unification of paintball bodies and association of industries, businesses and agencies can then be attained.

So instead of waiting for miracles to happen overnight and wait for perception to change, Singapore paintball can both take baby steps with hopes of a makeover and embrace the current limitation or we can procrastinate, grumble and grieve about our short comings.

The writer, Ben Seow is from Singapore and an ardent fan of competitive paintball. Ben is a founding member of Singapore’s first competitive paintball team, Red Sevens which was established in 2006. From 2007 to 2009, Ben was an office bearer of the Paintball Association (Singapore). During his stint with PBAS, Ben established the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) which is Singapore’s first competitive paintball tournament. The SPNS is now renamed as the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) which Ben is the currently appointed as the SPS Tournament Promoter.

Red Sevens (Singapore) crowned MPOC Division 2 Overall Champion!

2011-08-03T14:42:00.004+08:00

Red Sevens presenting the win to Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Major General (NS) Chan Chun Sing

Photo by www.residentevilchef.com

The ear to ear grins, the hugs, the cheers, the screams of joy. We had at last become champions! The year was 2010, and we had won the PALS Thailand for Division 2. It was an amazing feeling to have finally accomplished something that we had been dreaming of since 2007 when the Red Sevens paintball team was formed.

Not everyone was happy for us though, with some people saying that we were “lucky” to have overcome some of the strongest Division 2 teams from Malaysia and Thailand. Coincidentally, the 2^nd leg of MPOC was only a week or two after Thailand and would be the perfect place to prove to our skeptics that our win wasn’t just a fluke. Needless to say, we replicated our performance and managed to win Leg 2 of the MPOC, but were unsuccessful at getting another first for the remaining three legs (although we did get podiums for all three). It was quite disconcerting in the least, and we were left at the end of the season wondering when we were going to be champions again.

Towards the end of 2010 it was suggested by the organizers of the MPOC that we should perhaps participate in Division 1 for the 2011 season. This may have even been the case (and I presume that I would not be writing this if it was), if we didn’t lose around half of our regular roster to work and university. With our line-up in disarray it wasn’t feasible for us to move up against seasoned Division 1 teams with any hopes of winning. And so the beginning of the MPOC 2011 season was the “gelling” period for the new and remaining members of the Red Sevens.

During the first three legs of the MPOC 2011, we earned three podiums and were extremely close to winning Leg 3, but were outplayed in the third and deciding point of the finals by Killer Beez.

We went home with the bitter taste of defeat, mulling over what could have been, vowing that we would redeem ourselves in the weeks to come and defend our PALS Thailand Division 2 title.

Three weeks later, we were back in Thailand after almost a year for the PALS. Being the PALS Thailand 2010 Division 2 winners, the pressure was on us to demonstrate that we were worthy champions. We didn’t disappoint, winning all but one of our preliminaries. It was clear that the team was resolute in defending the title and it looked good for us going into the top eight.

Sunday. The most important day to every tournament paintballer. One would think that on the momentum of the previous day that we would breeze through. This wasn’t the case and we were knocked out, finishing a miserable fifth. In twelve months, we had gone from a championship winning team to non-qualifiers. The feeling that PALS Thailand was OUR tournament had all but dissipated from my mind, if not all of ours. Dejection is the best word to describe the mood that lingered within the team and again we went back trophy-less.

If you thought that was rock bottom for the team, it wasn’t. We placed fifth a week later at Leg 4 of the MPOC. Now for those of you that don’t remember, it was just a year ago that we’d placed first twice in a row at the same tournaments. Now we’d replaced that feat a year later with two fifths.

With no tournaments until the final leg of the MPOC in Putrajaya, we had to suck it up and lick our wounds. Two weeks prior to Leg 5, we held mandatory trainings at the field. We scrimmaged as much as possible against ourselves (Red Sevens and Red Sevens 2) as well as against other teams that were there, trying to get as much practice in as possible.

Fast forward to Putrajaya, 23^rd July. Saturday. We knew we had let ourselves down the previous couple of tournaments and it was vitally important for our sanity that we didn’t repeat Thailand or Leg 4. This tournament was especially important for us because we were contending with Urban X and CMX for the MPOC 2011Overall Champions (http://tinyurl.com/3quvlsq-results tabulated as of Leg 4). If we placed higher than Urban X by at least two places, and CMX by at least four, we would be the crowned overall champions for 2011 as our “Matches Won” and “Total Points” would outdo Urban X and CMX respectively.

We went into our preliminary games with the hunger and thirst for revenge. It was almost as if we held the other teams accountable for our poor performances the last couple of tournaments and decided now would be a better time than ever to make a final stand (see King Leonidas in action: http://tinyurl.com/23hcfb). By the end of our preliminary games, we were 6 – 0, and ranked first. This meant that we were to play the eighth team to qualify. This wasn’t necessarily good news for us as we had a string of tournaments where we’d been knocked out by teams ranked lower. And so we went into the quarter-finals against Rockeeters.

Our quarter-finals got off to a rocky start and we went down one point. I’m sure at the back of all our minds was the thought, “oh… not again”. However, sticking to our game plan that had worked for us the whole preliminaries, we composed ourselves and overcame the Rockeeteers 3 – 2 to make it into the semi-finals.

Note that even with the pressure of trying to win our games, there was the added pressure of how Urban X was doing. CMX were already knocked out, so the ”three-horse race”, became two. “ It was nerve wrecking watching Urban X play and make it into the semi-finals as if they beat KFK Halloween they would be crowned overall champions.

In our semi-finals we played against Ultimate Speed whom we had a lot of respect for as we had crewed in each other’s pits during the preliminaries. Before playing them, we had been throwing new game plans around as they probably knew how we were going to play. In the end, we decided that we would stick to our “traditional” game-style that had been working for us. This proved to be the case and we dispatched of Ultimate Speed 2 – 0.

However, the threat of Urban X still loomed. If they placed fourth, we would win the Overall Championship no matter what, but if they came third, we would be forced to win the leg in order to win the Overall Championship. Guess what? They came third.

Again the pressure was on us. The way we ended our MPOC season was dependent on how we performed in this final match. This time round we decided to mix things up a little and instead of our “traditional” game plan, we went for a more aggressive play-style by planning to send our snakes straight to the 50’s and 60’s when they managed to get in.

The first point got off to a shaky start after our right-side snake got shot out. However, the remaining players were unwavering in their desire for the gold and won the point. The second game we decided to revert to our “traditional” style, mixed with a bit of aggressive game plan. Initially the game went by pretty slow but after the snakes made it to the 60’s, the game was broken. Red Sevens win 2 – 0.

There was silence, literal silence. No one was cheering and no one clapped. We didn’t either until we all got back into our pits, hugging and hi-fiving before we had a final team speech and bellow “Reds!” Pure joy was on everyone’s face, with grins from ear to ear. This was compounded by the fact that not only had we won Leg 5 of the MPOC, we were also most likely going to be overall champions for the series, a first for a non-Malaysian team. After composing ourselves we then went over to thank KFK Halloween for the game, and the refs for their season’s efforts.

After the prize-giving for the winners of the final leg of the MPOC, it was now time for the overall winners of the series to be announced. Grammaton Clerics won Division 3. Now it was for Division 2. We held our breaths, even the non-religious folk prayed (I sure did), before “Red Sevens” was announced. We were ecstatic, it was truly an amazing moment for all of us to win the double.

To conclude this, the Red Sevens family would like to thank all friends, supporters, wives and girlfriends, sponsors and each other for the wonderful support since 2007. To all past and present Red Sevens, this victory is for you! We are still the first Singapore team to win a PALS Champions medal and a MPOC Overall Series Champion medal...

Words by Ivan Rickard Liow, LiquidSnake

Paintball Pro Shop in Asia

2011-07-14T18:08:00.002+08:00

Established since 2009, Paintballers World is Singapore's only paintball pro shop which caters to the progressive sport of paintball in Asia. The store's wide distribution range of paintball gears has helped many paintball enthusiasts to enjoy the game of paintball with the right playing attire. The store main goal is to provide every paintball players and fields in Asia with the widest range of paintball products. Based in Singapore, Paintballers World is the retail division of Extreme Sports LLP which businesses diverse from operation of paintball fields, organization of paintball tournaments and paintball retail business. Paintballers World's online website is Singapore's first paintball online website (possibly in Asia too) with customers distribution in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand.

Paintballers World is located in One Commonwealth Building, 1 Commonwealth Lane, #03-03, Singapore 149544. It is only 3 minutes walk away from Commonwealth MRT located in the central part of Singapore. For more information about Paintballers World, please visit www.paintballersworld.com

The Unsung Heroes - A tribute to the Singapore Paintball Series Referees

2011-07-13T11:37:00.007+08:00

Formed in 2010, the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) Referees have been the strong pillar of rules and regulations in Singapore. Unknown to others, since the formation of the SPS Referees, several referees from the SPS Referees have been travelling around the Asia region to officiate in regional paintball tournaments with the primary purpose of enhancing their skills of officiating and also to further gain invaluable refereeing experiences from referees across the globe.

In search of the reasons behind their passion to marshal and to upkeep the law and order in paintball games remains a mystery to others. One of the toughest and grueling job in any sports where decisions and judgements are made in split seconds, we pay a tribute to these guardian angels who continue to keep the game fair and just for many paintball events around the region. Considering the 100 of paintball games that they have to go through in a single day and the unbearable physical pain that they have to endure at the end of the tournament, today, we single out a few of our most experienced local SPS referees and let our heroes sing the fat lady's song!

Muhammad Azhar is the appointed Head Referee of the Singapore Paintball Series and the organizer of the Singapore Paintball Series Referees. Azhar's interest in paintball started in the woods where he is an avid participant of scenario woodsball game. His first refereeing stint was in Kedah when he officiated in the Kedah Sultan Cup in 2010. Since then, Azhar has officiated in several paintball tournament such as the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit, the Singapore Paintball Series and more significantly, the World Cup Asia 2010 and the India Open Invitational held in Bangalore in 2011. "Acid" as he is named in the paintball community, Azhar continue to better himself as a paintball referee by organizing the recent SPS Referee Level 1 Certification as a course instructor.

Idi Bakhtiar B Md D'zokere started his paintball interest as a player participating in the Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge. His team, Hitmen Inc took part in the tournament and had a decent outing but never did Idi knew that he has a higher calling in the sport of paintball. It wasn't long that his team was disbanded due to commitment issues but that did not stop Idi from getting involved in the game. He took on the challenge to attend the first Singapore AsiaRef Certification and was officiating in the Singapore Paintball Series 2010. His enthusiasm in refereeing spur him on to better his refereeing knowledge as he took on the journey to officiate in the World Cup Asia 2010. Working as a prison officer for 10 years, Idi has vast knowledge in the area of leadership and discipline which he put to good use in refereeing. He recently returned to Singapore after officiating in the PALS Philippines United Paintballers Philippine International Championship 2011.

Shahirah Alqadri was part of the now defunct team Extreme Estrogen, Singapore's first female team. Since her acquaintance with paintball, Shahirah has always been a devotee for paintball and she still is... Shahirah is the classic example of a paintball player who wants to better herself in the game. While in love with the sport, she also took time off to officiate in paintball tournaments with the belief that a good paintball player should also understand the rules within the game. She is currently part of Team SKIN which participates in the Division 3 category of the Malaysia National Paintball League. She draws the line clearly for her roles as a player and a referee as Shahirah officiates in the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit and participate in the former. Yeah... don't judge her by her petite physical frame... Be warned!

All photos belong to rightful owner.

TEAM ZOO - 2nd position in PALS Philippines Division 2

2011-07-12T09:21:00.004+08:00

PALS Philippines the 2nd United Paintballers Philippines International Championship 2011 was held in the city of Clark in Philippines. Local based teams ZOO and Red Sevens along with 19 other teams participated in this annual event organized by the United Paintballers. Joined by teams from countries such as Australia, Malaysia, Iran, Japan, Brunei, Guam and host country Philippines, ZOO clinched the 2nd position in the Division 2 category making it another podium finish for local based teams in the month of July. Red Sevens which participated in the same Division only managed a 4th position. Teams returned to the Clark Field for the 2nd year which hosted other sporting events in Clark such as baseball, frisbee and soccer. Located in a military airbase, teams were hosted in villas able to accommodate the entire team or maybe two. London Pub, an English theme bar was the most frequent eating place by most overseas team and serve as a meeting point for teams to interact off the field.

In Division 1 Finals game, STK from Western Australia met Team Datis from Iran. Both teams took on the field with several controversies throughout the game. Eventually, it was the team from Australia which secured the Champion title with Datis not fielding a team for the final set with less than 5 seconds on the clock. Team Xtioneers-XFox from Malaysia and Persian Legends took the 3rd and 4th placing respectively.

In Division 2, Xtioneers II from Malaysia who had to defend their Champion's title faced ZOO from Singapore in the Finals. ZOO with their lanes locking game was unable to withhold the fast pacing game of the Xtioneers II with the latter winning the Champion spot for the 2nd year. Republix CMX from Malaysia and Red Sevens from Singapore took the 3rd and 4th placing respectively.

In Division 3, it was CMX Hamoon a junior team from the CMX family who walked away with the Champion title. It was also a pleasure to see the participation of Invaders from Brunei coming out to compete given their restriction with firearms in Brunei.

Contract Killers - Singapore wins MY-NPL Round 3 Division 3 Champion!

2011-07-04T12:46:00.004+08:00

Photo shamelessly ripped from rightful owner

Singapore based team Contract Killers took the Division 3 Champion title in the recent Malaysia National Paintball League (MY-NPL) Round 3. The Contract Killers which was formed in 2008 is one of the oldest team in Singapore and has witnessed the development of paintball as a sport in Singapore. The team was formed in a paintball get-together event, "The Magic Gatherings" organized by Red Dynasty Paintball Park in August 2008. The 3 year old team made their first international experience by participating in the World Cup Asia 2009 and came away with a podium finish in the Division 4 category. In Singapore, the Contract Killers remains to be a significant force by winning several podium in the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) now known as the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS). Sponsored by Skirmish Paintball Asia, Captain O-Ring and Ansgear in 2011, the Contract Killers will be participating in remaining series of the My-NPL and the SPS 2011 Leg 2.

Congratulations to the Contract Killers!

PALS Thailand - Bangkok 28 - 29 May 2011

2011-06-02T09:53:00.005+08:00

3 Singapore based teams participated in the PALS Thailand event held in Bangkok from 28 - 29 May 2011. A "mini" World Cup Asia as described by many, PALS Thailand has always been a special event in the PALS calendar. As "Amazing" as it can be, Thailand is a city good for "shoppingholics", good food, good hospitality and best of all a good exchange rate where everything is cheap, cheap, cheap...

Participating in their first PALS event, Team A.C.E.S and a few players from Ballistics venture into the land of smiles with a little more to smile about as they battled through the Division 3 category against several household D3 teams from Malaysia such as Rock and Rolla, KSK Flash, CMX Hamoon and the ever strong UPP team from the Philippines. It was Team Saensuk from Thailand who eventually walked away with the biggest prize from the D3 category. An experience not to be missed, A.C.E.S had a slow start in the tournament but was quick to round up the remaining 2 games. Though pleased with their first PALS experience, deep inside every player's heart, they knew that they can do better to qualify into the next round.

Division 2 saw the likes of Red Sevens and ZOO with a taste of a United Nation tournament with teams coming from Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Russia and France. Red Sevens which took the D2 Champion title in the last PALS Thailand event was to defend their title again and again recruited the help of Keshi Iwata from Team KU, Japan who was part of the winning team last year. The Red Sevens qualified as the first qualifier by topping the qualifying round only to bow out to Lakehill Cat from Thailand which qualified as the 8th overall team in the Quarter Finals. ZOO had the assistance of Nick Lim from McDev Ronin, Matt Boynes from Tension, Perth and a few others from the Shootin In Rage, Johor. ZOO missed the qualifying mark as the 9th overall placed team in Division 2. In Division 1, Team Infernal from Thailand continues to trample the Asia paintball scene by winning 2nd placed team, Datis from Iran who clinched the Asia World Cup Champion in 2010.

Red Sevens Paintball Clinic

2011-05-19T18:46:00.004+08:00

Date: 5 June 2011 (Sunday)

Venue: Red Dynasty Paintball Park

Red Sevens, Singapore's first competitive paintball team will be conducting a basic paintball course on 5 June 2011 at Red Dynasty Paintball Park.

If you are new to the game and would like to know more about playing competitive paintball, this course is just for you.

Red Sevens was formed in 2006 with the intention of promoting competitive paintball in Singapore. Since formation, the team has travelled to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, India and Taiwan for regional paintball tournaments. The team was placed 2nd overall position in the Division 2 Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC) in 2010 and awarded the best international team by the MPOC in the same year.

In 2008, Red Sevens was invited to the Asia Invitational NPPL Open Division in Desaru as the only Singapore team. In 2009, Red Sevens was invited to Kao Hsiung, Taiwan for the World Games 2009 Division 1 Exhibition Game. Red Sevens also won the Division 2 Pattaya International Paintball Championship held in Thailand in 2010.

In 2011, the Red Sevens participates in the Division 2 tournament of the MPOC 2011 and PALS 2011.

Read more about the team from website, www.redsevenspaintball.com

The Basic Paintball Course will focus on competitive paintball with emphasis on paintball safety and proper marker (paintball gun) handling.

Basic Paintball Course participants will be undergoing the following techniques:

- Paintball Safety

- Paintball Rules and Regulations

- Field Communication

- Marker Handling

- Shooting Posture

- Game skirmish with Red Sevens (if time permits)

Venue: Red Dynasty Paintball Park

Date: 5 June 2011 (Sunday)

Time: 10 am - 2 pm

Cost: $60.00 per pax

All participants will be given 2 pods of paintballs (about 300 paintballs) for shooting practices/skirmishes + Red Sevens stickers. Payment for the course to be made in cash at Paintballers World located in One Commonwealth Building, 1 Commonwealth Lane, #03-03.

Limited to only 20 participants only. So hurry and sign up!

To register for this course, please email info@redsevenspaintball.com or info@weplaypaintball.com with the following particulars and subject title: RED SEVENS BASIC PAINTBALL COURSE

1) Name

2) Age

3) Email

4) Paintball experience

Singapore Paintball Series Referee Level 1 Certification

2011-05-19T18:29:00.001+08:00

The Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) will be organizing a SPS Referee Level 1 Certification for individuals who are interested to officiate paintball tournaments in Singapore. This certification course will be conducted by the SPS Referee Committee headed by Mr. Azhar who is the SPS Head Referee since 2010.

The SPS Referee Level 1 Certification will be a pre-requisite certification for AsiaRef Level 1 Certification which will be held in September 2011.

Date: 18 & 19 June 2011
Time: 18 June 2011 (from 2.00 pm - 5.00 pm) & 19 June 2011 (from 9.00 am - 2.00 pm)
Venue: 18 June 2011 (TBC) & 19 June 2011 (Red Dynasty Paintball Park, Yishun)
Cost of certification: $107.00 per participant (GST inclusive)

Limited to 20 participants only.

Course Structure - Theory and Practical lessons + Theory Test

This certification course is open to all. Participants of this course will be registered with the SPS and expected to referee in SPS events.

If you are interested to participate in this level 1 certification course, please indicate your interest by sending an email to info@singaporepaintballseries.comwith the following information:

Name:
Email:
Contact number:

Payment for certification course can be made in:

Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) Headquarters, One Commonwealth Building, 1 Commonwealth Lane, #03-03, Singapore 149544.

Mode of payment: Cash terms only

All participants will need to make full payment prior to the certification course.

All proceeds from the certification course will go to the development and the promotion of paintball refereeing in Singapore.

What will each participant be awarded with?

- SPS Referee Level 1 Certificate

- SPS Referee Identification Card

- Discount on SPS Referee "Limited Edition" T Shirt

What are the benefits of becoming a SPS Referee?

- Be part of a well established paintball tournament organization and be involved in shaping the sport in Singapore.

- Great part time/hobby to be involved in the Singapore paintball community.

- Represent SPS in officiating local and international paintball tournaments.

- Get paid for services when officiating games.

Zachary Hagy joins coaching team of Singapore Paintball Series

2011-05-19T16:55:00.005+08:00

Zach giving his maiden speech in Singapore Polytechnic

Zachary Hagy commonly known as "Muffin" to the local paintball scene joins the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) as a coaching staff. Zachary who is from Florida, USA started playing competitive paintball since 2007 and has participated in National events such as the NPPL and the PSP. Zach represented University of Missouri and St Louis HuSTle Division 2 team before the team was promoted to Division 1 in PSP 2011. Zach plays in the snake position and was part of the Red Sevens (Singapore) when he was studying in the Singapore American School (SAS) a few years ago. During his tenure with the SPS, Zachary will oversee the coaching of Singapore Polytechnic paintball team and to assist the SPS to develop paintball at school level. Zachary will also be involved in the planning of a coaching syllabus for beginners.

Zach in the PSP

Red Sevens (Singapore) clinched MPOC Leg 3 Division 2 - 1st Runner Up

2011-05-17T02:50:00.013+08:00

Jose and his Empire gloves...

A total of 11 players from the Red Sevens travelled to Kedah, Malaysia on 7 - 8 May 2011 to participate in the Kedah Sultan Cup 2011. Forming a team each in Division 2 and Division 3, the Singapore team was joined by another local paintball team, Team Ragdoll which partake in the Division 4 category. The grilling heat of Kedah took the stress out of everyone participating in this leg of the MPOC, at one time the temperature was reported to be 38 Degree Celsius, good enough to turn any paintballer into a marshmallow. Division 2 tournament saw the participation of 11 teams and the "triangle" love affair which I used to describe the intensity of the Division 2 games surfaced again. The "triangle" love affair refers to the closely fought games between teams where everyone took a point out of their opponent and ended up on a level fighting ground after numerous rounds of evenly fought matches.

Zach and Ivan (right)

This leg of the tournament saw the inclusion of 2 former Reds, Zach and Ivan who both returned from US and Canada respectively to spend their summer holidays in Singapore. Indeed there was much needed speed and aggression that was added to the forwards. In the end, it was Killer Bees who took the Champion spot in the Division 2. Red Sevens Divison 2 team managed to secure the 1st Runner Up position and managed to add some points into their bag thus opening the race for the Overall Series Champion.

Red Sevens during Prize Presentation

In Division 3, Red Sevens II had to bow out to an early exit in the Quarter Finals after some technical errors which could be avoided. The team had a slow start losing a couple of early games but came back with a 6 games winning streak to qualify for Day 2. Jose Cerda a former player from the Outlaws was included into the team as a guest player and stood his ground to give the added power at the back and filling the front in his usual snake position. Ragdolls did well in Division 4 and gathered game experiences into every round of the tournament. They were joined by Ikanman, our old friend from Downunder and Dave Choy aka Pagan, the half Singaporean Hawaiian.

Photos from www.residentevilchef.com

Singapore Paintball Series supports Nanyang Polytechnic Paintball

2011-04-28T02:24:00.005+08:00

Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) is taking the lead to promote paintball as a sport to students of Nanyang Polytechnic. Approached by students of Nanyang Polytechnic for evergreen promotion and development of paintball in Singapore, the SPS has since assisted Nanyang Polytechnic with training sessions, tryouts and introduction to paintball sports. Since establishment, the SPS has assisted schools to set up paintball interest group for their students. Benefiting from this initiative is Singapore Polytechnic, which has formed at least up to 3 paintball teams amongst their student population. In collaboration with Red Dynasty Paintball Park, the SPS is also seeking student rates for players from Nanyang Polytechnic making paintball for affordable for students.

The SPS is committed to promoting and developing paintball to the masses and have hopes to see students taking up paintball as a mainstream sport. With SPS coaching initiatives, schools will soon be assigned with SPS paintball coaches who will take up coaching assignments in schools who are keen to introduce paintball to their students.

Singapore Paintball Series goes to Singapore Polytechnic

2011-04-28T02:13:00.004+08:00

As part of SPS's objectives to promote paintball to the masses, SPS will be in Singapore Polytechnic from 27 - 28 April 2011 for the Singapore Polytechnic CCA Showcase 2011! This is the 3rd year that SPS has supported Singapore Polytechnic's drive to set up a paintball interest group in the school. With Singapore Polytechnic's paintball teams leading the way for paintball in the tertiary paintball scene, the SPS is proud to be part of this establishment!

All efforts made by the SPS in promoting paintball to schools are 100% complimentary! We have since been on roadshows in schools such as National University of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Management, Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic. For more information about setting up a paintball interest group in your school, please email info@singaporepaintballseries.com

Rumours and Gossip! #4

2011-04-23T13:16:00.003+08:00

1) We could see a team merger between SPS Open Division Team Ballistics and SPS Novice Division A.C.E.S for the PALS Bangkok event in May! Most of them are SPLAT X players, we were told...

2) We see the "retirement" of Vince who was featured in Dark Militia and ZOO. We know we wouldn't be seeing the last of him. And if Newcastle Football Club (his favourite soccer team gets a league promotion), we will see him returning to paintball. If you are looking to get some paintball gears, you can definitely contact him.

3) Resources told us that Team Contract Killers will be gunning for My-NPL Leg 3, more news later.

Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Leg 1 - Jurong Central Park

2011-04-23T12:40:00.010+08:00

The Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2011 Leg 1 was held in Jurong Central Park on 16 & 17 April 2011. This tournament leg saw a total of 29 participating teams shooting for the Champion's title. With up to 4 playing Divisions, paintballers swarmed to Jurong as the first paintball event to be organized on the Western part of Singapore. Organizers settled into the Circle Lawn (name of the field) a few days before the event with hopes of bringing a carnival theme tournament to the participants and they did not disappoint. For the first time, the SPS committee has decided to set up a food stall to cater to the ever hungry paintballers, isotonic drinks were distributed throughout the event to subdue thirst, booths selling paintball accessories were not to be missed. As part of SPS’s objectives of showcasing paintball to the masses, the organizers brought back the inflatable shooting gallery for members of the public to have a go at the game, for free of course! Newly included into the program was a tryout game for staff of the Singapore Sports Council; however this tryout initiative was stopped by the heavy downpour at noon. With the Novice Division teams playing 4 qualifying games in the morning, it was the Open Division teams who displayed high intensity shooting capped at rate of 12 balls per second, semi-automatic mode.

With a database of more than 500 paintball players in Singapore and a rich history in the organization of paintball events in Singapore, the SPS identify opportunities of collaboration with industry partners in creating awareness for the sport and product branding during the tournament. With an intensive sponsorship program and capable sponsorship team, the SPS 2011 is proud to partner our industry sponsors in product sponsorship and brand awareness. For the first time in SPS history, the SPS had achieved the support of FORCE 21 Equipment Pte Ltd as our title sponsor for the Open and Novice Division. FORCE 21 Equipment Pte Ltd a leading regional supplier of security, defence and rescue gear has also extended their support for the league for the entire series in 2011. CEO of FORCE 21, Daniel Cheah quoted “FORCE 21 is proud to sponsor the Singapore Paintball Series 2011, as we watch this dynamic sport catching the hearts of Singaporeans, and growing its membership steadily. We believe the passion and enthusiasm both the organizers and players share for this sport will create a strong bond and hence drive the standards of the game to international level.” Together with partnership of FORCE 21, the SPS sponsorship team also managed to garner the support of other industry sponsors and they are: 100 PLUS, Voxsports, Park Royal Hotel (Kitchener), AntConcept, Tilt, Citibank, D’Dreamz International, Sweet Delights, RAMPED Magazine, Pro Paintball Resources, Bottle Tree Park, Red Dynasty Paintball Park and Paintballers World.

Participants came back on day 2 for more intensifying action on the field which many refer to as the “mud spa” after the soaking rain a day earlier. However, this did not deter the local ballers as they battled even stronger as the competition takes its toll. D’Dreamz International took the main spotlight when they put up a lunch time performance by showing their grooves on the field with kids gymnastics dance to hip hop pop dancing. Lester Wing a member of the Red Sevens who participated in the tournament but was shown the early exit received the loudest cheer as he donned his paintball gear and moved gracefully on the field. “The team of paintballers consisting of Jose Cerda (Professional dance instructor), Carl Sahetapy (Professional golfer) and Lester Wing (Graphic Designer) had prepared for the dance piece for the past few weeks as part of their dance class routine. When we were approached by Carl and Jose who mooted the idea of performing a dance in front of the crowd, we knew that this will surely be the highlight of the day” exclaimed Ben Seow who is the Tournament Promoter of the SPS.

As the day draw closer to an end, it was Team ZOO who clinched the FORCE 21 Open Division SPS 2011 Leg 1 Champion title by edging out Team SKIN in a best of 3 games format. With this win, Team ZOO has successfully defended their Champion title having won last year’s SPS 2010 series. In the Novice Division, team Rampage Onslaught who was the 4^th position winner in the World Cup Asia 2010 held in Malaysia took the Champion title and similarly to Team ZOO, Rampage Onslaught defended their title too. Their final game with team Heartbreakers showed that they were a notch above most teams in the league. SJI Fluffy Rabbits which represented SHELL Petroleum and Team Generation Kill from Singapore Polytechnic took home the Corporate Division title and Tertiary Division title respectively.

As a growing paintball league in Asia, the SPS Committee recognizes the need to invite overseas participants to participate in the SPS so as to create opportunities for skill exchanges and interaction. For SPS 2011 Leg 1, the SPS allow each team to register up to 2 foreign players. This initiative was not permitted in the earlier paintball tournaments such as the Singapore Paintball Novice Series in 2008/2009 and SPS 2010 as the SPS wishes to establish a good foundation and fundamental of skill for the local players before opening the tournament to foreign teams. “The 2^nd Leg of SPS which will be held on 8 & 9 October 2011 will see the participation of International paintball teams from the regional countries. The SPS will partner the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) to further improve the local paintball scene with a taste of international flair. Participants can expect to see other collaborative projects with reputable stakeholders such as the AsiaRefs, Asia Pacific Paintball Federation (ABBPF) and Singapore Tourism Board. The planning for Leg 2 is already underway and we promise to make our next tournament the biggest paintball event ever held in Singapore!” added Jane Koh, SPS Tournament Director and former President of the Paintball Association (Singapore).

The SPS Committee would also like to thank all participating teams, sponsors, spectators, AsiaRefs, SPS Referees and vendors for making this event a success for paintball in Singapore!

For more information about the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS), please visit www.singaporepaintballseries.com or visit the SPS Headquarters at One Commonwealth Building, 1 Commonwealth Lane, #03-03, Singapore 149544

Paintball International India Open 2011

2011-03-31T03:45:00.004+08:00

PALS Founder, Paul Lam

The Paintball International India Open 2011 was held on 26 – 27 March 2011 in the city of Bangalore, India. Organized by the National Paintball League (NPL), this is the first international paintball event held in India with 4 playing divisions: Open, Novice, Corporate and College. The NPL founder who orchestrated the event, Mr. Kiran Soans is also the leading man behind one of India’s most promising team, the NPL All-Stars. The NPL All-Stars which was officially formed in 2009 is no stranger to the Asia paintball scene. Participating in their first World Cup Asia 2009, the NPL All-Stars became the first India team to represent the country of India in their first Division 4 appearance. In 2010, the team participated in the Division 3 category and brought along with them the Bangalore All-Star, another team from India. Since their first Asia appearance, paintball in India has developed in their own unique way. The Paintball International India Open 2011 is an affiliated event under the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) which has promoting partners in countries across Asia such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, China, India and Indonesia.

Team Xtioneers All-Star

2 players from Red Sevens (Singapore) Ben Seow and Jane Koh had a chance to partner Malaysia team, Team Xtioneers All-Stars to compete in this historical tournament. The team went on to win the Champion’s title by edging out the NPL All-Star in an exciting 9 game series with a scoreline of 6 – 3 and was crowned the “Maharaja of paintball” in this inaugural paintball event. More importantly, with the presence of Team Xtioneers in this event, created an opportunity for everyone to mingle and to learn from one another about the sport of paintball. Camaraderie was fostered and friendship was established during the event. PALS founder, Mr. Paul Lam was there to give his support for the event as he quoted during the opening speech: “With the constant development and support given by the India paintball community to the NPL, India will one day become an Asia powerhouse”.

The man who made paintball possible in India, Kiran Soans

Ben Seow who is a founding member of the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS), an affiliated league of PALS found similarities between the Singapore paintball scene with that of India. “For any paintball event to grow and to develop in any country, there must be a strong supporting base of players from the community. The most difficult part about developing paintball in any country is not the organization of events but the development of the complete player” exclaimed Ben. A “complete player” in this case refers to the changing of a player’s mindset from playing recreationally to participation of events competitively. During the course of change, there must be opportunities for skill development and feedback for improvement. Today, with more than 35 registered teams in the SPS, India can emulate Singapore’s progress where there was only 1 competitive paintball team in 2007. However, as firearm laws differ in both countries, it will be no time when India does the catch up to Singapore. The future for paintball is bright in India!

SPS Committee with Kiran Soans in India!

Rumours and Gossip! #3

2011-03-31T02:20:00.002+08:00

1) SPS Leg 1 Open Division participants will be in for a big surprise with SPS securing a title sponsor.

2) The SPS committee is currently considering to allow "side line coaching" for the Open Division. This change will allow the participation of spectators and public members to be involved in the game of paintball.

3) As part of the developmental grow for paintball, SPS is currently working with a group of students from Nanyang Polytechnic to start a paintball interest group!

4) It is confirmed that PALS China will be held in the month of September 2010.

5) Dye Precision Asia might be in town for SPS!

6) There will be a big (and we mean seriously big) scenario paintball event in May.

Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Release

2011-03-16T10:58:00.004+08:00

Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Statement Release

Dear paintball comrades,

The initiative of creating a vibrant and robust paintball scene for the Singapore paintball community started when the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) was first established in March 2008. A humble 3-on-3 paintball event participated by 7 teams using Tippmann A5 set the history for Singapore paintball. Together with the support of Red Dynasty Paintball Park, there were 3 legs of SPNS competition in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Working with the local authorities, the SPNS took a bold step to organize its first 5 men paintball tournament in the heartlands of Pasir Ris and West Coast in 2009, making SPNS the first paintball tournament to be organized out of a licenced premise. By 2010, the SPNS committee decided to forgo the “Novice” word in the original SPNS and revamped the series with a new branding the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS).

Together with 29 participating paintball teams spreading across 4 playing divisions and more than 25 industry sponsors, the newly revamped SPS 2011 took the local paintball scene to a whole new level. Supported by the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) and Asia Refs, SPS 2010 showcased an Open Division category where participants engaged in the sport using electronic markers similar to international paintball competitions.

This year, the SPS continues to make big steps in the promotion of paintball in Singapore. Moving against the price inflation that is ongoing in Singapore and a worldwide price increase in the production of paintballs, the SPS has made a firm decision to further reduce the prices for paintballs in 2011. Working towards the economy of scale and the local support through participation, the SPS continues to contribute to our industry in hoping that one day; the sport of paintball can become mainstream.

SPS has also secured our event location early for this year and has identified Jurong Central Park (Leg 1) and East Coast Park (Leg 2) as the ideal location for SPS 2011. Jurong Central Park as one of Singapore’s newest park accompanied with the conveniences of retail shopping and public transport is an ideal location for the SPS. This is also the first time that the competition is organized in the most Western part of Singapore. East Coast Park which is Singapore’s most popular national park stands amongst the rest as one of the best locations for any sporting events to date.

Newly introduced to SPS 2011 is the Most Improved Team Award which recognizes the most improved team in both the Open and Novice Division. Teams will be identified as the "Most Improved" as we compared their team's performance with their previous event result. In addition, the SPS will be rewarding all 4th placing teams across all divisions with a token of appreciation for their persistent fight through the Semi Finals and the 3rd/4th placing game.

As the SPS continues to improve on its organization and infrastructure, we recognized the need to raise the playing standards of the SPS as more local teams represent Singapore to compete in overseas paintball tournaments. Since establishment, the SPS has always been a “close door” paintball event where only participants who are working or residing in Singapore are allowed to participate in the SPS. This formula has always remain crucial and significant in our formation years as we built the foundation for our series with levelled playing standards amongst all participants. Moving into SPS 2011 Leg 1, the SPS would like to take another step to allow each team to register up to 2 foreign players in their lineup. We believe that with this small change, the SPS will raise our competition bar as we work towards a full fledge international tournament in years to come and to foster a good relationship with players from other countries.

On behalf of the SPS committee, I wish you all the best in the participation of the SPS and may the camaraderie of paintball continue to nurture on and off the playing field. The SPS can only be as successful as the support that is given by our local paintball community.

Thank you.

Ben Seow

Founder of the Singapore Paintball Series
Co-Tournament Director

Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Leg 1 will be held on 16 & 17 April 2011 at Jurong Central Park. For more information, please visit www.singaporepaintballseries.com

Rumours and Gossip! #2

2011-03-14T19:25:00.002+08:00

1) We have seen Protos in Singapore but we have heard of lesser of other brands... We might see the unveiling of 2 brand new markers in the upcoming Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Leg 1! Smell them coming to Singapore...

2) A prolific team from Singapore is looking actively for a snake player to join their ranks... any idea which team this is? Sources told me that big promises and sponsorship available for grabs! Screening is a MUST I was told.

3) Its confirmed, SPS Head Referee, Mr. Azhar will join the other referees in AsiaRefs to represent the refereeing body in PALS India! Mr. Azhar took on an important role in the SPS with hopes of naturing paintball refereeing. We wish him all the best!

4) With the next MPOC Leg 3 in Kedah, some are asking if there is a kind soul good enough to organize bus trip for Singapore based teams similar to 2010! In my opinion, 10 hours of bus ride is no joke! Take flight, its $120 now on Air Asia and save you blisters on the ass! Book your tickets now!

5) 14 April 2010 is an important for Contract Killers (Singapore)... want to know why? Ask them... it is the birth of a new era for Singapore based teams!

Rumours and Gossip!

2011-03-09T01:27:00.002+08:00

Wikipedia says and I quote "gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of other. It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing of facts and views but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted."

From this week onwards, every week until the end of the year, I will bring you the best of paintball rumours in Singapore and Malaysia so that this keeps the paintball industry going with hopes that one day, good rumours will turn into reality and bad rumours diminish as we speak... Also if you have a piece of worthy news for everyone, just let me know and I will be glad to share it with everyone! Some of my reliable sources come from as far as a 5 hours flight from Singapore and a 4 hours drive up the Northern territory. Of course, when it comes to local gossip, my local pool of journalists will bring you the most juicy news that paintball has to offer and here it goes:

1) After the successful SPS 2010, the organizers are trying very very hard to source for a good location to play paintball in Singapore. Resources are telling me that they are looking for a plot of land in the West where it is near to MRT! More details next week!

2) Having already changed the date for China Cup to 29 April - 1 May, we understand that there might be another change... We are suspecting PALS China to take place in Sept until further notice. More information about China Cup in www.chinapaintballcup.com

3) PBAS Interim Committee has issued a statement (can be found in www.weplaypaintball.com/forum) informing about the change of the old PBAS constitution and their meeting with the Singapore Sports Council. We hope that with the meetings and changes, we can soon realized our dreams of marker possession and to be able to compete in higher platforms.

4) ReaPers a group of students from RP have submitted a proposal to their Office Of Student Development to "Legalize" paintball in school. We will soon see the formation of another paintball school team in Singapore! The SPS is backing them whatever ways necessary.

5) One prominent Singapore based player is bound to return back to his hometown next half of the year. We will soon miss this person who has contributed a lot to the Singapore paintball community.

Well, that's all for the week. More juicy news next week!

MPOC Leg 2 Post Event Report

2011-03-08T19:47:00.007+08:00

Singapore sent its largest paintball contingent to the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC) 2011 Leg 2 held in Malacca, Malaysia from 5 - 6 March 2011. A total of 10 paintball teams from Singapore participated in this event amongst other 53 teams from Malaysia and Thailand with participants from as far as Australia, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand and Iran. Located in the city of Malacca, the Dataran Pahlawan is one of the best location in Malaysia to play paintball. A lot of credits go to the state government for allowing the sport of paintball to create awareness in the city of Malacca. Singapore teams participated in 3 divisions of the tournament with majority of the teams participating in the Division 4 category. Seasoned teams such as the Red Sevens and ZOO participated in the Division 2 category which is played in a Race-to-2 format where the first team to reach 2 point wins the game set. With supporting players from ShootIn Rage (SIR) a Johor based team, ZOO debuted their first Division 2 competition with impressive wins against many "old timer" teams such as Trinity from Trengganu, Urban X from Kuala Lumpur and local paintball team Red Sevens and finished the qualifying round as the 2nd placed team. ZOO ended their route in the Quarter Finals losing to eventual 4th position team, Urban X. Red Sevens which qualified as the 4th position in the qualifying round beat the Simpsons to enter the Semi Finals then losing out to eventual winner, Republic CMX to settle for the 3rd position.

In Division 3, Red Sevens II another team from the Red Sevens family produced a formidable run into the 2nd round as the 3rd placing teams against other 21 teams. In addition to the team was Ilya Shamal from Contract Killers (another local based team) who was invited to guest for Red Sevens II in bid to win the Champion title where the team was placed 2nd position during MPOC Leg 1. Red Sevens II qualified for the Quarter Finals but was knocked out of the tournament by FTM Skeletoonz and Labuan Fighters. ZOO Militia which was formed by a group of ex-guest players from ZOO gathered together and gave their opponents a very tough fight. They were overall ranked position 10th in MPOC Leg 2.

6 Singapore teams represented the Lion City in Division 4 and all holding their heads up high throughout the entire tournament. The Outlaws, one of Singapore's most prolific team demonstrated their aggressiveness and teamwork on the field and became the highest overall ranked Division 4 team from Singapore by qualifying for the top 8 round. Ragdolls which are missing several pioneer faces and Raving Lunatics which has a total transformation to the previous lineup followed closely behind with an equally impressive high standing in the top 16 round. MPOC debutant Dare Devils with only 5 players had a fine run in the tournament until fatigue set in. Newly formed team iScreamWar which achieved a 2nd position in the recent Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge 2011 made their debut in the tournament as they continue their quest in the tournament scene. Black Ops which was formerly known as Team Karma registered their first taste of the MPOC and we strongly believe that we will see more of them.

All Singapore teams went away with something to be proud of and we will be sure to see more of Singapore teams in the next leg of the MPOC which will be held in the Northern state of Malaysia, Kedah.

*If you like what you saw and what you have experienced in Malaysia, all these do not happen overnight as the speedball scene in Malaysia started in 2004. With a strong local community supporting the local scene and a strong backing from the governing authorities, paintball in Malaysia can only prosper. Can we do the same for Singapore?

The one and only team...

2011-02-22T19:24:00.011+08:00

Infernal (Thailand)

Team KU (Japan)

Team Datis (Iran)

Global Gutz (Philippines)

Well... some might say that this is all bullshit and some might disagree with what I am about to write but heck you, you, you and you. You may disagree with my writing and give me that weird look at the field but still I am going to write it whether you like it or not. Not happy with what I have written then go look at yourself in the mirror, that might cause you to commit suicide.

Recently, this thought came to my mind. If you are ask to write down a list of teams and you can only list one team from every country, which team will you choose as the Singapore team? I am pretty certain for Russia we will list the Russian Legion, for the French, it will be the Tons Tons, the English will write the London Nexus, Joy Division will be for the Swedish, Hungary and you will be Budapest Bullets, Germans will have Frankfurt Syndicate, Copenhagen Ducks for the Danish... these are all very well known teams. With the return of Oliver Lang in San Diego Dynasty... we will soon be able to identify a US team. Edmonton Impact has taken the lead for Canada... In Asia, which is where Singapore is... and talking about paintball teams in Asia, we do have a list of pretty significant teams too, for example in Japan, we have Team KU, Iranians will take pride in the accolades of Datis, Infernal will take the number 1 spot for the Thais and in the country of thousand island, Global Gutz is taking the lead amongst the rest. Team Shocker was at its best for Taiwan until it was disbanded. Closer to home... it is tougher for us to identify "the team" for Malaysia, while I would like to put my money on Nemesis Legion for winning most of the tournaments that they have participated in, there are a few other teams which we cannot miss and they are Demonz Red, Raskals, XFox, Macdev Ronin, Delta-Rovers... I would love to see all these teams playing in a common league and fight out for the Champion's title. In Singapore, I am hoping for Red Sevens to be the voice for Singapore paintball since it is the most well travelled team in Singapore and the only team in Singapore to ever win a Champion medal in a PALS event! But surely, it is up for everyone to debate and sized up the team. In 2010, Red Sevens became the first paintball team in Singapore to play in all legs of a PALS series and winning most podium medals in as many paintball tournaments. While some like to brand the team as sandbaggers... it is with no doubt that this sandbagging team has carried the name of Singapore paintball to the rest of the other Asia countries including Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand. The future of Singapore paintball is not in the hands of this team as the team continue to age and with time running out for most of these old and fatigue chaps and lady, it is time for the rest to take over this baton. The new horizon awaits for the next Singapore team to shine and carry the torch as the one and only team in the Singapore chapter.

Disclaimer: The writer of this blog is a highly sophisticated idiot who spouts nonsensical jumble of words about Asia paintball. Photos in this blog are shamelessly ripped from the internet and belongs to the rightful owner. Red Sevens is a 5 year old Division 2 team which is bound for Division 1 promotion in 2012 based on the number of playing years.

Singapore Sports Council if you are reading, please help Singapore paintball to be as good as our regional boys and girls!

Team Raskals (Malaysia)

Team X-Fox (Malaysia)

Macdev Ronin (Malaysia)

Nemesis Legion (Malaysia)

Demonz Red (Malaysia)

Red Sevens (Singapore)

Photos from www.residentevilchef.com

Singapore paintball teams make history in MPOC 2011

2011-02-21T18:03:00.005+08:00

Singapore teams look forward to making another milestone for paintball in Singapore. In March, there will be a total of 11 Singapore paintball teams heading to Malacca for the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC) 2011 Leg 2, making this one of the biggest showing for Singapore contingent in an overseas tournament. Held in Dataran Palahwan, Malacca, the MPOC will be played in one of the best playing fields in Malaysia. Located above a mega mall comprising of more 100 retail stores, paintballers can sipped coffee while waiting for their games to start. Among other shopping areas near to the field is the famous Mahkota Parade and Malacca's distinctive Jonker's Walk where the night market is robust as the night comes alive!

In collaboration with the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) since 2009, the MPOC has come a long way in the support of Singapore paintball teams and has finally seen these investments flourish into good returns. The MPOC has supported winning teams of the SPS with free berth to the World Cup Asia 2009 and 2010. All Singapore teams which registered with MPOC also receive 50% discounts for their participation in 2010. With a possible good turnout in MPOC Leg 2, the MPOC has set a name for themselves as the most popular overseas paintball league for Singapore teams! With good infrastructure and a taste of international competition for teams arriving from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, the MPOC continues to outshine the rest.

The Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) will continue to work with the MPOC to improve our local league and continue to provide a competitive platform for all our local paintballers! The following teams will be representing Singapore for the upcoming MPOC Leg 2:

Division 2: Red Sevens, ZOO

Division 3: Red Sevens II, ZOO Militia, Karma

Division 4: The Outlaws, Dare Devils, Rag Dolls, Raving Lunatics, Black Ops, iScreamWar

Inter Tertiary Paintball Championship (ITPC) 2011

2011-02-07T15:47:00.004+08:00

Inter Tertiary Paintball Championship (ITPC) 2011 is a tertiary paintball tournament organized by the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) with objectives of promoting the sport at school level and to create paintball awareness amongst students in Singapore. It is important for the sport to gain recognition in schools as there are misconceptions about the sport being dangerous. With the introduction of the ITPC 2011, the organizers are ready to dispel these beliefs and at the same time providing a healthy competitive platform for students to compete. In 2011, there will be 2 legs of ITPC (ITPC Leg 1 -20 Feb 2011 and ITPC Leg 2 - 26 Jun 2011) where the overall champion team will be crowned as the ITPC Champion for 2011. The ITPC series will be an inaugural paintball tournament which caters to full time students.

"We are committed to the establishment of a complete structure for the tertiary sector as this is where all the future paintballers are. Our aim is to introduce the sport to them while they are still in school with hopes of them forming the future for this sport in Singapore" said Ben Seow, founder of the SPS.

The SPS will form a sub committee with representatives from the tertiary sector to path the development of paintball as a sport in schools. In the first year of establishment, the ITPC will be conducted as a 5 vs 5 hopperball format.

Interested parties can email to info@singaporepaintballseries.com

*History into tertiary paintball in Singapore.

The idea was first mooted in 2008 with plans to establish Singapore's first tertiary paintball championship by Red Dynasty Paintball Park and Red Sevens paintball team. The plans were short lived as competitive paintball was relatively new to many Singaporeans and the organizers were unable to recruit enough teams leading to the competition.

Another fantastic news for Singapore Paintball!

2011-02-06T10:09:00.002+08:00

Previously, we hinted on a new group emerging from the local paintball scene and this week, we were fed with some pretty decent information and plans for the local scene and we would like to share it with our royal readers.

From an undisclosed source, we were informed that collaboration with a "BIG" time governing agency is on the way to path the way for competitive paintball in Singapore!

Let's wait and see how this turns out...

Resources told us that things that could change include refereeing, sports recognition, media and a very decent paintball event in 2012! We are suspecting its PALS SINGAPORE!

Nope, it is not the work of the "interim committee" since no decision can be made until a formal management committee is established after a formal election. Before the election can take place, members need to be recruited for voting rights. Seriously, we are praying for "godspeed" changes to firearms laws and regulations, publicity and marketing for local paintball with the establishment of the new PBAS and we wish them all the best! We need a revolution to inject some spice into the local scene! Do something before others do the catch up.

Disclaimer - This blog is not directed at anyone or any organization. The writer of this blog is a passionate paintballer, field operator and proshop manager who wants to see growth to the local paintball scene. As a founding member of the Paintball Association (Singapore), founder of Singapore's premiere paintball event the Singapore Paintball Series, representative of the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) Singapore, the writer is enthusiastic about developing the local paintball scene and has always been a driving force for paintball sports in Singapore since 2006!

Oh... yeah the writer also wrote all these about himself!

Results of Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge

2011-02-06T09:48:00.006+08:00

When it comes to paintball, passion rules over everything... 6 teams battled it out at the Red Dynasty Paintball Park Rookie Challenge despite a very heavy downpour and Team Outlaws emerged as the Champion team. Oh... mud included. Gunning underneath a fogging mask, diving into thick slabs of mud and shouting cross fields in the pouring rain were what 6 teams had to go through in an exciting Sunday morning. iScreamWar a newly formed team took the top spot with an all win record heading to the Semi Finals only to be beaten by ReaPers who adopted an offensive strategy against iScreamWar. iScreamWar had to settled for the 3rd position after edging out Team Hazardous in an exciting 3rd/4th match that could go either way. In the Finals, it was left with Team Outlaws and ReaPers to challenge for the Champion medal. With a group of experience coaching staff in the Outlaws team, the ReaPers was caught up with a shaky start but managed to gain a foothold into the game only to lose out with defensive lanes put up by Outlaws. "Dropping like flies" as paintballers like to call it, ReaPers was out-gunned by the smoking guns.

Meeting to the objectives of bridging Singapore teams and providing a competition platform for new local teams, The Rookie Challenge not only allow the teams to interact with one another off the field but also created a challenge for teams to improve and better themselves on the field. Another success story to the Singapore local scene as we head towards the Singapore Paintball Series which will be held in April! More information about the Singapore Paintball Series can be found in www.singaporepaintballseries.com.

Full results:

Champion - Team Outlaws

2nd - ReaPers

3rd - iScreamWar

4th - Team Hazardous

Other participating teams - Fluffy Rabbits, Contract Killers SG-Jr

Red Dynasty Paintball Park Rookie Challenge - 30 Jan 2011

2011-01-29T16:23:00.001+08:00

6 teams will be participating in the Rookie Paintball Challenge organized by Red Dynasty Paintball Park. This 3 year old tournament is specially catered to beginners who are new to the speedball but keen to take competitive paintball on a regular basis. "We have a responsibility towards the development and promotion of the game to as many people as possible, the Rookie Challenge is one of the many initiatives that we have for the public to understand more about competitive paintball." said Ben Seow, founder of the Red Dynasty Paintball Park. The Rookie Challenge will be held twice in 2011 with the 2nd tournament in next half of the year. "It is important for us to create a platform for beginners to bridge their understanding for the game and introduce a competitive edge to the sport." added Ben. The 6 teams which will be participating in the Rookie Challenge are:

1) ReaPers - A team made up of students from Republic Polytechnic and keen to introduce this sport to their school.

2) Contract Killers SG-Jr - The junior team of Contract Killers SG, an Open Division team in the Singapore Paintball Series. With proper guidance and support from the senior team, the Contract Killers SG - Jr will have to shine in the Rookie Challenge.

3) The Outlaws - You might have heard of The Outlaws but players participating in the Rookie Challenge are all newly recruited into the team. This makes The Outlaws a team as they ply their trade in paintball with a good pool of players.

4) Team Hazardous - New to competitive paintball, this team is formed by friends and colleagues who fell in love with the game. Surely a dark horse with little known information about the team.

5) iScreamWar - A newly formed team with some playing experience in Malaysia. Playing in the first tournament in home soil, this team might be give our boys a good run as I was told that they might be featuring a few paintball "Mulan".

At the publishing of this post, we are still trying to confirm the participation of the 6th team. Check out this blog again to find out about the results of the Rookie Challenge!

Edit - *Fluffy Rabbits registered as the 6th team in the Rookie Challenge!

and the saga continues...

2011-01-28T13:30:00.004+08:00

Really want to know more about the lastest update about Singapore paintball?

Where else other than www.weplaypaintball.com/forum and www.singaporepaintball.blogspot can you read about the latest news about Singapore paintball?

Why is this so some might ask? This is because, we are the people driving the sport of paintball in Singapore since 2006.

Before anyone starts mumbling about my statement, I say it again, the keyword here is "in Singapore". Not anywhere else but in Singapore, for Singapore. We do not market ourselves as the site to provide the latest update this is because, we really are. News about Singapore paintball teams or individual participating in overseas tournament are always updated for all to read and to be debated upon.

On another issue, there have been talks from a local group about shaping a developmental path for Singapore paintball with a new interim committee. There were talks about statistics and volunteers coming together to contribute towards the development and promotion for Singapore paintball but again nothing much was heard.

In the latest development and "update" for Singapore paintball, we knew of another "temporary group" coming together to indicate their passion for paintball development in Singapore but the question remains who are these people? While there has been a call for transparency... nothing much has been told to us and little information about this "temporary group" is available. Another new era and deja vu for Singapore paintball again? With new promises, new faces, new plans perhaps it is time we look at what's on the table for this new group.

Maybe it is a case of taking too long to put things in action and time to make way for others. Deja Vu once again... paintball is so interesting!

Singapore Paintball Pro Shop/ Store/ Distribution Center

2011-01-23T17:04:00.006+08:00

Established since 2009, Paintballers World is Singapore's only and biggest paintball proshop. Once located in Beach Road, Paintballers World is now located in a bigger and more convenient premise in One Commonwealth Building, 1 Commonwealth Lane, #03-03, Singapore 149544. With the widest range of paintball products, Paintballers World caters to both the local community and the regional countries. With the widest distribution network and tons of paintball gears and apparels, you can get all that you need to kick start your game of paintball. Our sale staff are proficient in our product knowledge and will advice you in all your needs. Visit our website to find out more about Paintballers World, www.paintballersworld.com

Paintballers World is open Monday to Saturday from 10.00 am - 7.00 pm. Closed on Sunday and Public Holidays.

Directions:

Alight at Commonwealth MRT Station and walk for 5 mins to One Commonwealth Building.

*Paintballers World is also the Official Headquarters of the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) and PALS Singapore. Visit their website, www.paintballersworld.com

Come on you gunners!

2011-01-23T13:56:00.003+08:00

Like radio DJ Glenn Ong always say: "Come on you gunners!" (in show of support to his favourite soccer team). The same phrase can be used to describe Singapore paintballers. Sick and tired of the common excuses such as no time, family day, no leave, work, no money... it is time Singapore paintball teams step up to the next level. Supposedly a record showing of 6 Singapore teams participating in MPOC Leg 1 turns out to feature only 3 local teams. 3 other teams which indicated interest to attend MPOC Leg 1 fail to make the trip. Where are the Singapore teams???

It is funny because we do have teams in Singapore... the last Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) which was held in October 2010 had the participation of 29 local teams. Let's be fair and minus away the teams from corporate and tertiary divisions and we have 19 teams remaining... so where are you guys???

The most difficult part about forming a paintball team is not getting together and thinking of a team name but instead staying together. I cannot emphasize enough about getting the team to stay together and participating in every paintball tournament out there... Commit the team to play in a regular tournament series and go out there and compete. Choose this carefully as this determine the team's budget and commitment to train before competition. Play in competitions and get the most experience out of competing, experiences that you can never get from a regular training session.

Forming a team is as close to training a regular guy into a fighter pilot. It will be a waste not to clock flying hours after going through hours and hours of flight simulation. Likewise, for a team to train and not compete at all can be the worst that can come off this competitive sport. With the formation of a new interim committee for the Paintball Association (Singapore) PBAS, we are hoping that things will change for the better as they look into developing the local community for the local scene. We can only wait... and time is of the essence. Come on you gunners!

Teams participating in MPOC Leg 2 can email to info@weplaypaintball.com and we will list your team name in the paintball forum.

Red Sevens makes an impact in MPOC 2011!

2011-01-23T08:57:00.005+08:00

Photo from www.residentevilchef.com

Participating in their 4th season of the Malaysian Paintball Official Circuit, Red Sevens got off to an impressive start with 2 podium finishes in Division 2 and Division 3 respectively. Held in Universiti Putrjaya Malaya (UPM), a total of 80 teams participated in the oldest paintball league in Malaysia making it the highest attended MPOC since it was established in 2004. 3 air-bunker fields were set up for the first time adding a professional look to the event. 3 teams from Singapore participated in the MPOC: Red Sevens (Division 2), Red Sevens II (Division 3) and The Outlaws (Division 4). Playing in their first MPOC event, Red Sevens II made it to the Finals of Division 3 against Grammaton Clerics and won their first medal for the Red Sevens family. The Division 2 team claimed another podium finish as 2nd Runners Up in the Division 2. With a new lineup for 2011, the team is hoping to duplicate wins for the rest of 2011. The Outlaws also made an impressive start to Division 4 and played well to qualify for the top 16 position. With their recent paintball bouts at Red Dynasty Paintball Park, we will surely see this team at the top of the league before the end of the season.

MPOC Leg 2 is rumoured to be held in Dataran Pahlawan, Malacca on 5 March 2011. This venue is considered by many to be one of the best location to play paintball in Malaysia so Singapore teams looking out to dust dirt off your shoulders... it is now or never!

So... what's next for Singapore paintball?

2010-12-01T17:23:00.012+08:00

I am writing this article especially for all Singaporean participants of this year's WCA. But even if you are not there to play or to witness the event, I hope this article leaves an impression upon you to think about how you can contribute to the state of Singapore paintball. If you like the experience of attending the WCA, if you enjoy the tradeshow put up by the vendors, if you are mesmerized by the massive scale of the event, think about how and what you can do to improve the state of Singapore paintball.

It is funny because every time when I meet up with overseas friends in paintball events, they will 100%, definitely and surely ask me: "How's Singapore paintball?" And as usual, I will reply that the paintball scene is getter better with more players participating in speedball and playing in local and overseas tournaments. Then come the next question and it is always 100%, definitely, surely be: "Still unable to play with your own personal marker?"... then came the de-facto reply: "Nah... not possible for now..." Similar to a voice recording...

So is it really impossible? Not really... all we need is getting the right people to do the right things. Then some might ask...who are these people? Well, I say its all of us... I am very sure that if you are into paintball, you will most probably talk about this sport with your friends, families, relatives, neighbours, basically everyone that you meet at work, school and your neighbourhood. But what Singapore paintball really need is more than just talking about paintball... we have long gone and passed that phase of creating awareness. Those who have gone to the WCA... ask yourself honestly how far are we away from organizing a paintball tournament as similar to the WCA? Or let's lower the expectations, maybe a paintball event with 4 playing divisions? At this present state... I think we are far beyond to even close. And why is that so?

We may ask ourselves? Is it the lack of playing fields? Is it the lack of resources? Is it the lack of recognition? Is it the lack of players? Is it the lack of support from governing agencies? Is it the lack of awareness? Is it the lack of funding? Is it the lack of a proper organization to push for paintball?

In 2007, I would 100%, definitely and surely say it is the lack of players... in 2007, I would 100%, definitely and surely say it is the lack of resources... in 2007, I would 100%, definitely and surely say it is the lack of awareness... but now that we are in 2010... I presume that we have done all that we can to create paintball awareness in Singapore. Yes... I am pretty sure that there are people out there who still doesn't know what paintball is all about but I dare say that there are also more people who do know about paintball as compared to 2007. I am not blaming those who don't.... because I am also 100% sure that there are people out there who doesn't know the name of our Deputy Prime Minister... if you know what I mean...

Is there a lack of playing fields in Singapore? No, not for paintball in general... so is there a lack of speedball fields in Singapore? Yes, no, perhaps, maybe... someone told me that it is profitable to organize speedball tournaments. Well... I don't know if this is the case in other countries but in Singapore, I am very very sure this is not the case. Everyone in Singapore knows that speedball is not where the money is and why is that so? The reason is simple and logical.. speedballers want the best of everything... cheap paintballs, good playing resources, good playing fields and good refereeing. There is a reason why there are more recreational paintball fields than just fields surviving on plain speedball in the world. You don't need to be smart to know this... any budding paintball entrepreneur will know this simple fact. Training a paintball player who is really to embark on his competitive journey is similar to training a fighter pilot ready to take on the horizon. It takes time... Again... not that it is impossible, it is possible, it just need time involving the right ingredients.

Quick measures for quick solutions? Marker ownership?

If you are new to paintball and you are reading this article... let me inform you that in Singapore it is illegal to individually possess a paintball marker, this means that you will not be allow to buy a paintball marker in Singapore as no one in Singapore is selling it and you will not be able to buy a marker off the internet not unless you are ready to receive a call up from the governing agencies to explain your need for a paintball marker (gun). So quit thinking about the day where you can bring your marker home and sleeping with it next to you. Well... at least I think it is impossible in the next few years unless we do see a drastic change to the current state.

Imagine this... we are now standing at the cross roads for Singapore paintball... let me put this into perspective: our local community has come to a point where there are pioneering players (those who started playing the game since 2007), mid tier players (those who started playing the game since 2008/2009 and have gone through a few local events and a few overseas events) and beginner players. While I am not worried about the development and introduction of beginner players, I am actually pretty worried about our pioneer and mid tier players as they will now have a decision to make: 1) To continue playing in the novice division (Division 4) or 2) To move on playing in Division 3. Many will choose the latter option which is a sensible and wise choice, quit the "sandbagger" tag and move on to playing with opponents who are as good as them. But hang on... how can they proceed to play in higher division if they are not allow to possess better equipment ideal for the change? Many buy paintball markers in Malaysia and keep them there... playing with their markers during weekends and using them during ocassional tournaments. Quick measures indeed...

And of course this is the best option if they want to kick start playing the game as fast as possible. It is a logical choice to get one started in the game in the shortest possible time. Incidentally, I am one of these players who possess paintball markers in Malaysia and play with them whenever I like. I enjoy participating in the Malaysia paintball scene and paying for cheaper paintballs too. At the same time, I also put in my fair share of complaining and whinning about the laws in Singapore where individual paintball marker possession in Singapore is almost close to being impossible.

A quick measure perhaps? Surely it is the fastest way to start playing some "real" paintball. You make the decision and start your venture shooting away... there is no right or wrong in doing so and to each his own actually. But how "real" can this be? Yes, we have our own arsenal in Malaysia but how is it going to help develop our own local scene? Don't get me wrong, I am not telling you not to buy a paintball marker or to play in Malaysia... anyone who knows me will know that I enjoy talking to people about playing in Malaysia, many of my friends, clients, relatives, colleagues play in Malaysia, many of my friends are field owners and proshop owners in Malaysia, so don't get me wrong please. My question is and the same goes for everyone who wants to see paintball take off in Singapore and a question that we should all ponder about: Can we do something for Singapore paintball? We know what we want...

We will soon have a pool of players wanting to play in the higher divisions.... we will soon have players wanting to possess their own training equipment.... we will soon have more players joining the local paintball community. How can we cater to this growth? Gone are the days when we have to travel 360km to Kuala Lumpur to play paintball every weekend. We can do that as close to us in Johor Bahru but we also know that not everyone is coming to terms with the traffic jams and the travel duration... do we have an option to enjoy the "real" game of speedball in Singapore? using the right equipment perhaps... and not violating any laws with the government? Perhaps... let's work on the local scene as we grow the sport in Singapore.

What we really need is a system crafted by a group of people who wants to see paintball improve... something like the BTO... something to convince people up there that we know what we are doing and that we are doing the right thing for Singapore paintball. Statistics is a must for sure... We need people to be playing and competing to come up with good figures... when there is no higher divisional games in Singapore means no statistics... no statistics means no proof, no "Black and White", no evidence... we need that statistics. We need actions... not just talk. We need results... not just participation.

20 teams from Singapore playing in WCA 2011 will be my personal goal. Are you in or are you out?

Tip for you to continue playing and improving paintball in Singapore:

- Recruit more players into your team

- Promote and market paintball whenever possible. Majority just play... but it is so important to influence the guy standing next to you

- Be financially stable. Playing paintball is not cheap but I wouldn't say that it is unaffordable

You don't need a deep pocket to play competitive paintball

- Participate in local and overseas tournaments

- Join the PBAS to contribute to changes for paintball in Singapore

- Spread the love

- Most importantly, support your local fields and proshop

All stated above are personal views and in no way related to any teams, businesses and organizations.

Rampage Onslaught takes podium finish in World Cup Asia 2010

2010-12-01T17:07:00.006+08:00

Rampage Onslaught during Singapore Paintball Series 2010

After winning the Novice Division of the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2010, Singapore based team, Rampage Onslaught proceed to participate in their first outing in the Division 4 World Cup Asia (WCA) 2010 and took their game to a podium finish with a 4th placing position. Last year, Team Contract Killers became the first Singapore team to win a medal in the WCA and this year, Rampage Onslaught took a similar position to do Singapore proud again. The standard of paintball in this year's WCA 2010 has certainly better than that of 2009 with many teams getting better in paintball which is a good thing for paintball in Asia! Will Singapore continue a consecutive podium finish in 2011? Welcome 2011... Congratulations Rampage Onslaught!

11 Singapore paintball teams in World Cup Asia 2010!

2010-11-24T00:15:00.004+08:00

11 Singapore based teams will be representing Singapore in the World Cup Asia (WCA) 2010 held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is by far the biggest turnout for Singapore teams in the WCA, a sign that competitive paintball is progressing since it was first introduced in 2007. With more than 100 participating teams from 20 nations, the WCA is Asia's biggest event in the paintball calendar. We wish all Singapore teams their best and may they do their best to put Singapore on the international stage! The participating Singapore teams are:

Red Sevens (Division 2) - Singapore's pioneer paintball team was formed in 2006 and has represented the local community in several international tournaments such as the World Games Exhibition in Taiwan in 2009. Red Sevens is Singapore's most traveled and most active paintball team which competes in countries such as Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan and Malaysia. www.redsevenspaintball.com

Zoo (Division 3) - Zoo was formed in the mid 2008 with players from ex-teamdamnation and ex-PSGwarfreakz. The team competes mainly in the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit and has won several podium finishes in the tournament. In the recent Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2010, Zoo became the first team in Singapore to win the SPS Open Division. www.zoopaintball.com

Contract Killers SG (Division 3) - Contract Killers SG competed in the first local tournament, Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) in October 2008. Since their first competitive experience, the team has competed in all legs of the local tournament. They got their first taste of international paintball experience when they competed in Division 4 of the WCA 2009 and won the 2nd place. Early 2010, Contract Killers SG competed in their first Division 3 tournament in the Pattaya International Paintball Competition held in Thailand. Facebook type "Contract Killers-SG Paintball Team"

Naughty 6ix (Divison 3) - Assembled before WCA 2010, Naughty 6ix is formed by several seasoned players from the local paintball community. With a mixture of playing experiences in speedball and scenario paintball, this team will be part of Singapore entourage teams.

Red Sevens II (Division 3) - Assembled before WCA 2010, Red Sevens II is part of the Red Sevens family. Playing for their first time as a Division 3 team, Red Sevens II will form an integral part of the Red Sevens in 2011 when the team participates in several international tournament.

Rampage Onslaught (Division 4) - Formed in 2010, Rampage Onslaught participated in Sultan Kedah Cup 2010 in their first competitive tournament. Formed by a group of friends, the team went on to clinch the SPS 2010 Novice Division as Champion. Competing in their first WCA, this team will be showing a class display of Singapore paintball. Facebook type "Rampage Onslaught"

Seekers Inc (Division 4) -Plying their trade in the Malaysia National Paintball League, Seekers Inc was formed through the combination of Seek and Destroy and Seek and Strike in May 2009 when both teams participated in the Singapore Paintball Novice League. Finishing 7th position in their first outing, Seekers continue to grow from strength as they embarked on their second appearance in the WCA. Facebook type "Seekers Brudders"

Ballistics (Division 4) - Ballistics was formed in 2010 and participated in their first paintball tournament, Noob Wars 2010 and finished in 2nd placing. The team went on to pursue the game of speedball by participating in the SPS 2010 Open Division and finished the tournament with a respectable 4th position. WCA 2010 will be Ballistics first overseas tournament. Facebook type "Ballistics Singapore"

Ragdolls (Division 4) - Formerly known as Black Aces 2, Ragdolls participated in their first local tournament, The Rookie Challenge organized by Red Dynasty Paintball Park. With a change of team name and a full revamp of the team's lineup, Ragdolls participated in their first paintball league MPOC 2010 this year. Facebook type "RagDolls"

The Outlaws (Division 4) - The "Smoking Guns" as many like to call them. The Outlaws was formed in 2010 and participated in their first paintball tournament during the Noob Wars. Since then, the team has seen a significant grow in players recruitment. The first paintball team in Singapore to field 2 teams in 2 Divisions of the SPS, The Outlaws are certainly no pushovers and ready to make an impact to the local game. www.theoutlawspaintball.com

Natural Born Killers (Division 4) - No information. Seriously... I don't know anything about this team.

Bingo! The state of Singapore paintball...

2010-11-08T00:22:00.002+08:00

Here's our report card for 2010, (http://singaporepaintball.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010.html) Wrote some objectives for Singapore paintball in January 2010... and I am glad that we achieved almost all even before the year ends. So here's the summary:

1) 2 playing divisions in all Singapore paintball tournaments. Novice (Div 4) and Open division. DONE!

2) Average of 20 participating teams in all Singapore paintball tournaments. DONE!

3) A Inter-school paintball tournament consisting of at least 6 institutions. NOT REALLY but there were 4 participating institutions in the recent SPS! Let's achieve this for 2011 then...

4) At least 10 Singapore based teams playing in World Cup Asia 2010. DONE! 11 registered teams so far and Red Dynasty Paintball Park plays a big part in providing a platform for development and growth...

5) More collaboration with industry stakeholders. DONE! More than 25 partners in recent SPS!

So there you go... we have made it! We believe in the phrase action speaks louder than words... So what's next for 2011? You decide...

Red Sevens Singapore in 3rd Asia Paintball Invitational Touranment, Kao Hsiung, Taiwan

2010-11-07T23:58:00.009+08:00

Red Sevens from Singapore participated in the 3rd Asia Paintball Invitational (APIT) 2010 on 30th October held in Kao Hsiung, Taiwan. Red Sevens was joined by 3 of their Taiwanese players, Fon Jen, Hiro and Arthur Chang playing on home soil. Playing in the Division 1 category with teams from Japan (Team KU), Malaysia (Delta Rovers), USA (Dye Asia) and several prolific Taiwan teams such as Storm, STD-DP and ST, Red Sevens was placed in the 7th position. Accompanying the team is Damian Li from Red Dynasty Paintball Park who is also a AsiaRef referee. Damian became the first Singaporean to officiate in the APIT under the guidance of AsiaRef Manager, Mr. Junaidi Kalil.

Singapore Paintball Series 2010 - Post event report

2010-11-07T22:41:00.009+08:00

On 16th/17th October 2010, 29 local teams participated in the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2010 (www.singaporepaintballseries.com) held at East Coast Park. Singapore's #1 Paintball Tournament, Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2010 concluded in East Coast Park with a resounding success with more than 500 participants and spectators. With 29 local participating teams from 4 different divisions, the SPS saw the highest participation rate since it was first established on 30 March 2008 as a 3 vs 3 paintball tournament which was formerly known as the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS).

Recognized by the Asia Pacific Paintball Federation (APPBF) and Paintball Asia League Series (PALS), the SPS is Singapore's top notch tournament organizer which provides a competitive platform for the Singapore paintball community in accordance to international paintball rules and regulations. With aims of creating awareness for the game of paintball, the SPS conducts regular basic paintball courses, workshops and outreach program to introduce paintball to the masses so as to promote competitive paintball in Singapore and in the Asia region.

"SPS 2010 is the first paintball tournament in Singapore to showcase 2 opposing teams competing in electronic paintball markers (guns). We are taking a big step towards the investment of the league so as to promote and develop the local paintball scene", mentioned Jane Koh who is the Tournament Director of the SPS and a member of PALS (Singapore).

The planning of SPS 2010 started as early as April 2010 with a restructure of the organizing committee where several prominent industry individuals are invited into the planning team to organize Singapore's biggest paintball carnival. To ensure that the refereeing standards were up to par with international refereeing standards, Mr. Junaidi Kalil, Manager of the AsiaRef were invited to Singapore to conduct a 2 day refereeing course for budding local referees who are interested to learn more about competitive paintball refereeing. The SPS Referee Level 1 Certification was attended by 9 local participants who were eventually put to the refereeing test during event day.

"The SPS Referee Level 1 Certification will be the de-facto refereeing standards for all Singapore referees. We are working closely with the Malaysia Marshals and AsiaRef body to establish our own local referees. We will also be sending our referees for international paintball events such as the PALS series and the World Cup Asia", exclaimed Mr. Muhamad Azhar who is the appointed SPS Head Referee whose real job is a Sales Manager for a IT firm.

Working with 29 sponsors and partners, Mr. Travis Liauw who is the Sponsorship Manager for the SPS said, "We associate paintball with a corporate identity as the sport focuses a lot on communication and working together as a team to achieve a common goal in the playing field. These values are very much associated with companies who would also like their employees to have." Sponsors and partners of the SPS are also treated with opportunities of advertisements and marketing throughout the event with shout outs, facebook advertisements, webpage inserts, banners, posters, etc. With corporate sectors in mind, a Corporate Division is introduced to the SPS 2010.

SPS roadshows were organized at Republic Polytechnic and Singapore Institute of Management to garner sign up for the newly included Tertiary Division. Posters of the SPS were sent to community centers and tertiary schools to create awareness for the event. Joining the SPS Tertiary Division is a group of Singapore Polytechnic students who were introduced to paintball during one of the paintball roadshows early this year. "One of the many objectives of the SPS is to create paintball awareness to the masses, it is therefore necessary for us to penetrate the tertiary sectors. As a growing and young sport in Singapore, we need a pool of youth players to form the foundation for the sport", remarked Ben Seow who is the SPS Tournament Promoter.

With the closure of the SPS in 2010, the SPS committee is looking ahead into the new year, bringing another wave of exciting paintball scene for local community in 2011. As an established and recognized paintball tournament in Singapore and the Asia region, the SPS is looking towards an international favour in 2011!

What our partners say about the SPS:

"Dye Asia is a proud supporter of the SPS and we are eager to offer our continued support as they strengthen tournament paintball throughout the Southeast Asia market." - Zyzek Barro, Dye Asia

"I was very excited to see the development and growth from the SPNS to what is now the SPS series; I'm glad that Ben and Jane has managed to include us in the event as sponsors as we love to extend a helping arm in developing the sport which we are so passionate about especially in a controlled environment like Singapore. The event went on well I would say, you even have better numbers of team participation in comparison with the local leagues that we run in Thailand. Wishing you nothing but the best in your future endeavors with SPS from now on." - Patrick Tan, Pro Paintball Malaysia

Singapore Paintball Series 2010!

2010-10-06T13:04:00.004+08:00

The Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2010 which was formerly known as the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) will be held on 16 - 17 October 2010 at East Coast Park. This is the ONLY major paintball event in Singapore for 2010 and preparations of the game started as early as 6 months ago. With promises to be the best paintball carnival ever held in Singapore, the SPS committee are trying to put together an exciting event for the paintball community for Singapore! With 30 participating teams (highest ever in Singapore paintball history) from 4 different categories (Open, Novice, Corporate and Tertiary), the organizers are catering the event from beginner players to amateur players. New to the series are the Corporate and Tertiary Division which caters to companies and schools. With more than 25 partners and co sponsors, the SPS is ready to create a "big BANG!" for the paintball scene.

With aims of promoting and developing the sport of paintball in Singapore, the SPS committee has invited several prominent paintball individuals from the Asia region to grace the SPS 2010. Mr. Paul Lam who is the founder of the World Cup Asia (WCA), Asia's largest paintball event and expo will be in Singapore to witness the SPS, with him is Mr. Patrick Tan and Mr. Tom from Pro Paintball Resources who are an avid tournament organizer in Thailand.

With strict firearms regulations in Singapore and limited playing resources such as personal equipment and paintball arenas, the SPS is a validation and ambassador event of the sport in Singapore. Since 2007, the SPS has been working closely with governing bodies to introduce awareness of the game to the masses and for SPS 2010, public members will be able to try out and "feel" the real arsenal of this adrenaline rushing game. The SPS events provide a platform for Singapore teams to compete so as to raise the playing standards of the Singapore community.

For more information about the Singapore Paintball Series 2010, please visit SPS official website, www.singaporepaintballseries.com and Facebook page, Singapore Paintball Series

Republic Polytechnic students try out paintball in Sports.Shorts.2010!

2010-09-23T20:46:00.007+08:00

"Kiko" introducing paintball to RP students.

Happy faces!

What's paintball without the hustle?

Republic Polytechnic in collaboration with Red Dynasty Paintball Park conducted the RP Sports.Short.2010 program to introduce the sport of paintball to students of RP. As a forerunner in the promotion of paintball as a sport in Singapore, Red Dynasty Paintball Park jumped on the opportunity to introduce this adrenaline rushing game to RP students in the Sports.Short.2010, a one-month long program to introduce RP students to niche sports around Singapore and we are lucky that paintball is identify as a niche but upcoming sports for student groups in Singapore. Earlier this year, Red Sevens introduce the game of speedball to a group of Singapore students and the transformation was the formation of a paintball interest group in the school. With this introduction game, we are hoping to see another school engaging in the game of paintball very very soon... so till then.

Singapore Paintball

2010-08-30T12:47:00.010+08:00

It is like beating the dead horse everytime I discuss about this topic. Been a while since I last touched on the topic of paintball development in Singapore... but yeah thought it is time I write something about it from a multi perspective point of view: a paintball promotor, a paintball player, a paintball field operator, a paintball proshop person. I live, eat, sleep and shit paintball. Everyday of my life and for the last 4 years was to think of how paintball can be developed and grow our country. Every day, every hour, every minute and every second. It is always paintball, paintball and more paintball. Many people asked me if I ever get sick doing this everyday...

I will be the first to admit that I love the game and I treasure every moment of this since I quit my last job and venture into the world of unknown. The feeling of unwrapping Singapore's first electronic paintball marker was similar to a child unwrapping a box full of candies and chocolate. I was thrilled to register the Paintball Association (Singapore) 3 years ago when we wanted a recognized body to represent the sport in Singapore. I was happy to see the first flag hang when we created the first 5 on 5 paintball tournament in 2009. I was most excited to know that paintball participants no longer have to play with a center line dividing the field into half regardless of recreational or competitive and the many many more exciting things that unfold, regular pool of competitive teams, rookie and noob challenges, paintball clinics, paintball awareness program, paintball in schools, paintball proshop, SPLAT, paintball collaboration with regional countries, Singapore Paintball Series, paintball sponsorships, etc. It is a constant growing process from ideas to implementation to development to what we have presently. And of course, all these would not have happen if not for the spread of love by our fellow paintballers. Helping and contributing their every bit to make Singapore paintball work.

I would love to be able to compete in a paintball tournament in Singapore, not as an organizer but as a player. For this to happen... we need more than what we see now. Paintball is not about me, my team, my field, my shop and my competition. It is not about me not doing my job and not about me not offering the best paintball package in Singapore. It is not about how well supported our paintball league is and certainly not how much support the government can give to us. What is paintball all about? Seriously, I really don't know and I don't have an answer. Some time, some day all will aged and go old and someone has to take over. Will paintball still be as popular by then? 4 years ago... there was hardly anyone playing regular paintball... no one knew what speedball was and there was hardly any paintball community and the fact that paintball was around in Singapore since 12 years ago didn't really speak well of paintball development in Singapore.

What do we need for Singapore paintball? Ask yourself... this might be a really tough question to answer. If one day, the government ask you: "What can we do to help you develop paintball in Singapore?", what would you say? Show me the money perhaps? If it was that easy to begin with...

What we need for Singapore paintball is not cheaper paintballs, cheaper gun packages, cheaper playing options because without money as a form of motivating factor, how is this a thriving industry for potential stakeholders? Motor GP is all about money, F1 is all about money, YOG is all about money... money makes the world goes round and everyone knows it. It all about money. It is always a chicken and egg story for Singapore paintball... which one comes first? Let's say we need money to grow the sport in Singapore. First thing people will ask you... how many teams do we have in Singapore? How many people play paintball in Singapore? How many places can you play paintball in Singapore? How many competitions can you play paintball in a year? I am sure what their reply will be: "We understand your concerns and passion for the game but we need more than the current figures to support your game as you know, we need to support sports with a stronger appeal to the public... paintball is a niche sport and I am sure you can be as good as the rest but right now, we are putting our money on our best resources and events and sports that can created the biggest impact for Singapore sports."

We then go back to the drawing board and then write down these words: "We need more people playing paintball in Singapore" And I say this again... Singapore. Not anywhere else... we know there are many people playing paintball around the world, we know that there are many people playing paintball in the regional countries, we know that there are many Singaporeans playing paintball in Johor but these don't matter to them... it has always been about how many people plays paintball in Singapore. After all, we are doing our part for Singapore paintball, aren't we?

Paintball in Malaysia has thrived and progress over the past few years. There are many paintball tournaments that you can participate in Malaysia. They have a pool of the finest paintball players in Asia and they have some of the biggest brains, people, resources, facilities out there to direct the growth of Malaysia paintball. We can only learn... It is a given fact that paintball is cheaper in Malaysia. It is a given fact that Malaysia have better playing resources. It is a given fact that paintball is a recognized sport in Malaysia. It is true that Malaysians have done it right to grow the game in their country. Gone are the days where people have to hide in the forest to play paintball. Paintball is now a growing sport in Malaysia and they can only credit themselves for that. They make it work for themselves. Are we doing it for ourselves?

I am sure we can develop a better system for Singapore paintball. More news to come after the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS)...

Good showing for Singapore teams in MPOC Leg 4

2010-08-02T17:51:00.004+08:00

This post came a little late... but better late than never. 2 weekends ago, 5 Singapore based teams participated in the MPOC Leg 4 and all teams put on a decent showing for Singapore. Red Sevens playing in the Division 2 clinched the 4th position, Zoo which is playing in Division 3 clinched the 2nd position and all Division 4 Singapore teams, Ragdolls, Dark Militia and Raving Lunatics all qualified for the 2nd day of the tournament. A commendable results for team Raving Lunatics in their first paintball tournament in Malaysia with a 12th position out of 19 participating teams. Ragdolls which was former known as Black Aces in the MPOC put on a good display of team work and aggressive moves when the beat Rock n Rolla (current Division 4 series leader) during the qualifying games. Dark Militia who was playing their second MPOC was playing with experiences gathered from the former leg when they finished with a 4th position after day one. Indeed it was good to see Singapore teams coming out of Singapore to play in Malaysia tournaments. In Singapore, we are still very much restricted by the firearms law with many perceiving paintball as a sport that promotes violent and expensive. With the formation of the new PBAS interim committee, we are now hoping for the regulations to change soon as we have now a good community and local tournament to showcase that paintball can be a regular mainstream sports for many unlike a few years ago where there are only a handful of active players.

Noob Wars - The first step to paintball!

2010-08-01T18:15:00.008+08:00

The Noob Wars is the 2nd series of mini tournament organized by Red Dynasty Paintball Park to promote and develop the sport of paintball in Singapore. The 1st series in 2010 was titled "The Rookie Challenge 2010" and was held in Feb 2010 with 6 participating teams, many of these teams went on to pursue the game further by joining overseas paintball tournament and also to introduce this adrenaline rushing game to their friends and family. The Noob Wars saw a total of 8 teams namely, Ballistics, The Outlaws, Dark Militia, Troop 53, Seven3zero, Hitman Inc, Team Generation Kill and Explicit. With the recent flash floods and high volume rainfall, there was doubt that Noob Wars will be starting on time. I say god must love paintball today as the rain subsided leaving a breezy weather to kick start the tournament. Noobs they might be... but what we saw were some defying moves with somersaults, cartwheels and some high speed crawling in the field (we are serious!). All in all, the tournament provides a wonderful platform for teams to play against players about their same playing standards. Dark Militia faced Ballistics in the final of Noob Wars with the former winning the Noob Champion. With a recent display of good paintball by the Dark Militia senior team in the Sultan Kedah Cup and the MPOC, one would feel that the Noob Wars is the perfect platform to get some experiences for their newly recruits. Ballistics, which had an impressive start throughout the tournament and going into the final undefeated met their match when they were unable to make the final punch of winning the champion medal.

In view of the good response, the Noob Wars seem to be staying in the paintball scene for quite a while. "I am surprised by the support and turnout. We have a few teams coming to show their support for our local event and at the same time allowing them to gauge their level of play amongst the community" exclaimed Ben Seow who is one of the marshals for the Noob Wars.

Until next time when the folks of Red Dynasty decides to organize the Noob Wars again... up next is the Singapore Paintball Series 2010! Transform from noobs to novice we shall...

Are we NOOBS or are we NOOBS?

2010-07-17T19:25:00.003+08:00

8 teams have signed up for the Noob Wars on 1st August 2010 organized by Red Dynasty Paintball Park. This is the 2nd series of the rookie game which provides a platform for beginners of the sport to play against teams of their own rightful standards. Since joining the RD Rookie Challenge, participating teams such as Black Aces 2, Heartbreakers and Raving Lunatics are breaking into the international scene venturing for more blood tasty competition such as the Sultan Kedah Cup and the MPOC series. The aim of the Rookie Challenge remains to be growing the paintball community in Singapore and allowing everyone a chance to participate in a organized tournament scenario. For Noob Wars, we have the following teams who have confirmed their registration:

1) The Outlaws

2) Ballistics

3) Team eXplicit

4) Se7en3zero

5) Hitman Inc

6) Dark Militia

7) Troop53

8) Team Generation Kill

May the best team wins!

We are not ready...

2010-07-17T17:49:00.009+08:00

Well... just like to comment on this "We are not ready" statement. A few years ago when we were introducing speedball and encouraging people to play paintball, often than not, we always hear this phrase: "We are not ready". I mean when are we really ready?

Received an email a few days ago from someone who is new to the game and telling me how hook he is after playing paintball and wanting to join a paintball team and even considering the option of starting his own paintball team. He mentioned that he knew of a paintball event in October (pretty obvious he was talking about the SPS) and how much he wanted to take part but ended up saying perhaps "We are not ready". The question is are we always ready for anything? Teams are always asking themselves... are we ready? The answer is... you are ready if you have:

1) Played a few paintball games. Doesn't matter if it is woodsball or speedball... its still the same. The only major difference is understanding the rules and regulations.

2) A group of enthusiastic friends who are keen to pursue the game.

3) Open minded about learning. Embrace the learning...

In 2008, I made a grave mistake when I commented about Singapore teams being not ready for the bigger stage i.e World Cup Asia 2008. I think those comments were selfish, ignorant and indeed not welcoming. I want to apologize to any Singapore teams who might feel affected with my snobbish comments. My reasons being: due to our lack of resources, lack of training time and lack of tournament experiences, teams should not go to World Cup Asia just for a mere representation as teams are going there to win! In 2009, there were 7 Singapore teams who went for the event and one team even went on the podium. And so... my concerns were unnecessary. This year... I am rallying for more Singapore teams to go and play in World Cup Asia 2010! My target is to rally 15 Singapore teams to the World Cup! And I believe we do have the numbers! If indeed this wish comes true... we will be the next last contingent other than the host country, Malaysia to have the most number of teams playing in the World Cup Asia.

I did mentioned that Singapore teams will do well in Division 4 games and I still stand by this comment. I am also encouraging Singapore teams to venture into the higher divisions and give it a go! If you have never try, you will never know... So yeah... to hell with "We are not ready"... WE ARE!

Why you should join the Singapore Paintball Series 2010?

2010-07-05T17:44:00.005+08:00

Since announcing the Singapore Paintball Series 2010. We have several queries about the event and so I have decided to list down a few considerables on "why you should join the Singapore Paintball Series 2010?"

1) SPS is a homegrown paintball brand. Similar to MPOC, My-NPL or the CPCL which are major leagues over at the Northern coast, SPS was the transformation of the SPNS which was the pinnacle paintball event of the Singapore calendar in 2008 and 2009. This homegrown brand has transformed from a 3-on-3 paintball competition using scenario paintball markers to a 5-on-5 paintball tournament using electronic markers and up to 4 divisions for people of all ages and playing standards.

2) SPS is a professionally run paintball tournament with dedicated individuals who wants to make paintball a successfully sport in Singapore. With a combined 20 years of experiences in the sports industry, events management industry and marketing industry and more importantly the paintball industry, the SPS will be an event not to be missed.

3) SPS will be held in the East Coast Park. Forget about the Singapore Padang or the Marina Floating Platform, this is definitely one of the best location to showcase your team and get together for a fun filled weekend.

4) SPS combined with sponsors and industrial partners will produce the biggest payout in cash and prizes for participants of the SPS. A free spot to the World Cup Asia in November 2010 for the eventual winner of the SPS Open Division is already worth more than USD200! We are working towards bringing the biggest paintball brand to the Singapore paintball community.

5) First electronic marker division in Singapore is the first in Singapore and possibly the first in Asia! We will be using Proto Proto Matrix Rail markers as house markers for the tournament! If you know of any similar arrangement in Asia, please write to us... as far as we know, we are the FIRST!

6) Paintball prices have been adjusted to accommodate to the paintball community. This is one of the most significant adjustment to date for the Singapore paintball tournament scene. We are making this affordable for everyone and cost of playing at such a wonderful event should not be an excuse no more... This adjustment is inline with SPS's objective of working towards an international platform.

7) With up to 4 playing divisions, you no longer have to worry about people calling you a beginner, noob, expert, sandbagger, professional... just play in whichever category you deem fit.

8) SPS is working towards making the series a professional outlook with team profiles, up to date information and announcement. We have make use of social platform Facebook, websites, forums, posters, banners, etc to make this event known to every possible single lead. Making way into the SPS are merchandises such as T-shirts and lanyards to promote our branding.

9) Get your supporters to come along as there will be fun games engaging park goers and the public. Get your supporters to try out a game of paintball and let them experience the feeling of being in the field. All this at ZERO cost... SPS will be sponsoring this initiative to make paintball more receptive to the public. SPS will be putting up banners educating the public about competitive paintball and there will be a dedicated booth cater to any paintball queries from the public.

10) Working with the Asia Ref, the SPS aims to facilitate a unbiased competition with some of our SPS referees who will be certified to officiate in paintball tournaments endorsed by the Asia Ref. Certification courses will be organized to ensure that all referees are up to standards in officiating the biggest paintball event in Singapore.

I can go on and on and on... but if these are coming true and becoming a reality. All we need is your support to make all these happen! SPS will not be a one off event and we have vision to stay on track in bringing the best paintball event to the Singapore paintball community! Keep the fire burning!

Singapore's Biggest Paintball Event - Singapore Paintball Series 2010

2010-07-05T17:39:00.004+08:00

The Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) will be held on 16 & 17 October 2010 in East Coast Park (Angsana Field, next to carpark E2). From the same organizers who brought you the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) in 2008 and 2009, this year's tournament will feature a 2 day event for participants with up to 4 different participating divisions. New to the tournament scene will be the Corporate and Tertiary Division which is targeted to introduce the sport of paintball to corporate companies and schools as an excellent form of teambuilding activity. "After taking a break from organizing paintball tournament in Singapore, the committee felt that it is time to introduce a new wave of Singapore paintball to the general public. Our focus for the SPS will be creating paintball awareness to the masses and to create an opportunity for people to try out paintball games in the park", exclaimed Jane Koh who is the SPS Tournament Director and the former President of the Paintball Association (Singapore). With the introduction of the Open Division which involved the use of electronic markers, the committee hopes to bring about a completely new tournament scene to the paintball community to Singapore. This is also the first time that electronic markers competition will be showcase to the crowd.

With a strong restriction in the firearms law in Singapore, the organizers will be working closely with the governing authorities to ensure that there will be no hiccups to the tournament. With a combined industrial experience of more than 15 years, the SPS committee will be ready to rock the nation with Singapore's most exciting paintball tournament to date. For more information on how you can register for the tournament, please contact: info@singaporepaintballseries.com

Red Sevens Basic Paintball Course - 6 June 2010

2010-06-07T14:11:00.006+08:00

Red Sevens conducted a Basic Paintball Course in Red Dynasty Paintball Park on 6 June 2010. A total of 13 participants showed up for the course and was greeted with a day of snapshooting, snapshooting and more snapshooting... The whole entire Red Sevens gang (less Jane, ELLE) was around to conduct the course with the help of a few "veterans" paintballers from the local community. A surprise visit by Bryan Judas who used to play for Team Redlords and Kamikaze was around to grace the session as well. Bryan is currently on his paintball break and was with Team Shootin Rage (SIR) a Johor before he declared his holiday. Division 1 player, Farid Zainol otherwise more well known as Cyrus was at the field too... he is currently playing for Team No Mercy and was featured in teams such as Johor Pirates and Team Warriors from KL. Yeah, he is a Singaporean too. And even a more surprising visit by the SUPAstar from KL, Mr. Werdnahol, Andrew Loh was in town as well... WHAT A CROWD!

The Basic Paintball Course is becoming a regular affair for Red Dynasty Paintball Park as they continue to organize paintball courses and clinics for beginners to break into the game. Since establishment, Red Dynasty Paintball Park has conducted more than 20 paintball courses and clinics and continue to be a forerunner for paintball development in Singapore.

Red Sevens newest recruit - Lester WING

2010-06-07T13:51:00.004+08:00

Red Sevens is proud to introduce their newest recruit Lester Wing. Lester plays in the front position and will be feature in the Red Sevens team playing in Division 3 and Division 2 games. Lester will command a regular spot in the team in 2011 as the team continues to expand its players roaster. Lester made his debut with the team in the Malaysia National Paintball League Leg 3 in Malacca where he was featured in 6 games including the semi finals and 3rd/4th placing games. "We are happy to include Lester into the team. His learning attitude towards the game of speedball is commendable. We are working with Lester to provide him with more playing opportunities" exclaimed Ben, who is the current captain of the Red Sevens.

Red Sevens Basic Paintball Course - 6 June 2010

2010-05-26T00:42:00.003+08:00

Red Sevens, Singapore's first competitive paintball team will be conducting a basic paintball course on 6 June 2010 at Red Dynasty Paintball Park.

If you are new to the game and would like to know more about playing competitive paintball, this course is just for you.

Red Sevens is the current Division 2 Paintball Asia League (PALS) Champion and a strong contender for the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC) 2010 Division 2 Series Champion. The team has travelled to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan for regional paintball tournaments since its establishment in 2006.

Read more about the team in www.redsevenspaintball.com

Venue: Red Dynasty Paintball Park
Date: 6 June 2010 (Sunday)
Time: 1 pm - 5 pm
Cost: $55.00 per pax

All participants will be given 300 paintballs for shooting practices/skirmishes + Red Sevens stickers + Course Certificate. 5 lucky participants will receive a Red Sevens T shirt each. Payment for the course to be made at Paintballers World located in Shaw Towers.

Limited to only 20 participants. So hurry and sign up!

To register for this course, please email info@redsevenspaintball.com or info@weplaypaintball.com with the following particulars:

1) Name
2) Age
3) Email
4) Paintball experience

Good read for the Singapore paintball community

2010-05-25T14:37:00.003+08:00

Thought I post this article on the blog since this has a significant influence to to how paintball as a sport is being developed regionally and thus affecting paintball in Singapore. In summary, it is a case of a new paintball league being formed known as the "Millennium Series Asia". A statement by the new league was released but later retracted due to what many seen as a case of unauthorized use of name and logo of the Millennium Series. Happy reading... it is always good to keep politics away from paintball and just focus on enjoying the game but this article is too good to ignore.

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
05:00PM 24th MAY 2010

MATTERS REGARDING THE “MILLENNIUM SERIES ASIA”

The Paintball Asia League Series, as partner of the Millennium Series Europe since 2004 when we first started, would like to clarify that the recent press release from the so-called “Millennium Series Asia” is not factual, but based on the vivid imagination of a few individuals.

We have sought clarification with Millennium Series Europe and have been informed that no such agreement exists, and we on our part have not been notified of such a move. To our knowledge, the Millennium Series name and logo has been used without prior authorization and they have been requested to deactivate the website and to remove all references to the Millennium Series Europe by the Millennium board.

The press release by these parties should be deemed misleading, with an agenda that is detrimental to the great growth of paintball now enjoyed in the region. PALS remains a firm partner of the Millennium Series Europe in promotion of sports within the region and will remain so in the future.

We shall be seeking clarification in the proper manner from the parties responsible for the announcement before deciding on the next course of action.

For clarification and more information regarding this matter, you may contact Mr. Laurent Hamet of the Millennium Board at lh@millennium-series.com or board@millennium-series.com

For more information regarding this matter in relation to the Paintball Asia League Series, please contact Mr. Paul WY Lam at paul@palseries.org or info@palseries.org

PAUL LAM
Founder & Director
Paintball Asia League Series

Lucky Sevens for Singapore teams!

2010-05-23T00:04:00.010+08:00

"Prestige" is the word use to describe the Kedah Sultan Cup 2010. Supported by the Sultan of Kedah, this tournament saw a total of 35 teams participating in 2 divisions: Open and Novice. There were 6 teams from Singapore and they are: 1) Red Sevens, Contract Killers and Zoo 2) Dark Militia, Heart Breakers and Rampage Onslaught who played in the Open and Novice Division respectively. Being the Open Division, there were 15 participating Division 1, 2 and 3 teams, all competing for the top honours. After the qualification round, Red Sevens was ranked 5th, Contract Killers was ranked 9th (losing on the 8th spot due to elimination difference) and Zoo was ranked 10th. Kudos to Contract Killers who was playing with only 4 players and managed to beat the Red Sevens with the latter suffering their first loss of the day. The Red Sevens concluded the tournament with a 7th position after failing to qualify for the Semi Finals. In the Novice Division, Heartbreakers and Rampage Onslaught got their first taste of an overseas tournament and did fairly well with a couple of winning games but it was Dark Militia who overcame the odds and won the 7th position after qualifying for the Quarter Finals spot. Playing in a stadium able to fill 35000 spectators is more than what a paintballer could ask for and we wonder if we will ever get this kind of luxury in Singapore. The hospitality and support given by the local organizers were amazing. The refereeing was good and the atmosphere was a blast! The players party ended with the royal highness, a princess from the royal family giving out the prizes to the winning teams.

Congratulations to Red Sevens and Dark Militia. This event matches the World Cup Asia 2009 with 6 participating Singapore teams... so when's the 3rd lucky seven?

More photos later...

Sneaky indeed! EXKAY ONG from XFOX in Singapore!

2010-05-18T19:05:00.012+08:00

Red Dynasty Paintball Park and the Red Sevens (Singapore) invited Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC) Division 1 XFox snake player, Exkay Ong to Singapore to conduct a "Sneaky Snakey Paintball Clinic" and the turnout was good...17 budding snake players... well... not all turned up to learn a trick or two from one of the best snake players in Malaysia. More photos will be uploaded later... well, even I learnt something about being a snake. It was surely an eye opener for most who attended his clinic. But hey, for those who missed out his clinic, here's a post interview to find out more about this "sneaky" player.

1) What made you decide to come to Singapore to do a clinic at Red
Dynasty Paintball Park?
I've started off paintball with the seniors sharing what they know
with me, hence I believe in giving back something to the sport we love and decided to share my experience with Singaporeans after much discussion with Ben over the years as I think new talents could use a lil' help and assistance. Also it was a great experience and privileges for me to be able to conduct a clinic in somewhere other than my own country not to mention that I get to make new friends at the same time !

2) How do you find the standards of Singapore paintball?
I think it is doing pretty well seeing that it's been only a few years
since speedball was introduced into Singapore. Given the correct
guidance, support and infrastructure, it would be exciting to see how fast it could catch up with neighboring countries in the South East Asia where paintball is more established.

3) Do you think Singapore paintball development will one day be on par with Malaysia?
Without any doubt, definitely.

4) What do you think of the gun laws that we have?
While it is a hindrance to the growth of the sport for the time being,
it is also something that could get paintballers united to work
together and get the Government to look into the Firearms Law issue.

5) Give us 3 words to become a good paintballer. 3 words...
Practice, Practice & Practice.

6) Name one of the toughest game that you have ever played in... and tell us why?
I think every game is equally as tough as everyone tends to try their
best during tournaments and it is always a good fight. If I would
really have to name one, it would be the times in 2008 where I was
still with Xmenz and have to go against Xfox. Having to go against
those who teaches you how to play paintball does mess with your head a bit, giving you extra pressure on the shoulders. I still remember how dreaded i feel every time we have to go against them back then.

7) What is your favourite paintball drill?
Snap shooting. It's the most fundamental skill in speedball.

8) Will you come back again? and what do you hope to see in your next trip.
Of course I will come back again ! I would love to see more players
turn up ( if there is ever a 2nd Clinic ), less heat ( Singapore is
really HOT ) and maybe a Division 1 team ?

A teaser for the Singapore Paintball Series 2010 - 16 & 17 October 2010

2010-05-18T18:45:00.007+08:00

Singapore paintball is moving away from being a novice league! The organizers of the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) has decided to drop the word "novice" bringing Singapore paintball standards to a higher level. There will be an introduction of a new division for the local lads.

The Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2010 will be held on 16 & 17 October 2010 at an undisclosed venue. More details to be released soon in www.weplaypaintball.com/forum. Mark a date with us. The SPS logo is a trademark of the Singapore Paintball Series, usage of the logo will have to be sought from the SPS organizers.

Noob Wars - 1 August 2010

2010-05-18T18:29:00.006+08:00

Red Dynasty Paintball Park will be organizing the NOOB WARS, a rookie challenge for all paintball beginners to taste the game of paintball in a competitive format. As the name implies, it is a competition organized for newbies or noobies... however way we call it, it is a tournament for people who are exploring paintball as a regular sport. Form a team of 6 players (4 players and 2 reserves) and sign up for the NOOB WARS! Oh... and watch out for the Noob killer...

Venue: Red Dynasty Paintball Park, Field 3

Date: 1 August 2010

Time: 8.00 am - 4.00 pm

Cost of registration: $450 per team of 6 players

This tournament will be conducted in a "hopperball" format where 100 paintballs will be allocated to each player per game. Prizes and medals will be given away as part of the nooby deal. For more information about Noob Wars, please login to www.weplaypaintball.com/forum and search under the thread "Paintball Events and Tourneys"

PS. This tournament is ONLY for players without competitive paintball experiences... yeah, a fair game basically...

The above event poster is designed by Zai and Rina

Singapore team Dark Militia looking for 2 guest players for Kedah Sultan Cup

2010-05-12T11:34:00.004+08:00

If you are interested to participate in the Kedah Sultan Cup 2010 held 21May - 22 May 2010 , there are 2 available slots in Singapore based team Dark Militia. Dark Militia will be participating in the Novice Division and they are looking for 2 more players to make the trip. There will be free registration... all you need to do is to show up and pay for paintballs. Interested parties, please contact PaintBallGixxer at www.weplaypaintball.com/forum. Dark Militia is the SPNS 2009 Leg 3 Champion held in Singapore and a regular paintball force in Singapore.

Kedah survival kit

2010-05-06T19:00:00.004+08:00

As some of you might already know... there will be a few teams which will be travelling to Kedah for the Kedah Sultan Cup 2010. To date, the following Singapore teams have indicated interest to participate in the tournament, they are mainly, Team Zoo, Team Contract Killers, Red Sevens, Rampage Onslaught, Heartbreakers and Dark Militia. With a strong Singapore contingent heading North, most are planning to travel together on a hired bus. And I thought it will be interesting to put up a survival kit as this is the first time Singapore paintballers are setting foot on Kedah... so here it goes:

1) Money - Money makes the world goes round. In paintball, this is one of the most essential weapon. It is always good to have the extra dough in your pocket for assurance. Try to maximize your pocket if you can... plan for food, drinks, transportation, accommodation. And if you have that little extra, you might want to bring along some money for the event t-shirt (if any) or paintball souvenir. Factor in money for the shared drinks that you will be buying during the competition days.

2) Ammunition - A long journey indeed... 10 - 12 hours of bus travel and that's almost half a day. Read magazines, eat sleeping pills, play PSP, listen to Ipod... whatever you can do keep yourself busy on the bus. Buy a neck rest if necessary, this is a must buy!

3) Camera - Bring along a camera if you have one. Take tons of photographs and publish them on your Facebook or blog and help promote paintball awareness... we need that in Singapore. And if you are on the podium, you want to be able to pass that camera to someone who will be able to take some nice photos of you receiving the prizes.

4) Passport - The number 1 thing for travel... keep it safe. If you forget to bring it... good luck and see you next year!

5) Paintball t-shirt - Paintballers are stylist people, put on your best attire for field walking... if you don't have a paintball t-shirt, get one now! It is a form of identity and for easy identification among paintballers. We are family!

6) Team banner and national flag - You can use it on the podium or hang it by your resting tentage. Tell people where you are from and create a name for yourself... it is very rare that there are tournaments in Kedah so leave a good impression.

7) Your heart - Play your hearts out in the field and do your best to win every games.

All the best to Team Singapore!

Exkay in town!

2010-05-05T09:31:00.005+08:00

EXkay from Team XFox (MPOC, Division 1), Malaysia will be in town on 16 May 2010. Xkay started playing as a snake player since 2004 and has been featured in Team Xplosive, a junior team from Guns and Bruises which is commonly known as Xtioneers today. With the Xtioneers, EXKay was part of the team who won the World Cup Asia 2008 Division 1 3rd placing. In 2009, EXKay with his group of Foxes won the MPOC Division 1 Series Champion. Currently 4th on the MPOC Division 1 table, XFox is also a Dye sponsored team and one of the most prolific team in Asia.

More information at www.weplaypaintball.com/forum

PS. Exkay is a SEED user. Photos from Exkay's Facebook and belongs to rightful owner.