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

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.

Ian the berzerk!!!

Ian Tang (third from left) with players from Team Hot Fuzz.

We featured Ian Tang, one of Singapore's earliest "tournament" player. Ian who was playing for Team Hot Fuzz in 2008 and later Team Evil Avengers share his bit about paintball in Singapore. I labelled him as Singapore's paintball media spokesperson simply because he is the first person who got Channel News Asia to feature paintball as a sport on TV and the man who got Straits Times and Today Papers to feature paintball in the sports column... and we know how hard that is when there are F1, soccer, golf... Kudos to you Ian...

Q: Ian... one of the pioneers in Singapore competitive paintball. Tell us how you got started in the game that we all love to hate?

I'm hardly one of the pioneers! I first played paintball during the Chinese New Year gathering organised by Red Dynasty in early 2008. Prior to that, I had only read about the game in books or watched it in passing on TV shows, and even that was enough to pique my curiousity in the game. So when my good friend and subsequent teammate Xuyuan invited me to join him at the gathering, I couldn't say "yes" fast enough. That one session was exhilarating enough to make me want more! That was followed by the formation of the Singapore Paintball Novice Series, which I have taken part in ever since its inception.

Q: You have played in 2 local teams, Hot Fuzz and Evil Avengers. Tell us how different are these teams from one another?

Well, one was born of harmony, the other from strife. Hot Fuzz was essentially a team of friends. The core was myself, Xuyuan, an ex-schoolmate and Lennat, a friend whom I knew from the local music scene. Subsequent members joined us through the forum. Much to our surprise, we synergised well with each other. What I remembered most fondly was that win or lose, we always never failed to have fun. The team disbanded after the last leg of SPNS 2008.

Evil Avengers was an attempt at a "serious" team after a collective unpleasant experience. It was an amalgam of members from the defunct teams of Hot Fuzz and Red Lords (Both "pioneering" teams in the SPNS). While the intentions were there, the drive to succeed gradually became eroded by the drudgery of real life, plus we got so caught up in our grand plans that we forgot to have fun. That being said, I'm glad I tried and had plenty of memorable times with this team, especially during the last leg of SPNS 2009.

I have since left Evil Avengers and am looking forward to either starting anew with another local team or contributing to the growth of the game any way I can.

Q: Are you looking forward to owning a personal e-marker?

Definitely! Having had the pleasure of being shot at by electronic markers during an overseas tournament and during training for the upcoming World Cup Asia, I would say that e-markers really force you to up your game as a player. To quote a song title, you have to be "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", in order to stay alive and win the games.

Q: You are the only player who have played in all 6 legs of SPNS... you have seen the changes... So what's the report card grade?

Each leg has only grown bigger and better than the last! I am glad to say that SPNS has come a long way, from 3-man hopperball to a proper 5-man mechanical marker tournament. I liked how the organisers gradually introduced the changes in the format to finally conform to international standards for a Division 4 tournament. Each leg has seen increasingly better venues, better bunkers and especially better technical and logistical set ups. This is something that players have recognised and appreciate as well.
What I do very much hope to see is a rise or at least a consistency in the standard of refereeing. That is one aspect of the tournament that should be addressed, as it affects the outcome of the game. I don't mind losing, but I do abhor losing due to bad or slow calls.

Q: What are the problems that a local paintballer face?

1) Time. The perennial problem that anyone who is into a team sport will face. Carving out time from busy schedules is something that all ballers in a team have to be able to do. If you're committed to a team, you have to make time to train as a team, or at least spend time together as a team. I believe that speedball, above all, is a game where you have to be able to trust your team mates to do their job fully, and to foster that unspoken link between team mates. These qualities can only be honed as a team spends time with each other.

2) Money. It is always about the benjamins, baby. There's only so much dry drills you can do, a baller has to shoot paint regularly to know where he's at and the cost of training will always be a factor.

3) Passion. How do you keep up the passion? Paintball is a lifestyle, beyond "looking cool in new mask". A passion is best sustained when there is a group of like-minded individuals to share tips, tricks, quotes and inside jokes with. I think this is our one saving grace: that the local speedball community is pretty much easy-going and fun, good mix of ages and interests, best of all, always willing to share and learn from one another.

Q: You will be playing in the upcoming World Cup Asia. 6 other teams are joining you. How do you think Singapore teams will fare?

Considering the quality of teams that local teams will be facing in WCA, I think it will be a challenging tournament, one which can only open our eyes even more. Our Div 4 teams are very good, and I do expect at least one podium finish there.

Q: What do you hope to see in Singapore paintball?

Honestly, I think local ballers have truckloads of potential and our basics are good and consistently reinforced. Our teams are hampered by the fact that:

(A) training is either expensive or time consuming
(B) we can't train with our own equipment regularly or conveniently

Despite that, local teams have done consistently well, with 2009 being a gala year with two local Div 3 teams taking podium finishes in the MPOC, and a few Div 4 podium finishes in other tournaments. This is proof that local teams do have what it takes, just that we have to put in that extra time and effort to train over our paintballing friends from other countries.

So I hope that we can at least overcome (A) as a short term goal, and (B) as a medium term goal. Once both (A) and (B) are resolved, Singapore will be ready to take its place as a paintballing force in the region.

Q: Name me your best 5 players in the Singapore scene?

Wow you don't believe in easy questions huh. If I do have to give a personal take, they are:
a) Casey "sgb33f" Chew. He is a well-oiled (literally and figuratively heheh) machine when it comes to paintball. Basic stuff that most of us agonise with, snap shooting, movement, communication, RELOADING, he does with an ease that is second nature. Combined with his experience in the States, this is one guy I want to be a wingman to anytime ha!

b) Grant "houdini" Harrison. If I'm ever, ever short on passion, I just have to look at him and be recharged. He is really the epitome of putting his money where his mouth is. From offering free website design to SPNS winners, to shelling out S$500 to aid local teams, Grant holds nothing back when it comes to something he loves. He also has a good sense of strategy, which showed when he led Dark Militia to victory in Leg 3 of SPNS09.

c) and d) A tie between Gerald "The Kid" Lee and Ivan "Snake" Liow
Always exciting to see them play. Speed, skill and agility in an aggressive package!

Can't think of anymore! Here's to another great year for local paintball!

SPNS Random

Photos taken by Tilt, tilt.com.sg. Please credit Tilt if you want to use these photos.

Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009 Leg 3

After 2 days of field set up in West Coast Park, the Singapore Paintball Novice Series went smoothly with no major hiccups. Congratulations and thank you to the people who are behind this tournament, staff of the Red Dynasty Paintball team, the "Ironmen" (people who laid the field), the referees, the volunteers, the photographers, the sponsors and the players of course...

One of the staff told me that one player asked him: "The field seems to be dry, just wondering if you guys will be watering the field before the start of the game?" In my mind, I was thinking "Nah... we wouldnt be doing that". In fact, I was eager to find out who this person was... so I decided to note this down and reminded myself to write it in the blog. That's Singapore paintball...

Well, the good thing is... someone up there heard his request and came the morning shower just before the 8 am mark and immediately, we all knew paintball was going to be fun that day. 12 participating teams for the last SPNS leg in 2009, a reasonable number indeed considering that there were a handful of new players and some of the "older players" (I used older because there are no divisional games in Singapore) who came back from retirement. All games were evenly fought and there were no simple walkovers. In fact, we have seen the most number of draw games in this leg of the tournament in the entire SPNS history, it could have been anybody's game.

Credits to Team X Factor who played with only 4 players throughout the day. It was certainly tough to be outnumbered but the desire to win was evident. The team defended well and made a few good kills... We had Red Bull girls this round... and yeah, most male participants seemed a little happier during the tech breaks, must be the sugar acting up on them. On the sidelines, Mr. J (Junaidi, PALS Ultimate Referee) told me that some players are playing very well and looked very seasoned... that's only a good sign for Singapore paintball.

4 semi final teams from SPNS Leg 2 came out tops again, Dark Militia, Five-O, Red West and Contract Killers... talk about consistency. Again, it was anyone's game. Dark Militia who only started playing in SPNS this year went home with the Champion's title for Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009 Leg 3. Having came so close on 2 occasions, Grant (Houdini) sealed the win with an overhead shot over the centre 50s bunker.

Top Gun was awarded to Sharkil from Contract Killers though we would usually prefer a new face. So you know what I mean... Series title went to Team Red West for 2009. Elle concluded the event with a piece of good news for Singapore paintball, it was announced that the center barrier, a requirement in paintball field operation has been removed by the Singapore Police Force. Abolishing a requirement that was set out 10 years ago and convincing the authorities that paintball can be played safely in Singapore. We look forward to a more exciting 2010... spread the love and as Kiko always say: "Keep the fire burning..."

Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009

The Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009 has come a long way.

The birth of SPNS started off as a causal discussion with Elle and Tom about forming the first speedball tournament in Singapore and providing a platform for players to compete in paintball tournament throughout the year. Then come the naming of the tournament... we knew that we need to have the word "Singapore"...then paintball has to be in too. Calling it a novice league will help more newbies to participate in the tournament. And voila... (thanks for sben's facebook, that I spelled it incorrectly, to think that I took French once...so sad). ** For the records, public apology was offered not demanded.

*Shamelessly ripped from Tom's blog...

Tom went home and came up with the logo design. Can anyone guess who is the silhouette of the SPNS logo?

Good luck to all teams participating in the upcoming SPNS. This is the final leg of the season, so play hard. On behalf of the SPNS organizing committee, we would like to thank all who have contributed to the SPNS. We couldnt have done it without you... Stay tune for some changes next year.

Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009 Leg 3 - Team Preview Part 2

Karma Troopers - A "new" team in the local scene... Karma Troopers is actually not that new. With a regular presence in the MY-NPL, Karma Troopers are a force to reckon with. With podium finishes in overseas tournament, we will be expecting some very tough fight from this team. Led by team captain Isnaen, this is surely another team to look out for. A team with experience and wits, this team is not here to make up numbers! First step in supporting local tournament!

X Factor - A newly formed team with the SPNS, X Factor is led by Beryl who used to be part of the Singapore's first female team. With the introduction of Dean and Irwan (formerly from Five O), this team needs to put in their best performance in every game. Assisting Beryl with be the beloved Nicky (WOOT! WOOT! sorry, cant help it) who has tons of playing experience.

Berserkers - Sons of Odin - Another new team with the SPNS, Berserkers - Sons of Odin (in short Berserkers, very long name...) is led by Jit who is a reliable mid player who is able to control the game very well. Back by his teammates, Haz, Zach, Neil and Suwandi... this is the only team in SPNS who submitted a 5 men line up... talk about consistency on the field. Another new team with hidden powers!

Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009 Leg 3 - Team Preview Part 1

Sun Tzu Art of War: "Know your enemy and know yourself"...

With SPNS Leg 3 less than 3 weeks away, teams are starting to heat up the pace and picking up paintball markers again. Why are we not surprise that this leg of the SPNS is actually anybody's game? Is there such a thing as sheer luck in paintball? Well... you can play the best game and still not win the game. So perhaps there is such a thing as sheer luck in the game of paintball.

How different is this leg of the tournament as compared to previous legs? The most significant difference is the use of the Millenium bunkers, yeap... all 44 bunkers, similar to the Millenium games in Europe but more importantly, the same set up as the upcoming World Cup Asia (WCA) in November. So... teams who are going to the WCA, brace yourself and play the game well... this could be your best preparation before the world stage. This is good preparation...

The venue... the next big thing in SPNS 2009. Playing paintball in a park... not any other park but the Grand Lawn in West Coast Park is the best venue to date. Imagine this... its lunch time and stream of paintballers entering McDonalds in their colourful paintball jerseys and pants, headbands, masks, a big statement...a very big statement... RECOGNITION should be the right word.

Even if you are not playing... be there to show support for our local lads. Red Bull will be served...

In no order:

Contract Killers - 2 new inclusions, Nick and Keith from ex-Kamikaze. With the retirement of Dzul and the long lost Aaron, CK will see a new front line up. With Division 4 experiences in MPOC and NPL, Nick and Keith will be a valuable asset to the team who will be gunning for the top honours. Last SPNS leg MVP Sham (Rocketfingers) will also ensure that this team is certainly no pushover.

Nick

Red West - West or east? All eyes will be on this team who won Leg 1 and Leg 2 of the 2009 series. Leg 3? Long serving players, Ryan and Zach from the Singapore American School has returned home which means a total transformation for Red West. With 4 new inclusions (Yazid, Sophie, Julya and Chee Lang, I mean Yong...,and a totally new setup, Red West is under pressure to live up to the name of their predecessors. Returning to the paintball scene is Julya who was a former Red Fraction.

Chee Yong, SPNS Leg 1 MVP

Five O - Another team to look out for... Talk about masters of rules, no other team beats this team. With the inclusion of Casey and Jayex from 20th Legion, Mark from Kamikaze and Calgar a former Red Sevens, this is some what a tough lineup. Not forgetting Fuzz (yes, we gonna crush you and master of taunts) and Ivan from Red Sevens. We are talking about a team with combination experience of 8 years? Maybe 10...

Calgar and Ivan

More sneak preview after this weekend...

Farid CYRUS - The unsung paintballer...

In my last post, I did a feature of JUDAS, the most medalled player in Singapore. And I thought maybe I will go one step further to do another feature on another Singapore whom I call as "The Unsung Paintballer". Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you: Farid "Cyrus".

Farid maybe a little less well known in Singapore but he is a big name in Malaysia. Having played for teams such as KL Lockdown, Johor Pirates, Dark Angels and Singapore based team, Team Damnation, Farid is a familar face in the North. Many will misunderstood him as a Malaysian but in fact, Farid is a true born Singaporean. His job as a Regional Database Adminstrator requires him to travel often and therefore, finding paintball as a regular sport while he travels explain why he is so popular in Malaysia. Farid started playing paintball during his short stint with local paintball center TAG and he has not looked back since.

Farid displayed his support to the local game and participated in SPNS 2009 Leg 2 with Wargh!Cooks and did his fair share of becoming one of the most fearless snake player. We catch up with him as just as he was prepared to travel to Bangkok again... yes, you are right for paintball and this time with Demonz Red.

Cyrus making his runs down the tape during SPNS

1) Having played in SPNS, what do you think of the standards for mechical marker division in Singapore?

"The mech division in singapore is steadily growing but the number of people playing regularly are limited and this will cause the skillset to be stagnant after some time. Also with it being a league only for Singaporeans, it somewhat limits level of competition."

2) What is the "thing" that a paintballer must have to keep the fire buring?

"Lots and lots of friends whom you want to shoot . I think the fire will never die out if you have wonderful friends who will assist you and also mock you. Also a girlfriend who always wants to shoot you helps too."

Random SPNS Leg 2 2009

Found these photos and I am very sure, most if not all of the teams are looking for these. Feel free to rip them off this blog but please credit them to "Red Dynasty Paintball".

Well done Singapore Paintball Teams!


PBAS Referees

Ares

Kamikaze

Mid Life Crusaders

Wargh!Cooks

Seek and Destroy

Dark Militia

Death Mavericks

Contract Killers

Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) 2009

Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) 2009 Leg 2 – Pasir Ris Park, Native Lawn

Bringing Paintball to the Hearts”

For the first time in Singapore, a competitive paintball tournament was held beyond a licensed paintball centre in Singapore. Established in 2008 and organized by the Paintball Association (Singapore), PBAS, SPNS 2009 Leg 2 sets its foot on a national park located in the eastern coast of the Singapore’s shores, Pasir Ris Park. Supported by the Singapore Sports Council and the National Parks Board, this leg of the competition saw 13 paintball teams vying for Singapore’s top paintball honour. With the slogan of “Bringing Paintball to the Hearts”, the objective of organizing the competition in a public park allows PBAS to showcase the sport of paintball to the heart of the community. This is also the first time that a 5-men competition format is adopted in the SPNS as compared to the previous legs of a 3 men and 4 men format.

Introduced to Singaporeans in 2008, competitive paintball otherwise known as speedball is increasingly gaining its popularity in Singapore. Efforts by PBAS to promote this sport have been significant with roadshows in tertiary institutions such as Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Singapore Polytechnic has also recently become the first Singapore institution to introduce the sport of speedball to its students and armed with the intention of establishing a paintball club in the school.



Another historical event is the conduct of the Malaysia Marshal Level 1 marshalling certification course for 6 local paintball referees by Mr. Junaidi Khalil who is the Head Referee in Asia with marshalling experiences in the Asia Paintball Invitational Tournament 2008 in Kao Hsiung, Taiwan and the Asia World Cup since 2007. "The Certification Course helped to raise the competency of many of the new recruits to local refereeing" added Benedict Chen, a second year student from the National University of Singapore who took on the Head Referee role during the SPNS. Indeed, the certification course and cross learning between the Singapore and Malaysia marshals helped to unify the conduct of the sport with similar regulations across the borders.

Team Red West who was the champion team in leg 1 of SPNS 2009 managed to defend their title by clinching another champion medal in this leg of the competition. With 3 of its players playing for the Red Sevens team, a Singapore Division 3 team participating in the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC) and Malaysia National Paintball League (MY-NPL), the Red West team displayed immense teamwork and proficiency to qualify for the 1st position during the 8 qualifying games and eventually winning the title. Five-O, participating for the first time in the SPNS took home the 2nd position after a series of impressive games against some of the top sides in the series such as Kamikaze and Dark Militia in Round 2 of the tournament. Last leg’s runners-up, Contract Killers, concluded the day with a 3rd position placing and Dark Militia claiming the 4th position. One of the most exciting segments of the tournament was the “Top Gun” Division where teams would send a representative to compete in a 1-on-1 paintball game where spectators of the event were involved in delivering sideline coaching. The “Top Gun” Division is a test of a player’s individual skills and of his ability to cope with the immense pressure of the match under the eyes of a crowd. This leg’s “Top Gun” Division was won by Sean Low, a student from Pei Cai Secondary School who has been playing paintball as a competitive sport for more than 2 years. His team the Death Mavericks was in 3rd position after the qualifying rounds.



“We have seen vast improvement in the level of the game. Participants are getting more skilful and technically sound as compared to last year. To continue developing paintball, we’ll need the local authorities to reconsider the classification of paintball markers as a firearm but as a sporting equipment, similar to a foil in fencing, a bow in archery or a bat in softball” exclaimed Jane Koh, President of the Paintball Association (Singapore) who is also the Tournament Director since the dawn of the SPNS. While many consider this event as a big leap for Singapore paintball, there are still many aspects of the sport that needs to be addressed to develop this sport into a mainstream sport. Through awareness program and paintball clinics, this sport will soon do away with the common branding of being “jungle-game, painful or just plain shooting”.

Official results of SPNS 2009 Leg 2 can be found in, www.weplaypaintball.com/SPNS.html

Article is contributed by Ben “King”, a paintball enthusiast and promoter in Singapore.

Photos courteosy of Tilt, www.tilt.com.sg

SPNS 2009 Leg 2 Team Preview

With SPNS just around the corner, a preview of the participating teams is something that we need to spice things up. In no random order:

Seek Family - This newly formed team has a big "Heart" when it comes to playing paintball. In heart, I mean the heart to learn, the heart to practice and the heart to listen. It has been a while since I last saw a team with such dedication. Made up from a group of army friends and friends of friends, this team is driven by the passion to learn and play. This is their first time playing in competitive paintball. Everything learnt is a big step towards something bigger. Some wins in the prelims will see this team play more and promote the game we all love. Captain Rudi is the driving force in the management of this team. Player to watch is a secondary school boy, Adam, who absorbs like a sponge when it comes to marker handling and posture.

Kamikaze - Having lost out in SPNS Leg 1 and dropping everybody's expectation, Kamikaze has come out strong this time. With almost a new team set up, the Kami boys added Mark (SPNS 2008 Leg 3 Champion), Delusion and Nicholas into the squad making the lineup look much stronger than before. Having won the MY-NPL Leg 2 Division 4 Runners Up, the new inclusions are not here to make up numbers. With SPNS Leg 1 MVP, Shadowknight leading the way. This team is surely a dark horse with tons of playing experience.

EVIL Avengers – A transformation of the former Hot Fuzz team, this team is all about experience. With most if not all of its players playing in the SPNS since the series formation, we will be expecting this team to showcase the best of paintball from the fundamental skills of snapshooting, bunkering and winning games. SPNS 2009 Leg 1 showed the team coming close to Round 2 qualification but with the inclusion of Shah who was a former SPNS 2008 Leg 1 Champion with Redlords and a SPNS 2008 Leg 2 Runners Up with Red Shadows. The question remains…

Contract Killers – Starring the same lineup, the SPNS 2009 Leg 1 Runners Up added depth to the team by recruiting Dragonfly for this leg of the competition. A “natural born killer instinct” is how I will describe this team, on their good days, they can beat any team that comes their way. With a good stronghold from their reliable back players, Benguin and Shark has form a formidable back partnership in becoming the backbone of this team. With the intention to change their name to Mastadon United, will this team be stronger than before?

Ares – Little is known about this team. Formed by a team of international students, this SPNS will be a first for everyone in the team. Led by Chris Hampton, this team can shoot a lot more paintballs than you can ever imagine. Working their way into their first competition, this team trains regularly at the field and is hoping to see their effort pays off in the field. Player to watch out for will be Chris who displayed good leadership on and off the field.

Dark Militia – Coached by Houdini, Dark Militia made their mark in the last leg by winning the 2nd Runners Up in their first SPNS appearance. Houdini who plays for Team Damnation a Division 3 team in the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC) will be the team’s player-coach in this leg of the series. Player to watch out for will be Abdullah who plays on the snake side of the field.

Red West – With 3 of its players playing in the Red Sevens team, this team is surely strong on paper, but we all know that even with the best lineup in the team, sometimes you just need that little bit of luck. Vincent who played with the team in last leg of the tournament has left the team leaving the team with a void to fill. However, with the team’s new inclusions such as WarLorD and spacemonkey, who are both playing in the back position; this team is able to find a good balance in agility and stability. Player to look out for will be Ryan Stoll who is versatile in playing all positions. Yes, even the snake…

Wargh!Cook – A newly named team from the former Wargh!Nuts, this team is one of the longest supporting guardian and ambassadors of the SPNS. Formed by a group of best buddies who went through the army together, they know what tough times are. The Semi Finalist of SPNS 2009 Leg 1, Wargh!Cook will be one of the teams to look out for. Known for their defensive tactics, Wargh!Cook will be sure to kick some ass! Commonly known to the paintball community as Chak, he will be bringing the game to the next level.

MLC – Yes, they took the paintball community by storm and surprise when they first participated in the 3rd leg of the SPNS series in 2008. Don’t be fooled by their age and looks, they might not look like the ordinary paintballer but hell these guys are aggressive on the field. They think fast and they move fast too. Just to add to their credentials, these guys won the SPNS 2008 Leg 3 1st Runners Up in their first competition beating teams such as PSG Warfreakz. So yes, they mean business. Target man to look out for will be Kay, who thinks fast and acts fast, yes some say shoot fast too.

Rebels R Us – You might not have heard of this team before but they have been around. Painting and training mostly in Malaysia, this newly formed team will be vying their skills against our local lads. Don’t be mistaken, this is a true Singaporean team but little is known about them.

So there you go…the registered teams so far. More reviews of teams will be posted if there are new inclusions. SG Troopers, Ice Cubes, Death Mavericks…

Surely, these are just my personal observation of the teams. You will be a fool to believe what I wrote, so just take it with a pinch of salt.

The Red Family - Red Sevens, Red Fraction, Red West and Red Dynasty

Yes, the Red Family... 4 different teams but all part of the Reds.

Red Sevens, one of the earliest team in Singapore to play speedball. Perhaps I should say, one of the earliest team in Singapore which was learning how to play paintball. Formed in 2006, the team has been an ardent fan of the Malaysia paintball scene and also doing their part to promote this game to the local paintball community. Competing for about 2 years and still nowhere close to playing at the top level, this team is trying its best to maintain a regular squad. Since formation, there has always been a daunting task trying to keep all players together. Of course, players come and go and have different priorities in their life, so its pretty hard to get everyone together to play paintball. Till today, the team is still competing and keeping pace with this fast adrenaline rushing game and of course along the way, the team learns how to play paintball better. Since 2007, the team has played in 20 paintball tournaments (all overseas) and about 230 competitive games together (and counting), so surely there is a lot that this team can offer to people who are keen to take up this sport on a regular basis. No, Red Sevens is not a National team as many claim. And yes, the team is always on a lookout for potential players to join them.

Red Fraction, supposingly the junior team for the Red Sevens, it still is. The team was formed from the local paintball community, all strangers from different walks of life. People with passion who wants to know more about playing paintball competitively. During its formation, the Red Fraction has gone through intensive training conducted by members of the Red Sevens in hoping to translate all they have learnt onto the field but anything can happen in paintball... with the team playing together for the first time, did not perform to expectations. But still good enough to see the players wanting to play more to improve their skills. SpaceMonkey joined the Red Sevens in one of the MPOC outings. But the last time Red Fraction played together was about 3 months ago... so is the fire still burning within? I am unsure. For now, 2 players are missing in action and the other 2 of their players recently made an announcement to leave the team. A building process is now in due. Anyone keen?

Red West, a team formed for the purpose of participating in the SPNS was crowned the 2009 Leg 1 Champion. With only 2 training sessions together, the team "clicked" on their first meeting. Who are the Red West? 2 students (Zach and Ryan) from the Singapore American School, a National serviceman (Edi) and a few other phantom players. As the american boys will not be in Singapore for long, the idea is to combine Red Fraction and Red West for future SPNS series. Zach and Ryan who has been playing tons of woodsball in the States before moving to Singapore with their parents has played for Red Sevens on numerous occassions. Edi, a former player from Team RAG was recruited to the senior team for his paintball potential. A recent inclusion into the team is Paul, who will be playing as a back player for Red West.
Red Dynasty, formed by staff who works in the Red Dynasty Paintball Park. A mixture of good talents from local teams such as Kamikaze, Carnage, Contract Killers and Red Fraction, the Red Dynasty is an iconic Div 4 team which has since participated once in the MPOC and NPL with top 4 showing in both competitions. It will be in no time when all of them start thinking about playing in the higher division.

Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009 Leg 2

This poster is designed by Darren Leow from Team Kamikaze. Thanks for helping with SPNS!

Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009 - Leg 1

Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) 2009 Leg 1 – “Bringing paintball closer to heart…”
1 February 2009 – The location of SPNS 2009 Leg 1 was no stranger to any local paintball teams in Singapore, it was held in Red Dynasty Paintball Park located in the premises of the Bottle Tree Park (Yishun) and played over the driest month in Singapore’s history in the last 10 years. The comforting part about this dry month is that for the first time in the history of SPNS, the participants will not be playing under wet conditions and to the organizers and participants; this could just be a blessing in disguise. In this leg of the competition, we saw the participation of 9 paintball teams with an estimated turnout of about 120 participants and supporters. Since its intervention in March 2008, SPNS has since been recognized as the official paintball event by local paintballers. SPNS is organized by the Paintball Association (Singapore) and is supported by various stakeholders such as the Singapore Sports Council, Red Dynasty Paintball Park, Bottle Tree Park, etc. The PBAS has since registered up to 200 tournament players in its database and this list is ever growing. Participants who are keen to participate in the SPNS will have to undergo a 2 hour course known as the Basic Tournament Orientation (BTO) which comprises of a theory and a practical test. The objective of the BTO is to allow participants to understand the safety aspects of playing tournament paintball and the tournament rules and regulations.

As participating teams strolled into the field to gear up for the event, you cannot help but to notice that there were a few who were already trying to catch a last glimpse of the field set up. “Walking the field” is an important part of paintball as it gives the team a head start to better strategized game plan. A common scenario in the preparation of a tournament is to see teams equipping themselves with protective gears, equipment and eventually ending off with a light warm up to gets their adrenaline flowing. This keeps the player both physiologically and psychologically prepared.

Each participating team was to play a round of 8 games in a round robin format in the qualifying rounds with the top 4 teams advancing into the Semi Finals and beyond. Team Red West which was the eventual Champion of SPNS 2009 Leg 1 was formed only 3 weeks prior to the closing of the registration date. The team which comprises of 4 players is made up of 2 international students from the Singapore American School, a student from Republic Polytechnic and a full time national serviceman with the Singapore Police Force. Playing for their first time together, the boys who are no strangers to paintball (having played recreational paintball before) did well with an impressive run of wins of 7 games and 1 loss. Other participating teams of the SPNS 2009 Leg 1 include team Evil Avengers (who was featured in the TNP Newpaper recently), Red Fraction, Contract Killers, Wargh!Nuts, Dark Militia, Death Mavericks, Kamikaze and a Filipino team known as the PSG Warfreakz Bravo.

In this year’s competition, a new segment known as the “Top Gun Challenge (TGC)” has been added to spice up the tournament where each team will send a representative to compete in a one on one competition which tests the fundamental skills of snap shooting and marker handling. Gerald Lee from the Red West was crowned the YGC champion after eliminating 2 other opponents in this skilled test challenge. Ng Chee Yong who plays for Kamikaze was awarded the title of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) during the competition leg. A 2nd year student from Nanyang Polytechnic, Ng started playing paintball about 1 year ago and has since been hooked to the game which promotes self confidence and teamwork. “Anything can happen in paintball, winning the MVP is only part of the process…” exclaimed Ng when asked if he questioned if paintball is a game of chance and luck.
Results of SPNS 2009 Leg 1:

1st – Team Red West
2nd – Contract Killers
3rd – Dark Militia
SPNS 2009 Leg 1 MVP – Ng Chee Yong (Kamikaze)
Young Gun Challenge – Gerald Lee (Red West)

SPNS 2009 Leg 2 will be held on 5 April 2009.

For more information about sponsorship and registration in SPNS 2009, please email singaporepaintball@gmail.com or visit www.weplaypaintball.com/forum

SPNS 2009 Leg 1

Once again, we have a new Champion for SPNS - Red West, a team comprising of 2 American boys (Zach and Ryan) and 2 local boys (Gerald and Vincent). Zach and Ryan are not new to paintball, having played some rec ball back in their hometown and playing for Red Sevens in some MPOC legs, these boys have a pretty good understanding of the regional standards of play. Emerging from the pot is Vincent, a total newbie to paintball. He was scouted for his speed and size but when it come to strategies, tactics and knowledge to the game, this pettite man is simply lost. Kudos to him for having to undertake such steep learning curve. Gerald whom many touted as the next "BIG" thing in local paintball played for Red West too. Gerald also won the Top Gun competition (1 on 1) during the halftime show.

Contract Killers bagged the 2nd position. These boys have come a long way since playing in their first SPNS tournament. Aaron who is a new addition to the team surely adds up to the offensive power to the killers. Led by Benguin (captain of the team), the killers made their way to the semi finals with 5 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. The afternoon sun indeed has an effect on their impressive start when they were clinching all 5 games before lunch break. Contract Killers beat Dark Militia to clinch the final spot.





Dark Militia under the leadership of Grant (playing with Wargh! Nuts in this leg), did an almost impossible task. What planned to be a fun session for the "new kids on the block", these men came out with an astonishing results to win the 3rd position. The last time this happened was in SPNS 08 Leg 3 where a group of mid-life gentlemen formed a team and called themselves the "Midlife Crusaders". But what was entirely different about the 2 teams was that the former was only formed less than 3 weeks ago and had less than 4 official trainings. So really...in paintball, anything can happen.


Wargh! Nuts who has a 100% record showing in the SPNS since its intervention did a 4th position. Lady luck was not their side as they were forced to play a 1 on 1 game with Red West in the Semi Finals to determine which team will go through to the Finals after coming back to win Red West in the 2nd game of the Semi Finals.

The rest of the other teams also displayed their best during the tournament just that luck is sometimes anybody's game.

In my opinion, I feel that the standard of play in local paintball has improved since we first started. Teams are starting to have their own identity (on and off field), within the teams, they are slowly forming with that bit of luck and training, they will soon be performing. But indeed, we are proud to say that the level of play in the SPNS has indeed improved. With this, I am also urging our local boys (girls included too) to take part and compete in the regional tournament, only with this are you able to relate your playing experience with others who are also keen to take up paintball as a regular sport. I have once mentioned that our local boys will perform in the lower division (3rd or 4th) of regional tournaments given the fundamental training that they have acquired in Singapore and I do stand by this statement again after seeing how the SPNS has developed.




Of course, in any tournament or competition, there are winners and there are losers. It is almost similar to working life, some are successful and are struggling to make ends meet, but its how well we take winning and losing. As a sportsman (not referring to myself, so no flaming), winning and losing is part and parcel of something bigger and greater. You need to have tasted losing to appreciate the finest of winning, so its a cycle.

In this leg of the tournament, we have gone back to when we first started, getting our own local refs to do the job. I must say, its a job that is done fairly good, surely not the best refeering that I have seen but definitely good enough. There are good calls and there are bad calls, so its how we understand from the different perspectives. Kudos to our local referees for your time and effort. Its a thankless job some might say... you are not paid for your effort and you get some rather "unfair" comments about job but let's not forget that in all the paintball rules (even up to international ruling), the regulations are always in favour of the ruling body, did anyone noticed that? Do you know if you are hit on the harness and you dont feel it the hit and if the refs saw you playing... thats a 1 for 1 call? Yes, you can explain that you dont feel it... you dont know that you are hit, but its the rules. Yes, I do agree that there are some strict calls during the game but would anyone be rather playing under lenient ruling? That's where you get even more disputes.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone that is involved in the planning and participation of the tournament. Its not a one day effort, the planning, the sourcing, the forming, the training...

Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009 Leg 1

There you go...participating teams of SPNS Leg 1:

If all goes well, we will have the participation of 8 teams in the 1st Leg of SPNS 2009, namely:
PSG Warfreakz, Death Mavericks, Contract Killers, Wargh!Nuts, EVIL Avengers, Dark Militia, Red Fraction and Kamikaze.

In this leg, we welcomed back Death Mavericks who was out of action for SPNS 2008 Leg 3. A team made up of mainly students age ranging from 16 - 21 years old, they will definitely give the oldies some tough fight in the field. Never look down on them as they can all snapshoot very well. If there is an award for the most discplined team in Singapore, it will be them. Every Saturday morning...you can always see them at the field, shooting, running, breaking out, everything!!!

PSG Warfreakz was last year's series champion. This year, they are back again with an almost new set up. While some of the members sitting out for Leg 1, their trademark of being fast and furious will surely remain as the talk of the town. Papaya dance again? We'll see...

EVIL Avengers, a newly formed team is no stranger to the SPNS, its members were formerly from the Redlords, Red Shadows, Hot Fuzz and Team ExsequorX, this mixed team is indeed THE team to watch out for.

Wargh!Nuts is joined by Houdini RIP from Team Damnation. His experience from the recent World Cup Asia and MPOC will definitely give the Wargh! team a hard boost!

Dark Militia is a newly formed team but rest assured that they are not here to make up numbers. While they maybe new, being the underdog always have the upperhand when garnering support from everyone. A trump card to turn the tides...

Kamikaze pick up a few new players this season. Raring to showcase their skills and participating SPNS for the first time are Delusion, Darren and Chikuawho but really, they are not that new afterall.

Red Fraction under the leadership of Fadzzi will be here to proof that they are no pushover. With a slow start into the SPNS season last year, the Red Fraction will be proving a point that they too can make it to the bigger stage. A fully bonded team with a full turn out this time, anything less than a top 4 position is indeed questioning...

Contract Killers has a new member, Wolfcry...filled with the desire to do well in paintball, these guys are fundamentally sound and will put up a good fight into the new season.

So that's the round up of the new season. Paintball is round and it can be anybody's game...

First in the world!!!! Paintball in Singapore!!!!!

First in the world...that's how I call it. Paintballers from across the world. Let me introduce to you the world first paintball course for any beginners, newbies, noobies (whatever you call people who just started playing paintball) "Basic Tournament Orientation (BTO)". So what is this BTO? What is so special about the BTO? How is the BTO important to paintball in Singapore? Okay...here's the full picture of the BTO.


I am writing this and sharing the BTO...so that people from across the world will have a feel of how difficult is it for us (Singaporeans) to play paintball in Singapore. So you should be glad that you are driving 3 hours to the nearest paintball field for your usual practice on a sunny weekend. Its tougher out here...


The BTO as the name imply is also an orientation course for beginners to know about the importance of paintball safety. There is a regulation that is set by the local authorities and that is for all paintball centres in Singapore to have center dividing barrier when conducting any paintball games. This regulation is to ensure safety so that players do not get into physical contact with one another while playing the game. For the 2 years that I have played paintball....I have never gotten into any form of physical contact with any of my opponent except to shake their hands after a game to compliment them on the win or as a display of good sportsmanship. So it is almost impossible for any player to get into contact with your opponent while playing paintball...not unless you are playing elimination by touch (we saw that recently...hmmm, 3 kills, amazing). Thus, the rule of having a center dividing barrier to prevent physical contact does not justify its stand (to some extend...).


So in order to convince the authority that paintball is a safe sport (in fact, according to statistics, playing paintball is safer than playing golf or tennis, blar blar...I know some people will dispute this fact on the number of people playing paintball versus the number of golfers in the world....so based on distribution, this statistic is inaccurate...blar blar blar...I have heard this before, so lets move on), we will need to devise a way to determine who are the better players and who are the "not so good" players. Now, see this...(are you with me....?) most of the people have not heard of the word speedball...they have played paintball before...yes, but when it comes to playing speedball, it is usually their first time. So how then can we differentiate players who have gone through 5 sessions of paintball versus the guy who have just picked up a paintball marker because his neighbour introduced him to the game this morning. No way!!...are we able to differentiate that...but we can identify a player who understand more about paintball safety as compared to a total noobie...For example, putting on the barrel socks after the game and not removing the mask before he moves out and into the safety zone. Thus, the BTO is in fact an orientation to allow players to understand about paintball safety. TRUE?


And if a player understand safety...he is thus a better player (well in terms of safety), so he will be more aware of not coming into physical contact with his opponents (although this doesnt really happen during games). So a group of us...with the assistance from the people in Paintball Association (Singapore), PBAS, came up with the BTO! Viola! A test to determine if a player is "educated" in the game of speedball, well at least the rules of speedball and paintball safety...


The BTO is a test to determine if a player is competent to play without the center divider. And if he passed the test, he is then registered with PBAS as a registered player and thus to be allow to play without the center divider and play in paintball tournament in Singapore, in this case, Singapore's only paintball tournament, the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS). The BTO is comprised of 2 parts: 1) Theory 2) Practical. The theory part of the BTO is actually an hour lecture informing participants about the rules and regulation of speedball, the do's and don't's. E.g. What do you do when you are hit? Self check, hands on the head, walk out off the field through the shortest path to the deadbox. No talking behind the deadbox...and the list goes on. The practical part of the BTO (which is the more exciting part) is two game time experience in which we will test on situation awareness of the players, their ability to comprehend competition rules and their awareness on paintball safety. For this part of the BTO, there is a 20 points demerit system. If a player accumulates up to 20 demerit points, he fails the test and thus is not allow to play without the center line. An example of an immediate failure is when a player removes his masks after the call for "GAME OVER"...its game over for him too. For the records, we have failed one participant of the BTO so far...


We have recently made a revision to the BTO. To make it more challenging and for us to single out people who are totally unfamilar with the rules, we have changed the 1 hour lecture to a 50 multiple choice question written test. The test is set with 3 objectives in mind: Safety, Rules and Regulations and Situational Awareness. This has proven to be effective as we are able to identify participants who have zero knowledge about the game but is keen to take up paintball thus the ability to segregate players' competency.


Once you have passed the BTO, you are a registered tournament player in Singapore. Tough yeah?


You must be thinking....this is stupid...yes, I totally agree with you. I do...no doubt. But this is the closest we can get to playing paintball without a centre divider. Is this BTO effective? Oh yeah...field owners who are reading this...how many times have you shouted "PUT on the barrel socks!!!" or " Put that #$%^& mask ON!!!!" until you read about the BTO on this blog? And if you are keen to start this at your field for noobies who are keen to take up tournament paintball, trust me this is the way to go...to ensure safety. Can we do without the BTO? Perhaps....when paintball is an Olympic event and enough public awareness of the game. Yes. we can be like the rest of the other countries....But why not get your field, or country or association to follow what we are doing? Sounds stupid yes....but at least safety is ensure to some extend.


So to play speedball in Singapore....you need to get yourself BTO-ed. We have so far more than 150 BTO-ed players in Singapore...and counting...so its not that bad afterall.

Singapore's First All-Female Team

Yes, Femmes de Fatale, Team Destiny... big names in the paintball industry. All-Female teams in the US plying their trade in the man's league.

Who says girls cant play paintball? To set the record straight, there is no gender difference when it comes to paintballing, all you need to do is to squeeze the trigger and you can be as good as your opponent. Ladies and gentlemen...may I present to you Singapore's First All-Female Team, Team Atrox.

We have heard of many All-Female Teams in Malaysia, teams such as Tornado Angels, Venus, Sogo Ballbusters, etc. They are all very good teams. While this is nothing new to form an All-Female team in Malaysia, it is certainly something worth mentioning in Singapore. Hey...All-Female team...interesting. Surely the talk of the town if there is a media pitch to this in 2009 when the SPNS season starts again.

It used to be a few female players in the scene then slowly more and more female players. Guys...who say paintball is a dangerous game...hmmm, think again. Elle would most probably be the first Singapore female player to play competitive paintball in Malaysia...she gets some attention when teams are playing against us, like when we were in Penang playing in last year MPOC, she is like the talk of the town, and of course, a column in the Penang newspaper talking about paintball in Singapore. So female players do get some attention afterall.

In the 2nd Leg of MPOC, there was PSG Charlie, a group of pinoy expats which fielded a full female team...nice on the outside, aggressive on the inside. They made it to the 2nd round of the competition. I would love to see a match between PSG Charlie and Team Atrox as this would be very interesting for Singapore paintball. Leading the team is none other than Grimreaper. Having played in all 3 legs of the SPNS, 1 leg of MPOC and a few other sunday league tourney, she is the perfect choice in sharing her experience with female players who are keen to take up paintball as a regular sport. So there you go...Team Atrox!

I thought perhaps I would like to mention a few other paintball nick (all female) in this blog as a ovation to their contribution towards paintball in Singapore or in the region:

Barrel, Snowflier, Noraini, Mad Devil, Elle, Wee Cheng, PSG Charlie, Grimreaper, Ann... and the list goes on...

Singapore round up...

It has been a while since we have last provided an update on the paintball scene in Singapore. So here it goes…

Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2008, Leg 3, 12 Oct 2008

In the local paintball scene, our Philippines expatriates PSG Warfreakz won the Overall Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) Champion for 2008 and Team Carnage clinching the title of the SPNS Leg 3 Champion. Mid Life Crusaders and Team Damnation were awarded the 2nd and 3rd position respectively. Md Faris Bin Md Dawood from Team R.A.G was voted as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for Leg 3. Photos of Leg 3, http://www.weplaypaintball.com/forum/index.php?topic=590.0

Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC), Johor Cup, Leg 5

5 Singapore based teams represented Singapore in the MPOC Leg 5. Team Damnation Wargh! and Red Sevens participated in the Division 3 category while Team Red Dynasty, Team E.X.A and PSG Warfreakz participated in the Division 4 category. Singapore teams posted a reasonable performance with PSG Warfreakz and Team Red Dynasty clinching the 3rd and 4th position respectively.

Basic Tournament Orientation, 30 Nov 08

The Basic Tournament Orientation (BTO) will be held on 30 Nov 08. The focus of the BTO is to promote tournament paintball in Singapore and ensuring that paintball safety is adhered to. The BTO will comprise of a theory test and 2 practical games to assess players’ competency. More information about the BTO can be found in http://www.weplaypaintball.com/forum/index.php?topic=123.0

World Cup Asia 2008, 13 – 16 Nov 08

Singapore will be represented by 2 teams in this year’s World Cup Asia which will be held from 13 – 16 Nov 2008. This event will be participated by 66 Asia teams from 3 categories. Team Damnation and Red Sevens will fly the Singapore flag in the 3rd Division category.

PAINtball 101 Clinic, 7 Dec 08

New to paintball? Want to know more about the game? Can’t find the right gang to play with? PAINtball 101 Clinic will let you know more about paintball and best of all, you can come alone. Participants will get to skirmish with one another and get to know people from the paintball community. To register, please visit www.weplaypaintball.com/forum

Student Paintball Promo, 15 Nov – 31 Dec 08

Students who are keen to take up paintball during the December school holiday can book a weekday session at Red Dynasty Paintball Park between 9.00 am – 2.00 pm. A paintball promotion of $20.00 for 50 paintballs will be offered to all students (with student card verification) who are interested. Advanced booking is required.

“Dye or Die” Sales – Till 9 Dec 08

All Dye or Proto paintball products are slashed to low down prices. Offer items range from Dye I3 Pro Invision mask at $150.00 (usual: $198.00) only! More paintball products can be viewed at http://www.weplaypaintball.com/Item.html

Bye 2008...Hello 2009!

We have concluded the Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2008. It was all fun.

The Overall Champion went to PSG Warfreakz, having participated in all 3 legs, 2 podium finish and accumulating enough points to pit everyone else, see them sitting comfortably at the top. Congratulation guys! You have made history. First champion of the SPNS!

Also, it was good to see the rise of another paintball team, Team Carnage which is led by Thomas Lee, the nominated MVP for Leg 2. Carnage has always been a formiable team, good in paintball fundamentals and obviously young and fast enough to make the dives and get into bunkers quickly. They have recruited a guest player, Sean from Death Maverick for this leg. I must say this is a good decision. Sean was playing paintball way before anyone else, before Thomas, before White Death was even formed, before there was Red Dynasty. I remember him wanting to play almost every weekend when he first hooked to the game. Young, humble, skillful... I would like to see how this young man can spur on the development of paintball in Singapore.

Little mentioned was this Leg's MVP, Faris who plays for Team R.A.G. Fine young body builder who just picked up paintball 3 weeks ago and there he was, recognized by the paintball community as the most valuable player for Leg 3. Fair enough... the other day, I was training Contract Killer on snapshooting and asked him to join us. This kid was amazingly accurate. While he still need some improvements on his stance. This guy is a natural...good on you mate! I could see the disappointment on his eyes when his team didnt make the cut to the 2nd round but there are so much potential.

We didnt get much media coverage for leg 3.

Kudos to redsports.sg for seeing the potential in paintball. I was actually quite disappointed that we only have a listing on TNP and nothing else. I was thinking maybe this time there are more things that could be newsworthy...but it doesnt seem like it. Never mind, we will continue to work hard to dispel your misconception about paintball.

I have heard this so many times, "Oh....paintball is not a sport" yah right! Next year, it will be in the World Games. If its not a sport, what about cup stacking? ballroom dancing? Anything can be a sport. Walking can be a sport. Just come and look at the intensity of how the game is being played. It is DEFINITELY, 100% NO DOUBT a sport. We have marshals, rules, fixtures, wins and losses...so how is it not a sport? I am confuse...all we need is a chance. So let us have it! A fair one please! So will it be a sport if we have a PALS Singapore next year? maybe, perhaps...

Anyway...here's to the paintball community in Singapore! We look forward to seeing all of you again for "SPNS 2009: Close to Heart"