Paintball clinic by Francis Lucena Kiko "The ONE" at Red Dynasty

"Keep the fire burning!", "We are one big family!", "Spread the love of paintball". These are the exact words coming from a 2 time Division 2 Asia World Cup Champion. A few months ago, we invited Matthew Nekvapil from the Demonz (Malaysia) to impart his paintball knowledge to the paintball community in Singapore and this round, we brought you "The ONE", who is also famously known as Kiko to the Singapore paintball community. Having played competitive paintball for 6 years, Kiko is no stranger to paintball and this man has everything under his belt to showcase.

On a bright Sunday morning (yes, I know, you have read this phrase somewhere...and it is always a bright sunny day) where most people are busy preparing for Chinese New Year, we have a group of ardent paintballers who were trying to pick up a tip or two from the World Champion himself.

As per all paintball clinics, participants were introduced to how one should always remain focus when participating in tournament, as Calgar puts it, "We must maintain our focus from the start to the end" Visualization or sports imagery is one of the ways to upkeep that concentration before any paintball games. Fazz, who is a trained fitness instructor lead the team in a warm up. He also took the opportunity to explain the key factors of a good warm up. Participants stretched their necessary muscle groups by "sending signals" from the brain to all parts of their body and this according to Fazz, helps to prevent muscular injuries. The group ended the warm up with 20 counts of 4 jumping jacks which Kiko had a hard time following...DOH!

As one of the fastest front player in Asia, Kiko's clinic was focused on how to be "the best front player"... he started off by introducing to the participants on the various styles of sliding into the big temple followed by the small tombstone. He then went on to focus on correcting players' posture when playing behind the tombstone bunker. As mentioned by Kiko "It is important to understand the art of bunkering" and with that, the participants spent another 30 minutes perfecting their posture and movement while trying to bunker cones in a zig zag manner.

Kiko will shout LEFT and the player will have to bunker from his left. RIGHT and the player will move towards his right. And yes, there were times that he had forgotten about calling left and right...and you can see players running straight into the bunker??? How on earth did that happen?

As Kiko spreads his love for paintball, one can see the dedication that this man has in paintball..., Kiko has played in some of the biggest paintball teams in the Philippines, namely the Global Gutz and the Real Pinoys and this "little" man (some may say) is a true ambassador for paintball and one who flys the Philippines flag really high in Singapore.

Kiko focused on snapshooting too...but instead of having a loser out system, one must win in snapshooting in order to be rotated. With this, you can see players trying their best to snapshoot and focus on accuracy as no one likes to be hit...so many times.

How can one forget about the Superman slide...? Two hammer structures were prepared to allow all participants to have a go at the famous Superman slide. Initially, there was a little bit of reluctance...but once Benguin stepped up to do the famous "Ananconda" slide...more follow suite.

At the end of the clinic, participants put to test all that they have learnt with some friendly skirmishes.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Kiko "The ONE" for his time and effort in showcasing his knowledge to the Singapore paintball community.

Until next time!!!

Singapore Paintball Novice Series 2009 Leg 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Questions you shouldnt ask during the BTO...

Yes...its frustrating. But these are the questions that you should never ask during the BTO.

BTO is not a platform designed for people to learn how to play paintball or understand the rules of speedball. The BTO is catered for people who are keen to participate in tournament paintball without violating any regulations as stated by the SPF, in this case playing without the center line, its is also a platform for us to promote paintball as a sport in accordance to international rulings. Well of course, it is also a platform for participants to ask questions pertaining to rules and regulations of speedball.

I know I shouldnt have blog about this since I am one of the instructors...but still feel the need to do this as a form of respect to the people who have spent their time and effort to come up with the BTO so that speedball can be facilitated in Singapore and who took time off to conduct the course, it is pretty amazing to see some of these questions being asked by the participants:

"What happens when I am hit?"
"What is the objective of the game?"
"You mean I have to read the rules before attending the BTO?"
"MCQ test!!! Are you sure we have to take these?"
"Why should I have my hands on my head when I am hit?"
"Deadman talking rule is not clear as it did not indicate who the "deadmen" are?"
"What happens if I run out of paintballs during the game?"
"You told me its supposed to be fun, but now I am mocked cos I am not prepared for the test"

Well, the instructors are nice people, we replied all questions posed but of course, no denying... there were some puzzled look among us. Hmmmm... just put yourself in the shoes of the instructors... At the end of the day, we received feedback that goes something like this "You looked pissed when I asked you this question...hey dont forget, I pay you to teach me and I am here to learn...so you must tell me, hey... paintball is not my job, its a complicated game"

Yah right!

**To all those who happen to find my blog if you are searching for the word BTO, please please please look through the Millenmium rules or at least have a good understanding to the game of paintball before attending the BTO. At the end of the day, we are here to facilitate so that we can get more people playing speedball in a safe manner and thus creating awareness for the game. It is not our objectives to make you look bad during the BTO, if you have zero understanding to paintball or fail you because you are not aware that you have to undergo a MCQ test.

The Killer TANK!

The Killer Tank! I thought this topic can be very interesting since many people who plays paintball often overlook this part of the game. We have been talking about which markers to use, which gears to get, what masks to buy but when it comes to tanks, most of the people are left clueless. I am not so much of an expert myself but thought it will be good to share about the mechanics of paintball tanks and the dangers involved when it comes to handling one of these...

If you have a paintball magazine at home...flipped it again, you will surely see it somewhere that there is a warning page instructing people about the hazards of mishandling a paintball tank. Yes, its true, people get serious injuries from mishandling these... I have personally witnessed at least 5 counts of mishandling. One of these misfortunate victims had to be sent by an ambulance to the hospital to get a facial reconstruction done!!!

Here's how you can get injure (some of the most common ones, in random order):

1) Screw the killer tank into the marker without realizing that the threadings do not fit. By doing this, you will not only spoil the threadings of the tank and the marker, you simply do not get a perfect fit. Usually, it tends to be harder to screw as you screw further in. By the time you realize this, you will most probably end up with a badly scratched threading. To prevent this, a good practice is to ensure that the marker is tuck in between your legs as you screw in the tank, make sure that the marker and the tank is straight before turning the tank in. Attempt to clean the threadings of the marker and tank with a dry cloth to get rid of the residues from oxidation or sand particles.

2) While filling the killer tank at the distribution outlet, ALWAYS hold onto the valve while filling and look away from the marker. Make sure that the valve unit is fitted into the killer tank. You can do a simple test by pulling the valve and making sure that it holds before filling. Most players do not hold onto the valve and when the air compressor is turn on...you will have a flapping/swinging valve which might possibly hit you in the face! Its okay if it hits you...but if it hits another mate standing next to you...Good luck.

3) When removing the killer tank from the marker (if you do not have the luxury of having a ASA attached), make sure that you "shoot the tank off". By shooting the tank off, I mean pull the trigger while trying to remove the tank in an anticlockwise motion. By pulling the trigger as you turn the tank, allow you to remove the tank in an easier way as there is less pressure at the pin valve forcing the tank to the marker. If unsure, just invest in a decent ASA.

4) Always look at the regulator when you are turning the tank. Often, the regulator can be loosen due to prolonged usage of turning in and out from the marker. If the regulator is loosen from the tank and is stucked in the marker, by turning the body of the tank, you will dislodge the regulator from the tank. This is extremely dangerous...if done slowly, you will see the O-ring that is inside the tank bursting...if done in a fast motion, the tank might hit you directly at your face. I have seen this happen many times to a teammate of mine. Good gracious...he is still alive.

5) Take note of the tank usage... there is a life span when it comes to using a tank. Always take note of the frequency of usage and the timeout date, especially if you are buying a second hand tank. Make sure that you do a regular visual inspection of the tank (though this doesnt really help with micro cracks...but hey...at least you are doing some checks).

Lastly, do not "monkey see monkey do". You have to understand the danger and the basic handling of the killer tank. This part of the training is often overlooked...so until the next injury...not too sure how to fill a tank, just ask. Safety first...

SLG vs SLG 09

I thought this is one interesting thing to talk about...the SLG.

SLG is a product of Proto. The term SLG is derived from the words "Super Light Gun".

So as the name implies, its light...not only light but super light. As shown is the direct comparison of the 2 SLG markers in 2008 and 2009. I got my SLG 08 marker during the World Cup Asia 2007. It was first released in Asia to Dye vendors only and I had the previlege of getting one during the Dye tech class. A spool valve technology marker, the SLG has a loud ticking sound wherever the trigger is pulled. If I can remember correctly, I got this marker for a neat price of SIN$280.00! In fact, I bought 2 of these...one was sold to Desmond Foo (the now so famous paintball photographer in Asia) who at that time was no longer playing for Red Sevens. Yes, for SIN$280.00. Come to think of it...I should have kept it. Not that I dont want him to get it at this good offer, just that firstly, he is not a Dye dealer so this deal should not be transfer to him and secondly, he was no longer with the Red Sevens. I was only helping knowing that he is keen to play but has no marker at that time. But anyway...its all in the past. Till this day, I am still using the SLG marker but only as a back up. Didnt really like the "feel" of it...until I was holding Kiko's prized SLG marker from winning the Division 2 World Cup Asia.

Its amazing light (now with the ultra light frame), the plastic feeling of pulling the trigger is no longer there...there is an upgrade on the feedneck...which is similar to the former PMR. The design looks more sleek on the exterior and it certainly look too good to be known as an entry levelled marker. Perhaps the only downside to the marker is the need to constantly lube the internals. Kiko has a hard time doing that... I say a good way to maintain this marker is to lube it after every 3 games.

A new year... a new beginning...and then the recession...

Couldnt find much time to blog nowadays, been busy with reservist (yes, I did try snapshooting with SAR21, hehehe), planning for paintball tournament and participating in paintball tournament. Just came back from KL participating in the MPOC with the Red Sevens gang. We did a 5th position after 10 rounds of qualifying with 15 participating teams. Qualified for the Quarters but luck was not with us. We could have clinched a couple of games but it didnt work well for us. Individual mistakes... team mistakes. We were glad to have the assistance of Kiko and Ivan. Kiko is an "old bird" in tournament, as Seburo mentioned on his blog, this guy has got more medals than us as compared to the markers we own. To date including Kiko's, we have 10 e-markers in the team, quite impressive actually... On the contary, Ivan is a "new bird"... his first game with e-markers and he certainly did well enough to earn him 5 MPOC games under his belt. In his first game, he even came back with the flag. Considering that this is the first time he is playing with e-markers, this guy is a born talent.

We did not surpassed our record of reaching the semis...but I am pretty confident that we should be able to clinch a spot before the season ends. Although we did not came back with a metal piece, I am excited about how this team is going to progress in 2009. This year, we have the inclusion of a few new faces: Jon, Edi, Kiko and Ivan. Not forgetting our 2 friends from US, Zach and Ryan. We are looking good. Time will tell... its a pity that we were unable to get Tom to join us but we'll never know. Now that we have a lot more players...perhaps the International Super Sevens? We'll see... certainly looks good.

Team Damnation is the other Singapore based team which travel to KL for the MPOC. I was hoping to see Atrox and PSG Warfreaks... but I guess the recession is hitting on everyone.

In Singapore, we are also busy planning for SPNS 2009. There seem to be a decline in the number of participating teams this year... what did we do wrong this time? Its funny because things were more uncertain previously, we had to find sponsors, we had to get the ambulance, we had to get approvals, we had to get prizes, we had to sign teams up for games, we had to conduct training for newbies, etc. We did many things to get SPNS 2008 started. 2009, we are more familiar with the proceedings, we did as many awareness clinics, workshops as before and yet, it seems like we are unable to get more teams to participate. Hmmmm... cheaper paintballs, cheaper entry fee, better prizes and prices...and yet, we have falling numbers. Its weird. So the myth of lowering prices and more people will play paintball is not true afterall. Okay okay...its the recession. Everything is the recession...

While we are planning for our local tournament. Somewhere out there... there is a group of people who are also playing competitively. It was mentioned before in Team Damnation's website of the new team known as Team Karma. Team Karma is not new to the local scene, it was a group of friends who decided to play paintball on a regular basis. They were at RD when we organized our clinic for newbies. They bought paintball stuff at our place too. If you were observant enough, you would have noticed that we even had a thread for them in our forum. (It has been removed about 2 months ago because no one was upkeeping the thread).

While the Red Sevens and Team Damnation were in KL playing our hearts out. Team Karma had a small party of their own..."Acid Test Paintball Challenge", it was held in our former training ground, Octville Country Club up in the North. It was meant to be a tournament for local boys to try out paintball and have some fun playing in competition format. Kudos to you for coming up with this idea. Surely good for promoting awareness in the game and allowing more people to love and feel the game we all loved.

On a second thought...I am very bothered by this outing. The first question that pops out from my head: "Where are they going with this?"

Okay, I know most Singaporean paintballers visit this blog of mine...so being the visionary for Singapore paintball, here's my take (and I will share with you my views later):

1) They are getting more people to play paintball thus improving the standard of play in Singapore, both recreationally and competitively.

2) They are planning on organizing paintball tournaments in the North so that more Singaporeans can play competitively without having to go through BTO.

3) They are planning to start a paintball field in Singapore.

Okay...now that we have 3 options, let's review them:

1) Good move...more people playing means more people are aware about the game. While they can improve in their standard of play, they can only play competitive paintball in the North, as we all know that in Singapore, we have strict rules for everything...even paintball...haiz. The centre line...So to play competitive paintball in Singapore, players who are "Poison" to the game will have to go through the BTO.

2) Not a bad move...but what's going to happen to paintball in Singapore? Let's take an example... Due to gobalisation, Singaporeans are exposed to international jobs and are all moving out of the country. They work overseas, they marry overseas, they study overseas... see where I am going. The question mark here is: What will happen to Singapore paintball? Its funny because paintball is more established in the States...but paintball in Mexico is more fun and affordable.

3) Highly possible. Hahahah....I am saying this because, one of them approached me previously and told me so. So its good for Singapore paintball afterall...but dont wait till you start and then start promoting paintball in Singapore cos by then...you will be deem as the overseas expat who study, work and marry overseas. No offence to anyone, my dad for once is hardly at home too. Just dont wait until then...the idea here is to make the change, just like I did.

Your first time...

Yes, your first time. I know what you are thinking...but dont go there. But instead, let's take a step backwards...your first kiss. Do you still remember that special moment? Surely... or maybe not. But I am sure, you will remember your first experience with paintball. Yes? That moment when you are either shot by everyone from the opposing team or the hero who captured the flag and returned to the base...

So I thought perhaps I will do a short survey asking people around me about their "first time" with paintball... Well, just as I guess, they all remember. And there is always a story behind everyone's experience. Here's mine:

2001, Pete's Paintball in Mount White, Sydney, Australia. Scenario games...

I was having lunch and was approached by this nicely dress man (shirt, tie and pants) who was holding onto a booklet of coupons. At first I thought he was going to sell me tickets to some dance bash (very common in uni) but it turns out to be paintball coupons. Hmmmm...."What is paintball?" I have heard of it before...but what exactly is paintball?

Buy one coupon and bring along another friend for free. The only catch is to get this offer, I will have to buy 25 coupons!!! I cant remember how much the coupons were... I dont think they come cheap. But I bought them...hehehehe. The rest is history.

Got together a group of Singaporeans to join in the fun. A day out at Mount White, camofluage uniform, free bottle of Gatorade, free BBQ lunch. My cousin who was also studying in Sdyney joined me. There were different fields that we can choose to play...open fields, forested fields, urban fields... we were tired, in fact we were very tired. In the last game, my cousin and I executed a flanking move and managed to whack my neighbour from the back...cruel I know but I remember his expression clearly till this day.

Paintball versus Money

I hate this... I really hate this...I am blogging about this because today, I lost a good player to money. What do I mean by that? "Losing someone to money"... Money... the root of all evil... has cause many disastrous things to happen in our lives. People lost lives, lost families, lost friends...all because of MONEY.

How many paintballers have gone down this path?

- No money so I am unable to play in this tournament
- No money so I am unable to commit for the whole season
- No money so I am unable to play regularly
- No money so I cannot buy paintball gear and sponsored gears no matter how good the offer is
- No money so I am retiring from paintball

You have survived...you still eat, you still sleep, you still play paintball once in a while...

But really, this is pretty sad for paintball. Yes, no doubt, you will need to have dough when it comes to playing paintball but surely with some planning, things will not be that tough. We have all gone down that path knowing that money doesnt grow on trees and you will need to save up for the game, in fact for everything that you do and love. I have gone down the path of not being able to draw money from the ATM simply because there was too little credit left, I have gone down the path where my teammates told me that they are sitting out and not playing in the next tournament. But seriously it is something that you will have to manage and overcome. For a start, playing paintball is not really cheap but surely not expensive to the point where you have to give up completely for something you love.

A professor once told me, it will be so sad to hear from a child that his family is unable to see him through school because they have no money for the child's education. Well, in some ways, I compare this to paintball. From my previous line in education, I have times and times told this to many graduates that if money is a problem for them to further their studies, then it is not a problem.

The solution is simple. Save up, work for it. Giving up is so so loser...

I was once very close to scolding a teammate of mine for his non-committment to paintball when he told me that he doesnt have enough money for paintball. Well, to some extend, I feel for him. But on another hand, I was angry at him for not saving up when he jolly well know that we are going for tournament next month. But what can I do? People have different priorities and paintball is not everything.

But if its a committment, then see it through...plan for it. Dont commit and disrupt the plan when everyone know that they are competing next month. Its like the Boston Celtics saying that they can no longer play in the NBA because they have no money. You just got to find the dough! Its not an excuse, its not a reason, its simply a calling that you know you have to fulfil.

If you are in my shoes and I remarked "I dont have money for tournament or gear" Honestly, what do you expect me to do? Feel sorry? pay for you? help you? lend you money?

Believe me, when I first started playing paintball, I have been through all these... paying people to play in tournament. No way am I going to do that anymore, yes it was tough on my pocket. But its not substainable...

In conclusion: Save up and fulfil your committment. Simple.

Paintball Pro Shop in Asia - Singapore and Malaysia

Firstly, Merry Christmas to all paintballers from the local community and around the world. Since this is the time of the year to do some shopping, I thought perhaps I will take this time to highlight some of the paintball pro shops in the local region. I thought this entry is useful as there are more and more bogus paintball website sprouting from the asia region. So be extremely careful when you are doing online shopping. You might end up spending more than you can ever imagine...

Skirmish Paintball Asia in KL

Pro Paintball Resources in KL

Napshot in KL

And there is Werdnahol from KL and KCHL paintball from Penang too!

In fact, just before this...staff of RD went around KL to visit some of these shops and at the same time play a couple of rec games. One thing that amazed me after playing these games (even though I have still prefer speedball): I feel like this is the first time that I have ever played paintball. As Kiko said: "We played freaking hard!!!"

RD staff playing rec games in KL.

* Newly added - Singapore's paintball proshop Paintballers World, One Commonwealth Building, 1 Commonwealth Lane, #03-03, Singapore 149544. Visit their online shop, www.paintballersworld.com

Singapore's biggest paintball proshop and distribution center!

*Former location

*New location

What is loyalty in paintball?

Today, I learnt it the hard way.

It is quite irony as I was chatting away with a friend from Penang about loyalty in paintball. I have seen people who displayed loyalty in paintball, I have seen loyalty being displayed over my short experience with paintball. But nothing beats me to think about loyalty so hard today.

Somebody once told me "Your loyalty will not last long..." Well, my reply was simple "I have come so far to be loyal to people in paintball... and I am doing fine, so let's stay that way" BULLSHIT! There is no loyalty in paintball! Why? People are always out to get the best deal, so SHOO emotions, SHOO loyalty. Its all bullshit!

I have heard stories...many stories. Stories that I dont like to hear, stories that make you look at someone from a different angle. Someone who doesn't care about loyalty. I was naive, very naive. Yes, the feeling of being betray is no good. But THINK THINK THINK! Dont just commit without thinking!

For all those out there who preaches loyalty like I do. Let's stay that way....for as long as we can. For those who are unloyal to people...or doesn't regard loyalty, just watch your steps. Words go around, so just be very careful. Paintball is a small world, its a small industry.

Treat everyone equally, treat everyone with respect, treat everyone with loyalty!

Politics in paintball... so who's the winner eventually?

Politics...its everywhere. Go to work today...it's there. Go to school today... it's there too. Go play sports... it's there waiting for you to be involved. One thing is clear, we can never eradicate politics. It is in our culture to have politics lurking around our lives. In paintball... there are MILLION if not ZILLION issue with politics...just to list some that you might have already experienced:

1) This can happen anywhere in paintball, from teams going against one another to paintball field operators fighting the shit out of one another to offer the best paintball rates. Reduction in prices and VIOLA a price war is created. Who will reap the benefits whenever there is a price war? Surely the end consumers... I am not a business student, I have never been taught any lessons on business but surely I do understand the meaning of using quantity to overcome the lower earnings (I am sure there is a term to this). In simple terms, it means selling things cheap but make higher sales. A good strategy. In return, you make more money by getting loads of customers and everyone is out there to get the best deals. Can this really work? Yes, if there is more demand than supply.

But price war is never good. You can never win with a price war...nobody wins from a price war, not even consumers (well at least for paintball in Singapore). Why? Simple. Land cost in Singapore is hefty, land don't come cheap. Field owners need to earn some dough to pay for rental. There is only a handful of paintballers in town thus little demand. And soon, fields that are unable to last will throw in the towel and call it quits. Near to Singapore, we have the most classic example, how many paintball fields are there in JB? When I first started playing paintball, there was none. Now? We have so many fields, just JB alone. The pie is small, shared it with all and you might end up with peanuts. Can you make a living if you are only paid with peanuts? Well, yes...you can, surely for the first year...2nd year? 3rd year? make a living out of this? Hmmmm....let me consider again.

In my first Penang MPOC, there were only 2 paintball fields. One is ran by Mr. H and the other is by Mr. S. Only 2...now? Correct me if I am wrong...but I think there are 8! 6 more new fields in a short span of 1 year? So who can last longer? We'll see...

I was talking to Arthur Chang from Taiwan who frequents LA. He told me that more and more fields are folding in the states, simply because there are lesser players out there. Which leads me to my second point.

2) Look at yourself, look around you... after picking up paintball for quite a while, where are you now? It is like making a self assessment of yourself in the organization that you have worked for after spending 5 years there. What have I achieved? Where am I going? Have I improved? The same goes for playing paintball. Where are you now?

Okay, let's do a recap. You were introduced to paintball by so and so (most probably a friend who wanted to do some shooting over a weekend) and you were hooked to the game after playing once. You called yourself a noob and go onto the internet to find ways to improve your game, check out the new gears, come up with a wishlists of the things you want to buy. You go to your local field to find like minded people, people whom you called noob and start forming a noob team. You find time to practice, you find time to get yourself involved in the game, you play more and more. You get yourself into the politics of paintball (though you never meant to start it that way but you are somehow always trapped by oncoming news). So you took part in tournament and you started playing competitively. After you have done all that, you try to look back and look around you. And you realised something:

a) First, those who are already playing paintball are already playing paintball. If you have been playing long enough, those who were there when you first started playing are still playing paintball.

b) There are lesser people picking up paintball. I am saying this because you hardly see any new teams or newcomers playing or competing. Well, once in a while, you will see some...but the process of forming one is slow and thus you don't see many new start ups.

So what has this got to do with paintball politics? It does...especially in Singapore paintball. Why? Here's why... I was told by my teammates that I am an outright farmer. A farmer who farms seeds (setting the interest of paintball to newcomers) but never be able to harvest the fruits (teams that are ready for the bigger show). It truely makes sense. From not knowing how to play paintball, to playing paintball competitively... we are only involved in the building process. Its like a bird will always be with the mother bird until they learn how to fly...that is the situation of Singapore paintball. And it is with this...that we will need to find time to refine if tournament paintball is the way to go. A farmer that doesnt harvest fruits...hmmmm. Not a very good investment. Is this the reason why there are many paintball fields in JB? Maybe...maybe not. But I am sure...some will contribute to make the war stronger there. Politics...well yes.

So field owners from around the world...Is it important to focus on the harvesting and not on planting seeds? The answer is no. It is a cycle that never ends. You just have to get more people to play paintball. Don't stop because the minute you stop doing that...you will be out of business soon. Its a cycle so remember.

I have recently received an unknown letter from an unknown individual...Never write any name on the letter, even took his time and effort to type our address on the envelope before sending us the letter. Well, its not the first time that we have received letters from someone who dares to send but never dares to identify. Perhaps staying in the dark is better. The first letter was addressed to a higher authority to complain about my team. Seems funny...but the cat is always out of the bag. We know who you are... so take care bro. The second letter was aiming at our MARK policy. Seems funny that someone would want to address a complain on the MARK policy (surely not from the players), so who's left? Hmmm....food for thoughts. Politics? Surely its funny that instead of working together, someone wants to ruin other people's plan. Heard of the word consortium? Bundle of sticks are harder to break.

I know I shouldn't be saying this....but paintball is all revolved around politics. NPPL vs PSP, MPOC vs NPL, ISSC vs World Cup, etc. See what I mean....? At the end of the day, there is only so much in the pie, not everyone gets a bite on the strawberry. But what about eating half of the strawberries than not eating one?

Asia Paintball Invitation Tournament (APIT) 2008 - Team Ku (Japan) and Red Sevens (Singapore)

What a weekend in Taiwan!

Met the nicest people from the Taiwan paintball scene with superb company, a superb tournament and superb hospitality. The photographs from the previous entry says it all, a wonderful weekend. Spent most of the time travelling from KL to Taipei, from Taipei to Taichung, from Taichung to Kao Hsiung, travel travel travel...but hey, I am not complaining simply because the travelling group was fun to be with. Khaine from Team Ku always got something up his sleeves...talking about girls, looking at girls, admiring about girls. Look at those roaming eyes!!! Team Ku is no stranger to the regional tournament scene, a regular of the PALS series, a regular of the World Cup events, we have seen them in action, we have greeted them during events but this is the closest we got to them since knowing them.

As Dye sponsored teams, Red Sevens and Ku is somewhat similar in some ways: 1) we have "ang mo" playing in our team, 2) we have a female player in the team (Elle and Michiko), 3) we are always short of people to play. But when it comes to paintball skills, we are no where near them. But that's besides the point, the point is....through this tournament, we have foster an excellent relationship with one another. It does help that we have very good friends in Taiwan who were able to bridge our language barrier.

Allow me to introduce our 3 "foreign imports" of the tournament:

1) Arthur Chang - Just 3 letters to describe this guy, "ABC". Looks chinese, speaks chinese...but when you hear him speaks English, you know he is an American, strong accent. Wonderful guy who hosted Ku and us at his place, cooked (well his maids actually...) us nice porkchops, bought us nice bubble tea and helped us to oversee lots of logistics and adminstrative issues both on and off the field. If there is one thing that we have learnt from this trip, it will be adopting Arthur's ability to plan for game strategies and game lineup. Can you imagine waking up at 5 am to type the team's lineup so that everyone is aware of when they are playing? For that...you get an "A" grade.

2) Fonjen - Pronounced as "Kite" in mandarin. Initially, I thought what a good nick... but it turns out that "Kite" is his real name. So lame... Anyway, this is the second time I have seen this guy. The first time was from the Ollie Lang clinic in Taiwan. If I can remember correctly, I did not speak to him back then...but hell I should! This is one of the most approachable guy... Talk to him about anything in the world and he will surely share his own personal views. But that is not the most amazing this about this guy... when I attended Gary Shows Hybrid Paintball Clinic 2 years ago, there is this famous saying from him "Always have 2 of everything when you are competing" The idea is to always have a spare equipment, just in case the primary one is faulty or having what we always call "a paintball period", one minute it is working and the next minute it goes faulty.

Fonjen not only has 2 of everything...he has TONS of everything. When I mean by that, this is just a list of things he brought to APIT: 10 squeeges, 5 markers, 7 HPA tanks, 2 harnesses, 70 pods. That's basically the equipment needed for a 5 man team! But that is just the beginning, he has in total more than 40 over markers and 80 over barrels...He is the army!

3) Pony - Dubbed as one of the best front player in Taiwan. Pony plays for Team Shocker in Taiwan. When I first heard that Pony will be playing with us, I was very excited because the last time I saw him snapshoot, it was thinking "Does he ever gets tired?". At the age of 37, Pony doesnt look anywhere near his age...fast he can be, versatile he is... I was playing his back during the tourney and in all the games that we played, I will surely asked him at the starting frame "Pony, where are you going?"...and he always reply..."It depends". Can you imagine backing someone who has no intended direction? That's how versatile he is...one minute, he is playing as a back player, and the next, you will see him in the dorito... it was a challenge for me to play his back as I am always on a lookout of where he is. Pony gave me his Shocker jersey at the end of the tourney...it was a good gesture and I certainly look forward to playing with him again.

So there you go, 3 of our "foreign imports"... Respect!

Asia Paintball Invitational Tournament (APIT) 2008

From left to right: Arthur Chang, Fonjen, Elle, Calgar, Pony, Arthur Chan and King

Our arsenal which include DM7, M7, Mini Invert and Shocker.

Opening ceremony of APIT 2008

Tournament Field, 47 bunkers, right smack in the middle of highrise flats

Red Sevens with Team Ku during the training session

Head Referee for the Millenium, Ulrich giving his pointers to the Taiwanese referees

Main stage of Asian Paintball Invitational Tournament (APIT)

Elle with APIT poster

Combined gears from Red Sevens and Ku from Japan

Seburo and Calgar shopping in Dye Asia warehouse

Red Sevens in Dye Asia

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...."

World Games 2009 - Red Sevens

It is confirmed, we will be going to Kao Hsiung, Taiwan for the Kao Hisung Paintball Championship 2009. This event is a prelude event to include paintball as a demonstration sport for the World Games in 2009. We could very well be part of paintball history. I am excited about the trip as this will be the first time that Red Sevens will be competing in an overseas event outside Malaysia. We will be playing with some of the best in Asia, Ku will be there. With the free up of the Thailand airport, I am hoping that Infernal can be there too. I have heard so much about Team Typhoon from Taiwan, being able to see them play is amazing. Not only that, Taiwan is very special to Red Dynasty and Red Sevens, we have very good friends there and to be able to see them again and play together is simply wonderful. Rest assured, we will fly the Singapore flag high...

NPPL no more...Bad day for paintball.

"As you have all been reading on the rumor sites no doubt. We can confirm we got this today from a reliable source. Pacific Paintball and its subsidiaries will be filing proceedings under the United States Bankruptcy Code to effect a liquidation of their respective assets and business operations. The affairs and assets of Pacific Paintball LLC, NPPL LLC, XPSL LLC, PB2X LLC, Xtreme Paintball Fields LLC and Camp Pendleton Paintball LLC will be administered by a court appointed trustee in bankruptcy. The bankruptcy court will provide you with written instructions regarding how and where to file any claims in this matter.Despite doing all we could do, we were unable to make the business a viable concern. Further, in this severe economic climate, we were unable to secure new funding. It is a truly regrettable outcome, though one which is unfortunately occurring more and more frequently in this environment. We thank all those who have supported us." Extracted from PBnation.

So what does this mean? Good or bad? One of the biggest paintball league in US is seeing the crunch of the economic crisis. One thing for sure, those guys holding onto the NPPL video game, you got a piece of history there. It might not be that bad for paintball...as paintball as a whole in the US is either the PSP or the NPPL. With NPPL beating the retreating drums, this might create a whole outlook for paintball. A merger perhaps. Something that keeps people talking but never happen in reality. So a merger is possible. This means to say....its Xball style from now on. Hehhehe...exciting to watch, more people can be involved. One style across the world. That's good for paintball as a sport. And right...world domination....You can't have too many different rules running the same game right?

How does it affect us in Asia? Surely, to see the fall of one paintball giant cannot be good for anyone. Lesser paintball awareness maybe...more people wanting to play but lesser avenue for them to play competitively. Surely no more Huntington Beach...I have this weird feeling that something might be revived. Fingers crossed. To think that I was thinking of going to Huntington next year...sob.

With PSP and Millenium working so closely...and the Intercontinental Cup for the World. It all depends on how these people (paintball gaints) want to take paintball to the next level. As the saying goes "If the old one doesn't go, the new one will never come" So it might not be that bad afterall. One thing for sure...there will be no NPPL Paintball Championship 2010.

Let's wait and see...

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

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

Paintball in the Olympics? No, its the World Games 2009

This topic has already been discussed over and over and over again...its almost close to beating the dead horse. But somehow, this question of whether paintball will ever make it to the Olympics always linger at the back of our mind. As a paintballer, it is my wildest dream to see paintball being featured as one of the sporting event in the Olympics...hey, as one of the most popular played games in the US, paintball surely deserve some standing in the international scene. So why isn't paintball an Olympic event? Here's why:

To qualify as an Olympic event, you will need to have the support of many, many, many countries, 75 countries to be exact. Meaning, you will need to have at least 75 countries playing the game, not only that, these countries will need to have a sound paintball association under the close monitor of their respective sports council in the promotion of the game to the community. Community games in the case, refers to properly run tournaments, games for all levels and age group. You will also need to have a national body from the respective countries coming together to form tournaments played by different countries. These national bodies will have to be recognized and pledged to the even bigger body, the world body who dictates the development of the sport. To illustrate my point, we will use soccer in Singapore. There is our local soccer league, the S-league who is supported by the Football Assocation of Singapore, FAS, who then selects a national team from the players from the S-league. And call them the national representative. FAS is affliated to Asia Football Confederation (AFC) who is recognized by the Asia countries as the overall body who is developing soccer in Asia. AFC is the affiliated to FIFA which is the world governing body, which is why we have the World Cup. Lots of ranks, lots of associations, lots of players, lots of support. Paintball? I am not trying to be mean and I love the game, I am a full time paintball promoter...but HAHA. So that's how far we are. To put this idea across, maybe not in my lifetime. Bowling is not an Olympic sport....so where do we stand? I don't know.

So where do we go from here? Many people classified paintball as an extreme sport. So is paintball an extreme sport? Yes, its extreme to some extend...(sounds funny, I know)...its fast, its aggressive, its everything you need to know about being extreme...but is it an extreme sport? No...why? because extreme sports are all participated by individual....see? Biking, skateboarding, blading, motorcross....so we are team work, communication, hmmmm...oh..team vs individual. So we are not so extreme afterall. I would like to see paintball being an extreme team sport....maybe not in the East...but if Malaysia is organizing another round of ESPN Extreme Sport Event...please let paintball in. You are the closest that we can get.

So no more Olympics, no more Extreme Games...so where is paintball going? Ever heard of the World Games? The World Games is a sport event that has all the sport that Olympics doesnt. So is it still recognized by any international body? You bet...the next World Games will be in Taiwan, Kao Hsiung in 2009. The bad news, paintball is not one of the selected sport. The good news, paintball could be selected to be a demonstration sport in World Games 2009. In order for that to happen, paintball teams from around the region are invited to Taiwan by the Kao Hsiung organizing committee to showcase paintball as a possible demonstration game during the World Games from 12 - 14 Dec 2008. Yes, Singapore is included. Red Sevens, Singapore First Paintball Team is invited by our Taiwan partners to be part of this revolutionary move for paintball. This could well change how paintball is perceive in the World!!! Backed by Ulrich, the Head Referee from the Millenium Series and Junaidi, the Head Referee for the Asia World Cup 2006, 2007 and 2008. This event is a significant event. Very significant...

Paintball in the Olympics? I see the light...

Comparison between Greg Hasting and NPPL

Singapore paintball community...what are you waiting for? Yes, you can find it in Funan but limited pieces left, so hurry. And having played both Greg Hasting and the newly released NPPL Championship, here's my take:

1) What I like about the NPPL is the option to "purchase" and add new 2009 paintball gear to your character! Well of course, it will cost a bomb to own some of these...so having to "own and use " them in the virtual world is fantastic.

2) The option to go into training mode with the Dynasty guys set this game apart from Greg. After going through this exile training, your character improves on proficiency which increases your ability to speed, accuracy, etc.

3) The pro tips while waiting for the game to load is certainly some good education material for newbies...but the repeatitive tips seem to go bore after a while...it just keeps repeating, repeating and repeating...perhaps more tips from pros...one of which I like best "Support your local paintball field".

4) Communication...we all know that communication is important in paintball. And I am very sure this was well thought of when they designed the game. For once, you know what you are pressing and yelling. The usual directional control takes over this part of the game. You can choose to go on an "All Out Attack" when your opponent is outnumbered. You can call for "Fall Back" if you are on the losing ground. You can also effectively call out to your team mates when you have an "Enemy Sighted". Greg seems to lose out on this...while this feature is available. It is not comparable to visual aid which is so important in games. Seeing is believing....

5) You know when you are running low on air....this feature is not in Greg...Though in real life, you aint supposed to know this...but it kinda help in strategizing your next move.

6) Bunkers are nicely design...gives realism. But the supporters standing behind the netting is kinda turn off....reason...they all move the same, look the same and certainly programmed the same. A change of background supporters can help. For Greg....you hear the cheer but see no one watching..."Where did those cheers come from....I wonder?"

7) I was excited to get the game started...so off to choosing game characters....no offence to those that have given their rights away as game characters...I am sure you guys are good enough to be featured in the game and surely well qualified to have Activision getting you into the project. But I would like to see more of the "Extreme Paintball Beyond the Paints". If you know what I mean...Glen, Ollie, Cuba, Wings, Max...I want to "use" and "control" them... (Maybe this feature is in the game...I dont know...I only spent 2 hours playing and still in Division 2....) Still big teams are in the game.

8) AI....seems to run either left or right... (okay...I play as an amature, so maybe that's why).

9) Less cartoon like...Greg is more cartoon like...and NPPL has a good intro on paintball for its opening. Gets you ready to start playing. The part on asking you to get ready to fight and battle...gives you the needed adrenaline. I like that part....Win win win...

10) Lastly...its a good game for paintballers. By far the best...if you compare to Greg. So 10/10!!! Oh yes...if there is going to be another paintball game soon...please please please...let it be more than 1 player. You know...its a team game. So 5 players playing together will be good. PERFECT! or at least a 1 on 1....please.

Singapore's First All-Female Team

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

World Cup Asia - The Biggest Paintball Event in Asia

The biggest and most extravagant paintball event in Asia, the World Cup Asia (WCA) 2008 was held from 13 Nov – 16 Nov 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This year’s event saw an excellent participation of about 66 paintball teams from the around the Asia Pacific region, including the guest appearance of Joy Division from Sweden led by Magued Idris.

Day 1:

The event begin with a loud bang with what the organizers promised as the biggest paintball merchandise display in Asia since WCA's intervention. Players, dealers and supporters from across the regional countries were treated with a full day of paintball tech classes and product launches by the big boys from the different paintball brands. Bill Ceranski from Kee Action Sports was the first in line to introduce the latest range of Empire products for the year 2009. Planet Eclipse’s tech class was held in Xtionpaintball and attended by Ego dealers with the introduction of its new Ego9 and Geo markers which were launched during the PSP World Cup in Orlando. Australia brand Macdev which has a strong stake in the Asia region put up a colourful display of the new Cyborg RX with CEO Diane King introducing the new improve feature of the closed bolt maker. Fans alike were captivated by the different multiple colour combination of the marker accessories. Investing in the loader market is Dye’s new Rotor loader which feeds up to 50 paintballs per second!!! The introduction of the new I4 goggles in the Asia region was a big WOW for Dye fans. All it takes is 10 seconds to replace lense. The slick profile new I4 is what many call a hybrid combination of the Empire E-vents and V Force Profiler. With the new products on shelves, one could not wait for the WCA to start while shopping in the tournament village.

Day 2:

As the saying goes, "if there is no rain, it is not the WCA". If I am not wrong, for the last 3 years of the WCA, it was never played on dry land. And because of this, teams came well prepared for wet weather. The competition started at 8 am sharp... after 2 games into the schedule, there was a technical fault where games has to be ceased and delayed. Participants of the WCA took no chance at all when it comes to checking out the paintball booths, in fact, they were spoilt for choice. Surely the organizers kept to their promise when it comes to the biggest paintball display. There were JT and Luxe models (I mean girls in JT T shirts) going around promoting their products. Day 2 games were played only by Division 2 and Division 3 teams. For Division 2, it was a tough and gruelling task, to play more than 8 qualifying games is definitely serious business, players feeling the toll of rain and wet feet (hmmm....). At the end of the day, Philippine team, the Real Pinoys emerged as the top position team with a record of 10 wins and 1 lost (I think...thats what Kiko told me). While in Division 3, it was the Johor Pirates and Team Romeoz who topped the chart.

Day 3:

Day 3 is another usual day of paintballing. Teams tried to earn their final spot into the next round. All Division 1 teams played on Day 3. It was good to see and experience a different side of the game where is much faster (with ramping of course). Joy Division made heads turned with their "no word communication". Where communication is all that we emphasized on the field, it was actually pretty interesting to witness that these "bigger" boys do not interact very much and yet still able to pull off wonderful wins. And yes, by this time you would have imagined how muddy and soggy the field would have been, not mentioning the familar stench of mud and paints. There were no Division 2 games on Day 3 and it was also an early knock off for teams in Division 3 as the top 16 teams emerged.

Day 4:

The final day! It was not before long that all the WCA event T shirts were all sold out! Players and supports alike made mad rushes to loot merchandise from the stores. It was simply sales, sales and more sales! Dye sold more than 200 boardshorts in 3 days! JT sold its new Proflex Revolution! and on the other side of the village, people were storming to catch a last glimpse of the JT girls. Hehehehe...And the results:

Div 1: 1st - Infernal (THA) 2nd - Macdev Ronin (MAS) 3rd - Xtioneer (MAS) 4th - SWAT (AUS)

Div 2: 1st - Real Pinoy (PHI) 2nd - WASP Black (AUS) 3rd - KL Killer Beez(MAS) 4th - Iron Sea (MAS)

Div 3: 1st - Johor Pirates (MAS) 2nd - Romeoz (MAS) 3rd - Undeath(MAS) 4th - D'Mercy Kids (MAS)

Players Party:

Drinks, drinks and more drinks concluded WCA 2008.

In conclusion:

With a "relaxing" 2 days qualifying for Division 3 was heaven. We had to play 11 straight games last year. This year though tiring with all that travelling made it good for us to visit the tournament village and with that, we buy more things and spend a little bit more money. Air was good, sometimes filling up to 4500!!! That little glitch in Day 1 was okay...can be better but that was fine, more shopping time for us anyway! Refeering was excellent, good calls and very responsive refs. Merchandising? 101% Thumbs up! Should do that more often... good for the industry, good for vendor support, good for public awareness. Accompany? Nothing can describe that...4 days sleeping, eating and playing together, is no joke! You get to see the inside out of your team mates and of course to bear the snoring at night. But it was good. I concussed immediately every time my head touches the pillow.

Things can be better in these areas: 1) "No rain no WCA" get ready for rain...plastic pallets on the way into the field, that's a genius idea so why not get more of those in the players area? We could do with lesser fresh socks, washing of mud, yucky shoes, wet feet. 2) Produce more APPBF T shirts! I was so sad to go home without one...(okay its personal, I know) 3) No make up opening ceremony? Of course the rain spoils it all but a make up opening would make people remember the camaderie ceremony, flags flying high...remember last year's golf promotional speech? Play golf instead of paintball? Visit golf courses? That's classic. 4) No stars this time? Yes, Joy was there...but certainly not joyful enough, we used to have Dynasty guys in here, signatures and photo opportunities, no more (if its saving more money, thats fine). 5) Passes for visitors. We have a friend who came all the way from Singapore to show his support but only to be denied entry due to....no more visitor pass. 6 hours of bus ride...comes to nothing. He even offer to pay more if he has too but still had to watch from outside. So that's quite sad... No worries Shah..."I will make it up to you, I always will" 6) Entry fee to tournament village....hmmm...pay to enter village and go shopping? Wouldnt that kill public awareness? Scream out loud vendors!!!

But again...its an excellent event not to be missed. 2009...get ready, we are into full throttle. Thank you organizers, you made paintball more interesting in this part of the world. You will get our support for the WCA!

The toilet is over there...

Wow... I see that this blog is creating some hype afterall. I think its pure coincidence that other blog also happen to credit paintball photographers... good good good... but seriously... like I have said: Knows only shit...just keep quiet....so dont go ranting and make yourself look good and credit people just because you know shit. Ya...dont know the history? go read some history books, anything off are just shitty comments...oh...pretending to be angels? Come on...you know you are not.

I am saying this...cos you dont know the history...so dont take sides...

And of course like I have said. There were discussions... just that some are never answered:

1) Why no photos after 52 games, is this petty as you have called me?Ans:.........no reply
2) Oh...Its a powerful photo, from the photographic perspective...its a powerful photo. Ans: I didnt deny, I mentioned it is a nice photo. Just the intentions. Wow!!! POWERFUL photo...why not just take photos from that angle for all games since its SO POWERFUL....could win some award doing that.
3) Come on...take losing nicely.... Ans: I have play sports all my life. I know what is the feeling of losing, its not nice, I know but I have managed. But this? This is teasing. Am I taking it personally? Yes, I am. No doubt. Is it about the team? No. Its me, moi, I.
4) Just remember one thing. Not all you think are your friends are your friends. Words go around so take care.
5) You are so petty. Ans: Er...52 games and no photos? OF COURSE I AM PETTY.

Back to shit comments...go on the toilet is over there. Go ahead...angels are in the dump. Oh and if the timing is not right...meaning I posted before you and you posted before me and all that kind of shit...my bad....I am shit. Shitty day ahead, cheers dude!

The eagle has landed!

Yup, here I am seating at the hotel lobby, Starbucks to be exact sipping my hot chocolate away... looking around for familar faces. Since afternoon, teams from all around Asia has been checking into the hotel. As I am speaking right now, Ulrich the Millenium Head Ref is standing at the reception doing his check in. Since this afternoon, I have spoken to guys from the Philippines, Global Gutz, the Indonesian, Palti and gang... Rony who we met in the last NPPL Asia is here too. This time, he will not be playing but will be a coach for 2 newly formed Indonesia Division 3 teams. Then there is the gang from Taiwan, Team Formosa who are more focus on learning the trades of refeering than playing. Things are looking good. The official hotel is about 20 mins drive away from the field, so it will be a problem for most of the teams. Going there is not an issue but returning from the field is. No worries, we will solve this problem. I am actually very excited about this year's WCA. Playing is one thing, getting to meet old friends is the other. Not forgetting the new friends and people that we will be meeting. Paintball is a small community. Everyone knows everyone... so its good to see everyone again.

Padam Pelita who has not played with us for the last 2 events will rejoin the team this time. In this WCA, our team has a point to proof as we were misunderstood for most of the entire season. So good luck Red Sevens... play hard and make sure that our presence is felt. Last year was our virgin year...playing WCA for the second time, its time for us to play harder than last year.

Cheers dude!