Post Singapore Paintball Series disorder syndrome!

The Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2013 Leg 2 was held at The Cage Sports Park on 7 & 8 October 2013. A total of 33 teams participated in the event with a legion of overseas players from Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. Malaysia All Female Team, Siren made their first appearance in the SPS with other Malaysia teams such as Team Throne and WTF Dragonz from Penang and Kuala Lumpur respectively. The SPS which was formerly known as the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) from 2008 - 2009 is Singapore's oldest and most established paintball tournmaent which focuses on paintball development and promotion in Singapore. The SPS provides a competitive platform for local and overseas paintball enthusiasts to compete on a friendly ground and to pit their skills against one another. "Paintball sport in Singapore has progressed over the years, it is imperative for us to continue to nurture this sport and introduce this game to as many people as we can" exclaimed Jane Koh, SPS Tournament Director.

Team ZOO which claimed the Champion position in SPS Leg 1 took the SPS Open Division Overall Champion Title after their final game against Throne from Malaysia. In the Bratpack Division 3 category, Team A.C.E.S with their consistent performance whole year round won the Overall Series Champion Title. Hellions SG from Division 4 took the top honours when they finished with a double champion by cliniching the Leg Champion and the Overall Series Champion for Division 4.

This leg of the event was also well supported by various corporate sponosors such as Bratpack, Sanuk, Timbuk2, SPY, Dye Asia, Advantage Sports Therapy Centre, Red Dynasty Paintball Park, Paintballers World Pro Shop, Grundy Sports Supplies, Anthrax Customs and Universal AV Pte Ltd who contributed generously with their wonderful products and services.

"We would like to thank all corporate sponsors who recognizes our effort in promoting and developing this sport in Singapore. We hope for more corporate sponsors to step forward to support our passion for paintball. We have a passionate community in paintball sport and the SPS is a good platform for everyone to come together and enjoy the game" said Ben Seow, SPS Tournament Promoter.

The SPS Organizing has several plans in stored for next year, first in the plan for 2014 is to fill the Singapore calendar with more paintball events so that players can practice and compete on a more regular basis. There are plans to adopt another new format competition in 2014. The committee also have plans to work closely with local paintball operators so that the sport can be developed through a unification body such as the SPS.

For more information about Singapore Paintball Series, please visit their website, www.singaporepaintballseries.com

10 great tips for paintball!

Just came back from a tournament and thought that perhaps I can jot down some of the things which went through my head this weekend so more people can benefit from our experiences:

1)     Always stick to the game plan. We spent time off the field talking about the biggest game plan to counter our opponents but how many players can actually stick to what is instructed of them? The game plan involved the entire team coming together to put off the greatest offense or defense and all it takes is one player to disregard the game plan and everything falls apart. So in future, if there is a game plan, do your best to stick to it. The plan involves the team and not just the individual. Of course, there is room for you to do other stuff but do your best to follow the game plan.

2)     Be versatile. To be a good player, one has to understand the fundamentals of playing in different positions in the field. Yes, when you first started the game, there is often than not a preferred position which you want to be in but that does not mean that you have to stick to that position all the time. As the game progresses, you are required to do more than just playing behind the same bunker. Being able to play in all positions and in all bunkers not only allow you to understand the roles and responsibilities of each playing position but also help you to step up to the role in critical time of the game.

3)     Understand the objective of paintball. How can you win games? Firstly, you can eliminate all opposing players in the field. Secondly, you can hang the flag or in the case of race-2 you push the buzzer. Assuming you ran out of paintballs or you ran out of air in your tank or your marker is down, how can you still win the game? The answer is obvious; you hang the flag or press the buzzer. So if you are behind a bunker and not wanting to go for the flag or the buzzer what will become of you? A sitting duck I say. You are not contributing to the team and thus not able to win games. In summary, do something and don’t just sit there. Human shield perhaps.

4)     Gun skills. Treat the marker as though it is part of you. Be comfortable with holding the marker using both hands. Think of it as part of you and so allows for great maneuver.

5)     Don’t take more than 3 seconds to load your paintballs. Learn to load your marker while shooting. Learn to load your marker without putting it down. Learn to load your marker fast. Simple principles to holding down a lane and not wanting your opponent to bump while you are off guard. Remember when your marker is out there shooting, you are suppressing your opponent and higher possibility of winning games than not shooting.

6)     Be sneaky sneaky. Yes, the sneakier you are the more kills you get. Keep shooting at your opponent will definitely stop them from moving up to the next bunker. By stopping them from doing that, you can never get the elimination that you want. Understand when to shoot and when not too shoot. Constant shooting doesn’t necessary means its good. When you create opportunity for your opponents to move, you lure them into your kill zone and that is when you make the hunt.

7)     Be a hunter who can also be a prey. Lure your opponents and hunt them down. Change your technique when necessary. A hunter needs to prey but he too can sometimes be the bait. Players need to understand their roles at each course of the game by seeing the bigger picture behind the team’s win. When in good position to become bait, it is often good to make a hunter out of your teammate and let them make the kill.

8)     Understand the rules. A player can only play the game better if he/she understands every single rule in the game. Just as any sport, you need to use the rules to your advantage. Likewise in paintball, understanding the rules will allow the player to fully appreciate everything there is to the game and thus change their decision of the game play according to their advantage. Where time is a factor to win games, one need to plan and play out their strategy according to the game duration.

9)     Open your eyes and listen. Use your ears and listen to your coach and supporters. They are always out there giving you vital information to close the game. Don’t hesitate to move when you are instructed to do so, make sure you follow to your coach instructions. As they say, the outsiders’ view is always clearer.

10)  Read your opponent’s game. Don’t just sit in the pits and do nothing. Spend time observing each and every team which you are going to play. Observe how your opponent team breaks out, do they play the snake? Do they stack up at home? Do they have corner runners? Do they run up the middle? Observe and take notes, especially observing every movement of your opponent. Reading your opponent’s move can give you the upper edge.

There you have it! 10 great tips for your next outing! Have fun!

Watch "Act of Valor" Movie for FREE!

Red Dynasty Paintball Park in partnership with Golden Village Singapore presents FREE movie tickets and FREE paintball game packages for up to 10 persons! This is one of the best movie deal to date and is open to everyone! Just last week, 10 pairs of movie premiere tickets were given away to fans of Red Dynasty Paintball Park when they took part in a mini facebook contest by naming the launch date of the movie and this week, both parties took a step further by giving away 60 movie tickets to customers of Red Dynasty Paintball Park! This is part of the initiative to award game organizers who took the effort to organize paintball games for their friends! WHAT A DEAL! For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/RedDynastyPaintball

About Red Dynasty Paintball Park

Red Dynasty Paintball Park was established in 2007. It is currently the biggest paintball park in Singapore. With 3 playing fields and a shooting gallery, Red Dynasty Paintball Park caters to the best paintball teambuilding experience for schools, corporate organizations and for friends and families. Located in Bottle Tree Park (Yishun), Red Dynasty Paintball Park is only 10 minutes walk away from Khatib MRT which provides great accessibility to everyone! Participants can take part in other activities such as remote controlled car racing, long kang fishing and prawning and other fun and exciting activities for people of all ages. Red Dynasty Paintball Park is also the most frequent paintball place for competitive paintball players. This is where competitive paintball was introduced and brought into Singapore in 2007. Many paintball teams that you see today have train and practice in Red Dynasty Paintball Park making it the best place to learn the art of playing paintball. There are paintball coaches who will guide you along and teach you the basic fundamentals of playing paintball just like when you first attended school! For more information, please visit www.weplaypaintball.com

Pictures published belong to rightful owner.

My paintball story

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.

Red Sevens and Heartbreakers - Singapore Champion in 2011!

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.

Inter Tertiary Paintball Championship (ITPC) 2011

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.

Red Dynasty Paintball Park Rookie Challenge - 30 Jan 2011

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!

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

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

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!

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.

Singapore Paintball Series 2010 - Post event report

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!

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!

"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.

Noob Wars - The first step to paintball!

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...

Why you should join the Singapore Paintball Series 2010?

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!

Red Sevens Basic Paintball Course - 6 June 2010

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 Basic Paintball Course - 6 June 2010

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

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.

Please take a look at our sport and do something...

If this means anything to anyone... I am writing this topic in hoping to get the attention of influential authorities in Singapore to take a look at the sport that we all love. As it is, paintball guns (markers, that's how paintballers like to call it) are consider as firearms in Singapore and illegal for individual possession, meaning unlike conventional sports such as football, archery and wakeboarding, etc, where interested individuals can participate the sport using their own equipment and enjoying the game at specific location, paintball is often classified as an unfriendly sport. Major parts of this being the fact that serious paintballers are not allow to possess their own personal paintball markers in Singapore.

It is not hard to understand that if you want to do bowling, you will need to go to a bowling alley and if you want to play squash, you have to go to a squash court and if you want to do boxing, you need to step into the boxing ring. Likewise for paintball, if you want to paint, you will have to go to a paintball center... Well, that's a given and most people are very clear about this. The truth is... before paintballers become hardcore players, they are often introduced to recreational paintball using house rental markers and making progression into the sport. However, if these players decide to participate paintball at a competitive level then problems start arising. In the past, there used to be a center divider in the middle of the field which restrict players from going across to the opposite side thus preventing players from getting into body contact... tell this to any hardcore paintballers and they will tell you that paintball is a non physical contact sport. This restriction was enforced in Singapore for the last 11 years and was officially removed in November 2009. Kudos to the authorities for doing that... seriously, it meant a lot to Singapore paintball as we are in the midst of doing "catching up" to our neighbours, Malaysia. Many players around the Asia region highly regard Malaysia as the "Paintball Hub of Asia" which I have no complains about... Malaysia is indeed the paintball hub of Asia! Just look at the number of tournaments, the number of people playing paintball and the number of paintball field sprouting across the country in the last 3 years. Surely, Singapore paintball is in no comparison to Malaysia’s development as the latter has received tremendous support from its grassroots and all the way to government sectors such as the sports ministry and the tourism board. With the welcoming of the sports also see a level of flexibility in the possession of paintball markers. This being said... Singaporeans were actually introduced to paintball earlier than Malaysians (told to me by one of the seniors of the industry). That's the kind of "catching up" that I am referring to.

With a restriction on individual possession in Singapore, is this the end of competitive paintball for Singaporeans? Seriously, I don't have an answer; I don't think anyone has an answer to that (well, at least for now...). Ask anyone in Malaysia about paintball and they can describe to you what it is... well, at least the part of the game causing pain and bruises. Ask any Singaporean on the street and you might end up with "Ping Pong" (Allan, if you are reading this, I am not talking about you). So what is preventing paintball from getting the same level of awareness as in Malaysia? I really don’t know... perhaps it is our typical Singaporean attitude of being “bochup, don’t care, don’t know” attitude. What we really need is to make paintball more informative and please if you are serious about promoting paintball in Singapore, don’t go around showing off your battle scars to people who have not played the game before... don’t take photos of your scars and post them on Facebook... that is 100% not the right way to introduce people to playing the sport.

Providing facts of the game is what we really need now... what we need is a good piece of study paper supported by reputable universities stating the advantages of playing paintball, the safety aspects of participating in paintball, the number of people playing paintball, the development and progress of the game... maybe until we have a good compilation of these facts and figures then somebody from the authorities might bother to look at our sport. Still... it is not the perfect solution. We still need a very supportive representative who is also a good presenter who is willing to put his job on the line for the good cause of paintball. He/she will need to present the studies to his higher management which are very likely to know paintball as a recreational sport and it being dangerous. At least that's how it works in Singapore... Of course during the meeting, when you get questions like "where are the risks assessments?", "how can it benefit us?", "how safe is safe?”, “how many people are we catering this sport to?", “who watches paintball?” all the representative need to do is to throw his arms wide open and goes "TAAADAAAAHHH!!!!", shouting out loud "THERE YOU GO! I CAME PREPARED!" That's not all...you have to convince him to do the same thing when his boss ask him the same questions later. And we all know that it might never come...

Something that always puzzled me... and I am not saying bad about other sports but drawing some comparison against other sports in Singapore. For example, archery... well, school kids participate in archery, living the Robin Hood in them (yeah, I am stereotypic). You see them carrying their bow and arrows around the school... on the MRT... and you think it is safe? Think again...

Well... firstly, for paintball markers to work, we will need air pump into these markers and trust me, air doesn’t come easily without the right equipment and knowledge of tank filling. Second, kids will always be kids... shooting an apple off my friend’s head is something I always wanted to do... but of course, my sub conscious mind will tell me that it is very dangerous to do that so you never see that happening. Arrows are sharp; they pierce through things... like human bodies DOH! Compound bow arrows can travel up to 300 fps... hey... similar to the speed of a travelling paintball. Er... but paintballers are smart, we put on paintball goggle. Paintballs break on impact, paintball doesn't stain and it is biodegradable. So yeah!!!! We are more concern about the safety of the sport and we are a safer sport! We even have an age restriction to participate in paintball games!

So then...it leave us with the word “intention”... ask any serious archers to go around public places carrying a bow and some arrows and "play Robin Hood" in HDBs or parks and they will tell you that you must be crazy. Reason is simple, they don't do that. They love the sport too much to be acting like fools playing “Robin Hood” in public. Likewise, ask any serious paintballers to go around shooting paintballs in the public and they will tell you go "Frack off" because they know that it is not right. So what's the problem of having individual possession? Didn't we do it for real guns... like guns stored in gun clubs? Hmmm.... I just don't understand the differences, since when are paintball guns more lethal than real guns or it is a case of not wanting to embrace the change of the paintball? Paintball has come a long way from playing in the jungle to a multimillion sport business. Millions of people have played paintball before... a child in his teens has played paintball before, a senior person has played paintball before, a lady who leads a sedentary lifestyle has played paintball before... and they all came out fine. Not only that... ask them about their first paintball experience and they will be tell you details as though it just happened yesterday. Because paintball is fun!

Paintball is dangerous! Surely a sweeping statement... if the sport of boxing and wrestling can be in the YOG... how dangerous can paintball be? I don’t participate in recreational boxing... and I don’t do recreational wrestling... but I am sure millions of corporate office blue and white collar workers have played paintball before.

Let's put this into perspective... if you are a boxer, would you be afraid of receiving punches from your opponents? If you are a wrestler, would you be afraid of your opponents twisting your arms and legs? I think the answer is obvious... if you are a serious paintballer or for the matter of fact someone who pays to play paintball with your friends, would you be afraid of being shot? Well, yes... I would. But no I don’t if I know that this is part and parcel of getting into the sport. So what is so dangerous about paintball? You might have heard of people getting injured from playing paintball... broken ankle, twisted arm, blar blar blar... well... I am sure you have also heard of stories where people died while boxing, people who drowned while swimming, people who fought during a rugby match (well... yeah, those are kids from reputable schools)... its part and parcel of participating in a sport and not just any sport, it is an adrenaline rushing sport, aren’t we talking about promoting extreme sports in Singapore? I read articles of kids driving go kart with the recent go kart hype... we are talking about teenagers who do not need a driving licence to kart... I am not sure about you; I have done karting a few times but everytime I stepped onto the track... I feel vulnerable. And I am a licenced driver.

And recently, there's MMA... "that's so dangerous!!!" tell that to the people who love it... surely, there are some misconception in paintball.

We need to change... we need to adapt to changes. Haven’t we heard this long enough? Tell that to my granny and she will tell you that she needs to learn how to surf the net to keep up to the changes. Paintball has evolved... it started as a recreational game and now it has evolved into a sport. We need to change the regulations to keep ourselves relevant to the changes. One of the most classic examples... the casino. Not only do we have one casino... we have two casinos! We need to embrace the change guys... look into your system and change the regulations accordingly or fall into the mistake of being outclassed.

Enough is enough... we have heard of your invalid excuses of “How many people in Singapore plays paintball?”, “How many spectators can your sport draw as compared to F1? We have a total of 50000 runners!!!”... I will be the first to tell you not to compare apples with oranges. Both are different in nature. Don't compare the S-league with the BPL... you will not convince us. I am actually flattered when paintball was compared to a local marathon in terms of the number of participants.

Sometimes we need to be realistic too. It takes 2 hands to clap... so we understand the need for everyone to work together to make things work, especially in Singapore. We would love to have the biggest paintball event in Singapore, we would love to be allow to store our paintball markers in paintball centers (the word is “our” and not rentals), we would love to see students in school participating in paintball tournaments with all the different divisions. But we also need to be realistic... we need to ask ourselves: “What are we doing to achieve that?” Promoting and starting a brand new sport in a school is one of the toughest things in Singapore... we should be glad that there is a proper system that we can work towards to... the CCA branch’s door one that we should be knocking on. We will then be asked the same question again... “how many people are playing paintball competitively in Singapore?”... okay... say we allow you to promote paintball in our school, can you please appoint a coach for us? For those who are not really into sports, in order to be a certified coach recognized by the Singapore Sports Council, you will need to pass the National Coaching Accreditation Programme (NCAP) theory and practical. It is easy to register for the NCAP theory... where you will need to undergo classes such as sports psychology, sports nutrition, sports fitness, etc. But what about the practical part? Hmmm... paintball has only 30 years of history and as far as I know, there is no certification for paintball coaching in the world... so food for thoughts in a paper chase country like Singapore. Is this the end or the beginning? We will be there eventually... but let’s help ourselves to get this game going first.

As an ardent supporter and promoter of Singapore paintball, I would love to see progress for the sport. As mentioned in my previous entry, we will need the support of these 3 parties to make a transformation: organizers, players and government agencies. As players, we will also need to know that not only do we form the basis of the game; we are also ambassadors for this sport. Let’s help ourselves to get this game going... instead of relying on others. We have a new interim committee for PBAS, so please lend them your support too!

PS. If you are reading this article and you think that there are some truth to this writing, please help to circulate it to anyone whom you deemed fit, otherwise, just ignore the rumblings...