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...

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.

Exkay in town!

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

More information at www.weplaypaintball.com/forum

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

Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge Post Report - By Nadine Wu

RED DYNASTY ROOKIE CHALLENGE 2010

SINGAPORE, Sunday, 31^st January 2010 – It was like a day out for some newbies at one of Singapore’s most fledgling extreme sports – Paintball. Recognizing the shortage in avenues for beginners to get a feel of Speedball, more commonly known as Tournament Paintball, without having to suffer humiliating defeat at major international tournaments, event organizers at Red Dynasty Paintball Park took on the role of creating more opportunities for rookies to gain some valuable game experience under their belts.

The Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge 2010 is aimed at encouraging newcomers to cast their inhibitions to the wind and take their interest in the sport above the line, a step closer to joining the big boys already firmly acquainted with the sport. A total of 6 teams registered for the opening leg of the Rookie Challenge. Only rookie players above 14 years of age were eligible for the mini-tournament. The format of the day was a 4-vs-4 hopper ball game. This meant that In contrast to the rules and regulations followed in conventional tournaments, only 4 players were fielded at a time, with each player equipped with only 100 paintballs for an each 5-minute game.

Altogether, teams played five qualifying games in a round robin format, followed by the semi-finals which were played by only the top 4 ranking teams based on the accumulation of Match Points (MP) and Elimination Differences (ED) at the end of the first round. Upon successfully qualifying for the semi-finals, the format then turned to a best-of-three, knock-out scenario, which essentially made it anybody’s game. Having been ranked at the top for the qualifiers would come to mean nothing if teams did not give a show of consistency or perhaps even game endurance.

The morning started out great with no hint of a storm brewing anywhere or threatening to foil a fantastic day for Paintballing. All teams arrived way before the stipulated time to get warmed up and mentally prepped for the grueling day ahead. While some teams came freakishly prepared, with their own private tents, beverage coolers and even what looked like a chess board of play dough bunkers set atop a gridded cutting board for enhanced visualization, some teams psyched themselves up with thunderous yet amusing war cries and then there were others that took to the more come-what-may approach of appearing calm, cool, collected and really, nothing more. Despite the obvious differences in disposition, there was no real sign of a dominant team right from the start.

The first game commenced with Black Aces Team 2 going up against Raving Lunatics Team 1. Even as the first game of the tournament, this was a game to watch as both teams had been gearing up steadily for this day more than a month ahead. So serious about their first-ever tournament was the former that for practice, the Black Aces, captained by Mohamed Hasnon, 33, had brought their own self-constructed “mock markers” to facilitate the practicing of their break-out patterns from the starting frame. These guys had even spent a good portion of their Saturday evening at the competition site, walking the field – a must-do for all seasoned Paintballers prior to competition day. Yet, in spite of their pre-event vigilance, the Black Aces found it difficult staying alive in their first game. Team 1 of the Raving Lunatics on the other hand had found their footing quite early in the qualifiers to swiftly take out all 4 men on the opposition’s team, coming away with one sole survivor. It was a good start for the latter and it seemed to have been that way all throughout the first round of the Tournament.

Unlike their brethrens in Team 1, Team 2 of the Raving Lunatics did not have as much of an easy time for most of their games during the qualifying matches. Against their first opponents, Phobos & Deimos, it seemed as though the Lunatics had exited the field without so much of a modicum of knowledge of what had hit them within their few short minutes on the field. Compared to their highly aggressive opponents, the Lunatics looked clueless on the field, unaware of the enemy coming point-blank at them. Yet, it could also have been that Phobos & Deimos’s very unexpected and offensive style of play so early in the game that had thrown them off a little more than they had expected.

The Heartbreakers, a team comprised of very energetic, young men and led by Captain, Kenny Leow, 21, had also come away with a good start during their first match against the Daredevils. It was clear that the former had a game plan right from the start, which they were disciplined enough not to veer away from, even if most of the other teams were inclined to use the first round of games as a test-drive. Over at the other camp, the Daredevils, the only team with a female member tried their best to weather the storm paintballs that were mercilessly showered on them, cleaning them out in under 2 minutes.

By the end of Round 3 of the qualifiers, the specific styles of play for each and every team had become quite apparent. With Phobos & Deimos winning 3 straight games with nothing but ease, it was clear they were going for the gold. Their consistent offensive style of play had worked extremely well for them. A general sentiment on felt amongst the participating teams was that Phobos & Deimos being the most aggressive team at the tournament, was definitely not to be trifled with.

The guys from Raving Lunatics also had much more to show than the sheer numbers that had accompanied them that day. Having won the most number of games during the Qualifying Round, Team 1 proved they were game for some good competition. At one point in their winning streak, the Lunatics had eliminated every single member of their opposition in less than 30 seconds. They clocked the fastest match time for the tournament having returned to base with the opposition’s flag in 44 short seconds.

It was definitely not all roses and butterflies for all the teams at the Rookie Challenge. By the end of the qualifiers, only 4 teams had made it to the semi-finals – Raving Lunatics Team 1, Heartbreakers, Phobos & Deimos and Black Aces Team 2. Sufficient recognition must be given to Team 2 of the Raving Lunatics and the Daredevils for their perseverance and will throughout the Tournament. While the teams might not have boasted the correct fundamentals of the sport, they had great sportsmanship and seemed to take each win or loss within their stride.

For the Semi-Finals, Raving Lunatics Team 1, which had topped the ranking chart with a total of 12 MPs was up against Black Aces Team 2 in Semi-Final 1. The Heartbreakers on the other hand, were up against Phobos & Deimos in Semi-Final 2. At this juncture, it was down to which team wanted it really, really bad. Having won 4 out of their 5 qualifying rounds, many would have expected the Semi-finals matches between the Lunatics and the Aces to be done quite swiftly. However, within minutes of the first semi-final match between the two teams, all pre-match guesses and predictions had been tossed into disarray. Within the opening seconds of the match, the Aces, had taken 2 of the formers’ core members out, leaving the other members stranded and helpless. The game had ended in 1:25 minutes, with the Aces still 3-men strong. For the second match, with the end looming scarily near, the Lunatics were all fired up and sure that they would even the score with the Aces. And that they did, when they too swept the field clean of enemies with exactly the same MPs and EDs. It was now dead even and the final game between the two teams boiled down to just sheer will and determination. The third and final round of Semi- Final 1 had been drawn out for a much longer period of time compared to the earlier two games. However, fatigue must have set in at the worst time when a momentary lapse of concentration caused the Lunatics the win. Semi-Final 1 ended with Black Aces Team 2 entering the Finals while Raving Lunatics Team 1 were invited to compete in the 3^rd-4^th playoffs.

Unlike the initial situation in Semi-Final 1, the semis between the Heartbreakers and Phobos & Deimos looked as though it was going to be anybody’s match. It seemed like not enough strategic planning had gone into ensuring that the Heartbreakers would not meet the threat that Phobos & Deimos was going to pose. Having suffered a previous defeat in the qualifiers, however, the Heartbreakers were not about to allow themselves to face a second defeat. With that in mind, the boys dominated the game right from the first second wiping out every single member on Phobos & Deimos’s side within 1:14 minutes and with no lives lost. To secure their entry into the Finals, the Heartbreakers had no intention in going easy on Phobos & Deimos in their second game. While the latter put up a good fight, the former quickly captured the opposition’s flag to bring it all the way home. The Finals was to be played by the Heartbreakers and Black Aces Team 2.

Having got off to a shaky start, Black Aces Team 2 was dubbed by tournament officials as the dark horse of the Tournament. While they had lost their first game, they had quickly picked themselves up to win the next game for themselves. And just as their spirits were reignited, they suffered yet another unsettling defeat against Phobos & Deimos. At the end of the Qualifying Round, the Black Aces had won but 2 games, were tied against the Heartbreakers and lost another 2 games. At this point in time, they were either in or out. In spite of their inconsistency, Head Referee, Muhammad Fadzri Bin Abdul Rashid, 23, cited how the team must have had the “best form of communication as they took commonly used terms [in Paintball] and made them their own, using these terms differently as codes that only they would understand.”

While the Black Aces were the underdogs of the tournament, the Heartbreakers on the other hand were slated to win. Perhaps, the preconceptions had come from the fact that though the team had been comprised of inexperienced players, most of these players are also Part-time Employees at Red Dynasty Paintball Park that happened to have fallen in love with the sport. It was much like playing on home ground for them. Even so, it appeared that it was not familiarity that had helped them through the qualifiers but good strategic planning done mostly by one guy, Benjamin Leong. Unlike the other teams, the Heartbreakers had a game plan for every match they went into. Other than being the most disciplined team in terms of zealously committing to the game plan, Muhammad Fadzri being at the heart of all the action also commented on how they had the “best field awareness and dynamic style of play – They used a defensive style of play when the situation called for it and conveniently switched to an offensive style when the time was right.”

However, not all was perfect for the Heartbreakers as they incurred some severe penalties during what most would consider a critical point in the tournament – the Finals. During the first match, a 1-4-1 penalty was warranted as a member had continued playing after being hit, and later, the team suffered an even heavier 2-4-1 penalty, resulting in not just a draw game but also a nail-biting situation. Without a firm standing in the finals for either of the teams, both the Heartbreakers and the Black Aces fought hard to bring the win home during the second round but it was the Heartbreakers that lady luck smiled upon for that split second giving them the short-lived lead. One might say that the Black Aces sure had some serious game endurance as the team kept the good fight going. It was practically deja vu for the latter as once again, they were in for a tie by the end of the third round of the Finals as both teams had finished with the same MPs, which meant only one thing – a 1-vs-1 sudden death match.

Sending their best man forward, the Heartbreakers nominated Leong to take the heat, while over at the other camp, it was up to Timothy Joshua Chen to bring it home for the team. The start of the intense final game began with both players crouching low at their bases ready to make a dash for the nearest bunker. But at the sound of “Game On”, while Chen sprinted ahead to take cover, Leong simply fired what could almost have been 5 warning shots to his opponent. Cocky as it might have appeared, slowing the pace down to think about his next move may have been the best tactic. While the Leong resolved to stay passive for a few moments, Chen trudged up steadily to the 50s line treading deeper and deeper into enemy territory. With good timing and pace, Leong made a quick foray into the left corner bunker directly ahead and remained there briefly before hearing footsteps on his left. Ready for the offensive, Leong wrapped the right of the bunker he was at, only to find a startled Chen who clearly had not anticipated the find. With a few instinctive reaction shots, Leong managed to mark his opponent well and good to bring home the Championship in under a minute.

When asked to comment briefly about the Tournament, Head Referee, Muhammad Fadzri said that he liked what he received from the teams. Teams like Black Aces Team 2 who not only showed great sportsmanship but also embodied the spirit of the Tournament especially impressed him. On the whole, he mentioned, there was a positive vibe from all participants and there was a great deal of good sportsmanship displayed by everyone whether they had won or lost.

Article contributed by:

Nadine Wu

Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge 2010 - HEARTBREAKERS Champion!

Heartbreakers - Champion of Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge

Participants of Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge

6 teams participated in the Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge on 31 Jan 2010 and as the competition name suggest the challenge was held in Red Dynasty Paintball Park. This is the first time that such challenge is organized and surely not the only one in 2010. The objective of the rookie challenge is to establish a competitive platform for the purpose of introducing the game of speedball to new paintball enthusiasts who have recently picked up the sport. With a 4 versus 4 format and a limit of 100 paintballs per load, the game pace of this challenge is rapid and provides the same competition intensity for all paintballers.

The 6 participating teams who took part in this challenge are Phobos and Deimos, Black Aces 2, Raving Lunatics 1, Raving Lunatics 2, Dare Devils and Heartbreakers.

Playing a round robin format during the qualifying rounds, it was Raving Lunatics 1 who topped the table with a impressive run of 4 wins and 1 lost. They were followed by Semi Finalists, Heartbreaks (2), Phobos and Deimos (3) and Black Aces (4). In the Semi Final games where the best of 3 games format is adopted, the Heartbreakers took an early lead by getting 2 wins from Phobos and Deimos. The Black Aces 2 and Raving Lunatics 2 took a game each with the event winner meeting Heartbreakers in a Finals. Eventually, it was Black Aces 2 who adopted a defensive strategy against the Raving Lunatics 2 that went through. The final game was settled through a 1 versus 1 by Ben Junior (from Heartbreakers) and Joshua (from Black Aces) when both teams were tied on a win each and a draw in the earlier game which saw no surviving players on the field.

The Heartbreakers eventually won the challenge with a patience approach during the 1 versus 1 game and saw them clinched the first Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge title. Congratulations Heartbreakers... and as the Head Marshal, Fuzz concluded about the challenge: "Keep the fire burning...", we hope to see all players developed themselves into better players and help to spread the love of paintball in Singapore.

Red Sevens - Developing paintball in Singapore

Red Sevens conducted a "Paintball 101" session last Sunday at Red Dynasty Paintball Park. This session was attended by 18 participants, all of whom have some playing experience but would like to know more about playing paintball competitively. This is also the first time since Red Sevens was established that a workshop was conducted.

Red Sevens was formed in 2006 by a group of paintball enthusiasts who wants to promote and develop the game of competitive paintball in Singapore. Often known as the first competitive team in Singapore, this team has participated up to 30 paintball tournaments in the region and will be playing in the Division 2 category in 2010. Highlight of the team was when they were invited to represent Singapore in the Asia Paintball Invitational Tournament (APIT) 2009 in Kao Hsiung, Taiwan as a part of a demonstration sport in World Games 2009 and the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) Asia Invitational 2008 where professional paintball teams such as Dynasty, Infamous, Bushwackers and XSV were present to promote paintball in the Asia region.

For those who have missed this paintball workshop, do keep a look out for the next one in March/April 2010.

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.

Paintball clinic by Matthew Nekvapil at Red Dynasty

When Dean Apcar from UK Medway Halloween was in town last October, he introduced to us how a dorito player should behaved while playing the dorito bunker. Those who were at Red Dynasty definitely went home learning a trick or two. Dean's team was sitting on the Millenium Series 4th position in the Division 3 M5, so surely he knows what he is talking about.

This time, we managed to invite Matthew Nekvapil from Malaysia. Matthew started playing paintball in 2000 and has since represented McEffect, El Bandito and the Xtioneers. He is currently playing for Team Demonz who is also the current MPOC Division 1 Champion. Matthew is also part of the Asia contingent which represented Asia in the InterContinental Cup in Toulouse, France.

This 3 hour paintball clinic was attended by more than 20 participants from all playing levels. Areas that were covered includes shooting posture, sliding (yes...how can we missed out on the superman slide), shooting while running, etc. Surely, there was a lot to learn...information overloading some said. And to put all the techniques into good practices, participants were treated with some skirmish games. Surely can't ask for more for a free clinic... and to top off the good deal, some if not all participants were treated with complimentary paintballs!!!

Where do you find such good deals? One sentence to sum up his first meeting with the local community, Matthew said: "Lots of potential...."

"Why are you doing this?"

Got a call from a parent yesterday evening. This parent wanted to know more about paintball as she has never heard of it, never seen it and never tasted it. She wanted to know more about the game as her child is bugging her to give him consent to play paintball at RD. As I explained to her what paintball is all about, tuck in that little corner of her mind, she started to do "selective listening". Just before I can go into the teambuilding portion of paintball....she asked me one question "Why are you doing this? This is so dangerous".

Excusez-moi madamoiselle... paintball has been around in Singapore for more than 8 years if this activity is harmful, I am sure we will not be operating, so...maybe its not so dangerous afterall. So I tried to explain to her that paintball is not just about shooting one another and seeing bruises all over your body (though I cant deny, that this could be a possibility). She eventually gave in...

What I am trying to say here is that paintball has created so litte awareness. I feel for this sport to grow, for this game to become mainstream... we cannot rely on just 1 or 2 people. We need more people to step up and let more people know about the game. In order to do that, we need to understand a certain "flow"...I am sharing this because I dont think everyone thinks the same way and thus with the "flow" will be important when it comes to educating paintball.

1) Let them understand the need to play paintball. You can start of by telling them the good things about playing it, for example good communication, team building, etc.

2) To balance their expectation, dont just tell them the good things, also let them know about the risks involved. E.g. bruising, bleeding, etc. Let them know the safety aspects of the game. Show them the big picture on how this game has developed over the years.

3) Recreational play. This is self experiential learning...you cant teach this. Let them go into the field and play on their own. Through self discovery, you will learn more things.

4) Teach them how to play, e.g. shooting posture, how to shoot cross, communication. Correct them on simple things such as tunnel vision, doing head checks. This is the most critical part. Usually, people who are keen to improve their game will be attentive when you pass this information to them. If you see the glitter in their eyes when you are telling them what to do. The next thing you know, this guy will come back for more.

5) Next is to let them know about the cost of playing this game. 80% of the people I met (totally new to paintball), tell me that paintball is an expensive sport. I think I have said this many times on this blog but for the effort of "educating" more people, I thought perhaps, I will say this one more time. Paintball is can be an inexpensive sport but it all depends on how you play it (just ask me). Truely, paintball gears are expensive. This game is not soccer, basketball, netball....all you need is most probably a ball. A good comparison will be bowling (Thanks Tom). To bowl, you need to get your bowling ball, you need to get a good pair of shoes, you need to get a hand guard, you need a bowling bag, a piece of nice cloth. Once you get all the equipment to be a better bowler...you still need to pay for the lane fee, bear in mind that the lane fee is still the same price before you bought all your bowling equipment. I find similarity in this lane fee as compared to paintballs. So is paintball expensive? Yes and no.

6) Speedball - And the rest is history. Formation of teams, competitions, blar blar blar...

So why are we doing this? For the love of the game I guess. Be proud to let people know that you are playing paintball...often we are so embarrass about it... but you will be embarrassed if misconceptions are set upon this very people who ask you: "Do you play sports?" There it goes again...same old shit again...

Johor Bahru MPOC Leg 5

Last leg of the MPOC...the final leg for the year. Red Sevens qualified for Day 2 after a 10th placing at the end of Day 1. Not a very good showing but at least we made it to Day 2, which means that we are back on track (hopefully).

We were joined by 2 guest players, Spacemonkey and Noir who are both regulars at Red Dynasty. The former is a member of the Red Fraction and the latter is a junior player for Team Spectre in Penang. Playing for the first time together, I think we had a decent showing...not very good and certainly can be better. There were times when we lost our focus and got eliminated "cheaply". "Cheap" elimination here refers to being shot when playing to openly, shots that usually land on the mask or loader. Due to some miscommunication, Padam Pelita was unable to join us, its a real pity as the snake was hardly played by most teams and I am very sure that Padam Pelita will create a stir at the snake if he was there.

In fact, I would consider the Johor Cup as the toughest Division 3 leg in the MPOC for there are very good teams in the Southern region. Teams such as Ironsea Legion, Johor Pirates and D'Mercy Kidz are all very tough teams to play against. We were always on the fringe of qualification and securing wins were very important, every elimination counts to qualifying for the next round.

What is more amazing and interesting was the participation of 5 Singapore based teams. Other than Red Sevens, we were also joined by our local SPNS Overall Champion, PSG Warfreakz, the Red Dynasty Staff Team and Team Damnation Wargh! which were all competing in Division 4 and Team EXA who has a spot in Division 3. After a series of gruelling games, PSG Warfreakz and Red Dynasty Staff clinched the 2nd and 4th spot respectively. Team Damnation Wargh! also made it to the 2nd Round and quoting Amok "Technically, we didnt lose...we had 3 draw games". Playing for the first time together, Team EXA had their first taste of the Division 3 games. Although the results could be better, EXA held their heads up high as the 1st official full fledged Singaporean paintball team!!!

Now its back to the drawing board again as we anticipate our participation in the World Cup Asia 08... to Padam Pelita and Callio (if you are reading this blog), let's go out and kick some ass again!

The beginning of speedball in Singapore...History of Red Sevens

First Red Sevens Tournament - Werdnahol Cup. Look at that pants...haiz...RAMBO ah?

This photo was taken 2 years ago during the Werdnahol Cup. This was the first paintball tournament that was participated by the Red Sevens. We have since claimed to be the first Singapore paintball team although this was argued on numerous occasion by members of Team Nightmare who used to play in Power Paintball Park. Nightmare also claimed to be Singapore's first paintball team, though it was more of a local team playing together for recreational purposes. Nightmare's captain, Bill Fisher also known as Ikanman visited Red Dynasty last year. He joined us during the CNY gathering and was a prominent figure in the field. You can surely hear him from the back with his loud commanding voice. Too bad, we didnt take a photo together.


Our second tournament, MPOC...noticed that we were using mech markers against e-markers in Div 3. Slowpoke giving as pointers as a player-coach.

Members of the Red Sevens never knew one another. We knew each other through the internet. It started off from finding out more about paintball on the internet and happened to chance upon the World Cup Asia in 2005. Curious to find out more about the game, I made a lone trip to KL to witness what paintball was all about. To my surprise, paintball is in fact a very interesting game, speedball to be exact...for sure I was amazed by the uniforms, markers, rate of fire, masks but more importantly...the representation. There were representation from Thailand, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia...hey, where is Singapore? In fact, I was refused entry into the tournament area for I was without a crew, vistor or player tag. But it was worth it, as the rest was history.


We tried to get similar jerseys...Werdnahol Cup Leg 2.

Upon my return to Singapore, I told Elle about this game and how amazing it was. There were then plans to know more about the game. So we decided to form a paintball team....yes, with only 2 players. Then came the naming of the team, Red Orchids, Red Lions, Merlions, etc. Trust me it was a difficult time. Eventually, we came up with Red Sevens. Red is a representation of the Singapore flag and Sevens because we needed 7 members to form the team.

Then came the website...with no information and just a simple recruiting message.

Then we found Seburo who wrote to us and asked us if we are going for the Hybrid Paintball Clinic. We met him there and soon he was part of the team. With a 3 men team, we went on searching...that's when Calgar came along. Still serving his NS, he wanted to know more about paintball after playing a few sessions in OCC. Wanting to know more about the Red Sevens, we arranged to meet up at the Burger King in Novena. With him was Donovan, a 3rd sergant from the army. And we thought he was going to be our fourth... but it was Calgar who kept in contact with us and after a few training trips to KL, he joined us as our fourth.

Months later, I received an email from Padam Pelita, he was then working in Singapore and wanted to play paintball on a regular basis. Our first meeting was at the Starbucks of Plaza Singapura. He is a Malaysian who has been working in Singapore since 2005 and has always wanted to find kakis to play paintball. He chanced upon our website and wanted to meet up to talk paintball. In our first meeting, he brought us a DVD of the Dynasty Dysected 1. That was our first paintball DVD...and sure Elle and I were excited to watch it. We passed the night by watching the DVD and a brief introduction of the Red Sevens team. And soon, Padam became our fifth player.

On and off, we will have guest players from other teams who will play for us. We used to have Slowpoke from Tornado, Darlie from Neighbours Pulse, Rayson from Heatwave, Dragonboi (who is now a trainee pilot) and Monkey from ?? (I cant remember). As we were training and training and learning the game more, we were introduced to Team Infinity...then there were Doyok, the team captain and Callio...we will train together once in a while....and talk paintball. Weekends were usually in KL and paintballing for 2 consecutive days. Callio clicked very well with Red Sevens and soon...he became our sixth player. Having Callio around was always good...he gels the team and is definitely the PR man when we compete in tourneys. He will always light his ciggies and talk to other teams thus building rapport for us. And yes, we have 3 Malaysians playing for Red Sevens...but what the heck...we are still the first team from Singapore.

Darlie joining us occasionally...

One day, Kev-Lee from Death Maverick sent us an email. He wanted to try paintball too as it was his holidays and he wanted to travel overseas...so he thought, might as well make it a paintball holiday. So soon enough, we were shooting one another on the field. So in fact, Kev-Lee is one of the pioneer for speedball in Singapore. He was later joined by Sean, Andrew and Daryl...all of whom are still playing paintball.

Unfortunately for Kev-Lee, he was unable to join us soon after his holidays ended. Later, Seburo introduced his friend to us...he was Residentevilchef. Residentevilchef used to work as a chef and has since took a big career change and took up photography. His first session with us was in JB, he gel very well and soon he was part of the team, and thus the seventh. Being an excellent cook, Residentevilchef invited us to his home for dinner...it was to celebrate Seburo's birthday.

Overseas tournament was good...this was taken in Penang.

Hell, this guy can really cook! Till today, I cannot forget the melting salmon. Yeah...history of the team. Many parted ways...playing for other teams. We have since recruited Lydia and Ryan who will occassionally play for us. So far, we have played twice or thrice together.

In NPPL Asia, Darlie joined us again.

What is most amazing...is that we all started not knowing one another. Since playing paintball, my circle of friends is growing almost everyday... strangers became friends. People who dont know one another....some becoming best of pals. Paintball brings the world closer.

This weekend's MPOC, will be the 14th time that we are participating as a team. So wish us luck.

How to be the best front player in Singapore?

Ask Francis otherwise known as "Kiko". Our friend from the Philippines will be back in Singapore by November this year. Kiko was part of the champion team that won the PALS Division 2 in 2007. Back then he was playing for Global Gutz as a front player but he has since joined the Real Pinoy and will be participating in this year's Asia World Cup. The last time when he was in town, he imparted his skills to the paintball community. Those who were there will most probably remember "Kiko" for his charismatic smile and how fast he is on the field. He will be in Red Dynasty when he visits Singapore again. So keep a look out for him. The best in Asia? You will know what I mean when you see him on the field. Btw, he was coaching Carnage when they first started...

Dean Apcar...our friend from UK

Dean Apcar who plays for Medway Halloween was in town and decided to pay us a visit at Red Dynasty. It was a special appearance considering that we are a week away from SPNS and his visit was nicely time. Dean captained the Medway Halloween team which currently sits on 4th position of the M5 Millenium Series. Personally, I have learnt a trick or two from him....but the most amazing thing was to play alongside him and seeing him in action simply means that I will have to hit the gym soon.

Paintball in Singapore, the past and the present

Paintball in Singapore, the Past and the Present

Paintball was first introduced to Singapore in the year 1999. The first paintball facility (TAG Paintball) was established in the most eastern part of the city located in a family oriented resort known as Downtown East. This teambuilding game was somewhat similar to what many call “war” where two parties armed with paintball guns (commonly known as paintball markers in the paintball industry) go into the woods to shoot and “gun down” one another. As the famous phrase “no pain, no gain”, participants who are shot often left the game with bruise marks on their body after being shot at during the course of the game. With strict rules and regulations in Singapore, paintball markers have since been classified as firearm equipment. With the essential elements of teambuilding activity such as communication, strategizing and teamwork, the game of paintball has commonly been adopted as the game for all ages to “settle their differences” on the field. This has led to the establishment of 2 other paintball facilities in Sentosa (Power Paintball Park) and Toa Payoh in the late 90’s. However, these 2 establishments had to call it quits early as the cost of operating a paintball field in a land scarce country such as Singapore, is almost not the most cost effective business plan.

Since their closure, paintball was never in the mind of many Singaporeans and it became one of the most unheard of teambuilding activities with lurking myths such as expensive, army-liked, promotion of violence and the most important of all, dangerous. While it took 7 days to create earth, paintball development was in dormant for 8 years, all waiting for the right time to shed its skin. As Singapore moves towards national education, another paintball facility (Cross Fire) was established in 2005 on the western part of Singapore to allow Singaporeans to understand the importance of working together and if it fails so will our city.

While paintball was not potentially developed in Singapore for 8 years, its popularity is growing in numbers in most countries. With a growing number of participants every year, paintball has over the years become an activity that is suitable for people of all ages and different gender. The first paintball game was played in the woods with players dressed in camouflage uniforms spending an entire day out in the woods looking for “kills”. To create awareness and general acceptance of the game by the public, paintball has evolved from woods game into a team sports where many people are passionate about. Today, many people still begin their first paintball experience in the woods but move on the another evolution of the game otherwise known as speedball if they are more passionate in achieving well in the sports.

The first group of people who introduces speedball to Singapore belongs to a group of paintball enthusiasts who call themselves the Red Sevens. Since their formation, they have conducted numerous paintball awareness games and the promotion of paintball as a sport to many Singaporeans. Due to the lack of speedball facility, the team has to travel to Malaysia to practice and learn the game. Red Sevens represented Singapore as the first speedball team by participating in the 2nd Leg of Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit in 2007. Singapore also received its first international representation when Red Sevens was invited as the only Singapore team to participate in the Asia World Cup 2007 and the NPPL Asia Championship 2008. During the National Day Parade 2008, Red Sevens was featured on the segment of “Red on Red” and was shown live telecast to spectators of the parade.

The first paintball tournament that saw the participation of international teams from across the world was held in Malaysia and known as the Nations Cup. This inaugural international paintball tournament which was held in 2004 twinkle the light to allow more people in Asia to become aware of paintball. In 2007, the Asia World Cup which was held in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia was recognized as one of the top 50 events for the “Visit Malaysia Year” to mark its 50th Anniversary of independence from the colonial occupation.

With the support of the Singapore Sports Council, Paintball Singapore Society was formed in 2007 as a paintball interest group; it was not long that the name was eventually changed to Paintball Association (Singapore) PBAS to allow a structural overseeing of the development of paintball in Singapore. The primary objective of the PBAS is to ensure progressive development of paintball as a sport in Singapore. To allow paintball to develop into a mainstream sport in Singapore, members from the PBAS devised a Basic Tournament Orientation (BTO) course to allow beginners who are interested in pursuing the sport to undergo a theory and practical orientation to ensure that participants are aware of the necessary safety precautions when handling a paintball markers and other safety aspects of the game. After its formation, the PBAS was included as a recognized paintball association under the Asia Pacific Paintball Federation (APPBF) which oversees the development of paintball in the Asia Pacific region. The APPBF which is recognized by the Millennium Series and the Paintball Sports Promotion (PSP) went on to organize the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) and the Asia World Cup.

Singapore’s first speedball facility (Red Dynasty Paintball Park) was established in 2007 to facilitate the growth of speedball in Singapore. In less than 3 months of its establishment, Singapore’s inaugural paintball tournament, Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS), a 3-legged paintball tournament was borne with 7 participating teams. A local team named Redlords was crowned the inaugural champion of the event. In its first, the competitive paintball in Singapore was first featured on Straits Times sports section and on television with Channel News Asia during Leg 2 of SPNS.

While there are cultural differences and disparity in the regulation of laws in all countries of the world, paintball in Singapore will continue to grow and progress with more people getting awareness of the sport. While it takes time to grow a sport with good foundational base, the way in which paintball develops in the world has a direct impact on how paintball can be perceived as a mainstream sport as compared to the rest. While there are upcoming developmental plans for paintball to grow in Singapore, it is everybody’s effort to see and support the continual growth of this sport in Singapore.

Things can only be better...

Last year this time, there was only 1 tournament paintball team in Singapore. Right now, there are 6 and growing...all thanks to the creator of this paintball community. You! Yes, its you!

From HotFuzz, Death Mavericks, Red Lords, PSG Warfreaks...more teams are emerging from the scene and all taking up paintball as a sport and not from the angle of recreational. With 10 years of paintball history...if this was done much earlier, I am sure we will breed one of the best paintballer in town...reason is simple, when Singapore started paintball, Malaysia barely knew its existence. But look what's happening right now? We are 5 years behind...and maybe more! Our neighbours are organizing the World Cup! And we only have a novice series! Laughing stock it is...but never too late. With the inclusion of the Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2008 (SPNS) in paintball calender, let us take pride in our every own paintball league, let us take some time off to reflect on the future of this sport, let us tell everyone that we mean business. A new beginning indeed...but we will be there some day.

These are the various key factors for this sport to grow in Singapore and we need your passion and leadership to make this happen:

1) Play paintball as a sport and not a recreational activity! Promote the game as a sport! And dont you ever talk about war, hurting people, injuries, violence...this not only spoils the development, it will only hinder the growth of the sport! No offence to anyone but if you want this sport to grow play it as a sport and dont wear army uniforms when playing! It just gives people the misconception. In Leg 2 of SPNS, all participants are to wear paintball jerseys or their own clothing. No BDUs, no uniforms, no camo! No, No, No!

2) People with passion. People who talks paintball and play paintball...Not people who have tried once or twice and tell people how passionate they are! People who are willing to commit their time to train (Red Lord is one of those)...People who wants to be part of the growth!

3) Dont complain about what you have...but complain about what you dont have! Work with us to make the changes! Not demand for it! It takes time for things to develop. Things dont happen overnight! Instead of complaining...assist us by making a difference. We sure need some talent in leading areas of development.

Brain dead...but there are so much more.

History of Singapore Paintball

Paintball started in Singapore about 10 years ago (Year 2000) ...Not bad for a small country, not bad indeed. Paintball was introduced to the world by farmers in the 70's when it was used to mark cows in the farm. Reasons simple...for differentiation.

Since then, paintball has not changed much and still serves it primary purpose of "marking". Thus, paintball guns are also known as paintball markers. I dont like it when people call it guns...sounds very violent and very war.

Paintball first set foot onto Singapore at NTUC chalets, then Sentosa, then OCC, then Tuas and the latest inclusion: Singapore's Biggest Paintball Park, Red Dynasty.

Home to Singapore's First Paintball Team, the Red Sevens, paintball is certainly going to change people's perspective in 2008. Red Sevens is by far the only Singapore team to have tasted World Cup Asia. With 11 participating countries and a young paintball history, Singapore has a lot to learn...

Red Dynasty caters to both recreational and tournament players. Certainly a One-Stop Centre for anyone who wants to pick up paintball as a lifestyle sport.