Friday, June 29, 2012

Border Battle Predictions

     All around me people are making predictions for the Border Battle matches. With the event just a day away, I have decided to add my two cents to the equation. Given what I know about the teams and their showing at Central Event 1, I have done my best to give accurate predictions. Sometimes a spectator's eye is keener than those who are involved on the field. That is not to say that I do not have favourite teams, I absolutely do and anyone who claims otherwise is kidding themselves.
     My predictions are strictly that. They are not intended to put anyone down or offend anyone. I think all of the teams have potential for wins and that the game can change on various factors ranging from penalties to where the sun is in the sky. Due to another commitment, I cannot be at the event until Sunday sometime so this is my opportunity to wish EVERY team good luck at Border Battle. Hard work counts more than luck, so I hope that everyone has taken the opportunity to build on what they learned at Event 1 to come out stronger than ever this event!

 CXBL

Drummondville Vs. Medonte – Every prediction I’ve heard has Medonte with the win. However, I am not so sure about that. Drummondville is probably the most highly under-rated team in the Elite division. They finished short by one point in their game against Recon at Elite Event 1 and anyone who was watching knows that they could’ve won. On the other hand, Medonte is a strong team filled with passionate, hard-working players who certainly won’t hand a game over without giving it everything they’ve got. I really think this game could potentially be one of the most exciting to watch. If Drummondville stays out of the penalty box and tightens up their bumps a little bit, I truthfully think that this game could be theirs. 

Rockstar Vs. Raiders – This is an easier call. Raiders will take this match thanks to their experience and their ability to play together as a unit. The Rockstar team has some weak links that are slowing them down.

Cowboys Vs. Hustle – Cowboys will take this one. I am fairly certain that EVERY player on this team has won either NAX or another championship.  Even if they haven’t put in the practice time that Hustle has, their experience will pull through for a big win. I won’t be surprised to see Hustle show up with more strength than they had at Event 1, I just don’t think that their determination will be enough to narrow the gap in skill.

Drummondville Vs. Lockdown – Even if Lockdown hadn’t picked up their Damage players, they would have taken this match.

Rockstar Vs.  Medonte – Honestly, I hope for Rockstar’s sake that they prove me wrong but Medonte will not lose this match.

Cowboys Vs. Raiders –I cannot be completely unbiased in terms of this match. I know Raiders better than any other team. I have seen their dedication to practicing and I know the individual players and their playing styles. Going by roster alone, this will certainly be Raider’s toughest match and if they are going to lose any games, this will be the one. That being said, as strong as Cowboys players are, I question the amount of practice they have put in and even the best players can get rusty when they aren’t spinning their wheels. I think in the end, Raider’s rigorous practice schedule and outright passion for paintball will bring them the win.  This will be an extremely close match and a great one to watch.

Hustle Vs. Lockdown – Lockdown will ride the momentum from their Drummondville match and roll through with another win in their match against Hustle.

Impact Vs. Hustle – While I don’t want to underestimate Impact, I do think that Hustle will come through with a win here. These guys are hungry for a W and coming off of a fresh loss against Lockdown, they are going to use what they have learned to their own advantage.

Recon Vs. Raiders – Raiders has a strong team overall, if they stay out of the box and keep their heads about them, this is their game. That being said, there has always been heated competition between these two teams and their past matches have been close.

Cowboys Vs. Medonte – Medonte will want this win more than any of their other matches. The expected win for this match would be Cowboys but something tells me that if there is going to be an upset, this will be it. Provided they play smart paintball, I am going to go out on a limb and choose Medonte for the win.

Impact Vs. Lockdown – This is essentially a match between a very strong MXL team and a very strong CXBL team. There is a significant gap in skill between these two teams and that is largely a result of playing experience. Lockdown will win this match by a significant spread.

Recon Vs. Hustle – Recon doesn’t go down easy and they are not comfortable with being a “middle of the pack” team. They will snatch up a W here.

Cowboys Vs. Lockdown – I think everyone agrees that this will be THE match of Border Battle. Maybe even the match of the season. I suspect we will see a handful of major penalties thrown throughout this match. When you have this many egos on the field, some of them are bound to lose their cool. I’d hate to predict a tie here considering Lockdown and Raiders have already gone there but I really can’t see this match going any other way. These teams will both want this. I think Lockdown’s roster additions prove how bad they want this W.

MXL

Waterloo Vs. Semper fi – Waterloo will take the win here. This is the battle of the former CXBL players.  Unfortunately for Semper Fi, Wolves has the stronger roster.

Rebels Vs. Fury – These two teams are tied at this point in the season which will make this an interesting match. I think rebels are an under-rated team but I do think Fury will come through with a win. Either way, this will be a tight match. My guess is – no more than a 3 point spread.

Freeze Vs. Rockstar – These are two well matched teams. As far as I know, both camps have a solid practice schedule and are built of competitive, hard-working players. I am going to call this game at a tie.

Hespeler Vs. Waterloo – This will likely be the closest match of the MXL matches this event but Hooligans will come out on top.  This is a tough prediction to make. You have a top MXL team playing against a team with a handful of former CXBL players.  Undoubtedly, Wolves has a stronger snake side but if Hespeler continues to play conservative ball and hold down tight lanes, they will come out with the victory.

Fingers Vs. Fury – Fingers’ experienced roster and dedicated players will bring them through this match on top.

Rebels Vs. Semper fi –Semper Fi is going to be hungry for a win and ready to prove their worth. Rebels will put up a good fight but Semper fi will come out ahead by 1.

Fingers Vs. Rockstar – I think this will be another close match unless either team gets into penalty trouble. If both teams play a clean game, Fingers will take the W.


RXL

Aces Vs. Rockstar – I don’t see Aces losing a match this year. They are easily the strongest team out their but that doesn’t stop them from pushing hard to continue improving.

Dundas Vs. Venom – Dundas will come through with a strong win over Venom.

Guelph Vs. Hate – Hate will take it but it will be a closer match than people think.

Essex Vs. Aces – Essex has proven themselves to be a strong team this season. I certainly expect to see them bring home a few points here but in the end, Aces will storm through and take their win.

Venom Vs. Vipers – This is the two teams at the bottom of the leaderboard fighting to show their worth. If Vipers has a chance to win, this is the match they will take. I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and give this match to Vipers. No team should lose every match.

Beast Mode Vs. Hate – Beast Mode has surprised me this year and I suspect they are one of the under-rated teams in this division. That being said, Hate’s strong roster of over-qualified players will come through.

Dundas Vs. Rockstar – I think this will be a tight game. In fact, I am going to call this match a tie. Both teams are ready to rock. 


To all teams, you have my best wishes for a great showing this weekend! 

Signing off, 
The Paintball Wife
 

Monday, June 25, 2012

CXBL Elite Event 1 Reflections with Medonte Ntwo Factor


     With the 3 CXBL conferences joining to create the new CXBL Elite division, there are two 2011 MXL Champs who have made the jump to the CXBL this year: Mirabel Impact from the East and Medonte NTwo Factor from the Central conference. Both of these teams certainly had their work cut out for them at CXBL Elite event 1 that happened earlier this month. Medonte suffered two losses and managed to pull out a W against their MXL champion counterparts while Mirabel went 1 and 3. Both teams have their first CXBL win under their belts and are left to use what they learned at the first event to build strategy and skill for Border Battle this coming weekend. Medonte’s Tom Guest joins me for an interview.

 Medonte Ntwo Factor
  • What are your general thoughts on Medonte's showing at CXBL Elite event 1? Did your matches turn out how you suspected they would or were you surprised with the outcomes?
 
“Overall I believe our matches went as expected. Being N2’s rookie season in CXBL no one expected to go out and smash teams. We all know there is a tough road ahead. I believe our first game against Raiders could have been much closer than it was due to a number of factors. One being penalties, which is not an excuse for our loss yet everyone knows how a few penalties can break a game wide open. Raiders is an established experienced team and they capitalized on these mistakes, although they pulled out the win I truly believe we beat ourselves. 5 on 5 points were very close.Our second game was against Vancouver Thunder, last year’s second place team. We expected long drawn out points as myself and others knew Vancouver’s style of play. Although we knew what to expect, we struggled to adapt to their tight playing style. They played together and were able to lock down the field easily, allowing them to lock down certain sides of the field utilizing the centre point almost every point. They are all great players and our inexperience showed, the field layout was perfect for their style of play.
Going into our final game of the weekend with 2 loses under us we were all thinking the same thing. We needed to pull out a win and we knew how to do it. We used what we learnt from Vancouver against Mirabel, which worked out in our favour as it allowed us control the pace of the game.”
 
  • Medonte and Mirabel were both MXL champs in their respective conferences last season. Did you expect for your team to have such a successful win over your theoretical equals?
 
“While keeping in mind that I am not trying to sound arrogant, I did expect the win against Mirabel. As a team you have to go in to each game being mentally prepared to win, if you start doubting yourself and teammates your defeat is almost certain. Confidence is such a huge part of the game, we were all super hungry to get a win under our belts. No one wanted to be that mxl team who went 3-0.”
 
  • You and your N Two teammates held your own against Cambridge Raiders in the very first match of the 2012 season. Did you learn anything from this match that you could take into your other matches at CXBL Elite event 1?
 
“As I mentioned earlier, I felt like we beat ourselves that game, we lost by 3 points. First game jitters got ahold of us and we dropped the ball. I know we went down 4-0 at the beginning of the game and were able to bring it back to 6-9 at the end of the game. We look forward to playing Raiders again in the future.”
 
  • Medonte suffered a loss to Vancouver Thunder. This team is easily one of the most skilled in the Elite division, having won ALL of their matches with only 7 players. What did you and your teammates find most challenging about playing against this team?
 
“As everyone knows Vancouver has its roots in 7man paintball. Their style of play is very different from other teams, they figure out how to lock down the field and play fairly conservative off the break. Although they start off conservatively, they capitalize on their first G or two and make great secondary pushes. They also found shots that other teams really didn’t use, for example, they had their dorito corner shoot under the A at one of the snake towers quite often to stop our tower player from going to the A.
 
 
  • What do you feel N Two most excelled at during CXBL Elite event 1? What are you, as a team, working on to prepare for Border Battle at the end of this month?
 
“So early in the season with such a slow start makes it difficult to say. By our final game everyone knew their job and were on the same page. I’d like to say that our communication and comfort level had definitely improved during the event and continues to as we always emphasize the importance of that aspect of the game at practices.”
 
  • It is rumoured that you have an amazing coaching staff. Can you tell me a little bit about those involved and how they are working to help the team to grow?
 
“Of course, Wayne and Ron have made N2 what it is today. Unlike most teams in the cxbl, we actually have a single coach. Ron, our main voice in the pits and play maker, does wonders for the team. I personally have played on many teams without a central coaching figure and it truly does have a big impact on your teams failure or success. It’s amazing having someone who isn’t playing who is able to observe the game from a bystander’s perspective and see how everything is playing out, who can then change our plays based on how the game is unfolding. With a coaching figure we always have the right players on the field, in contrast to other teams where players with seniority go on whenever they see fit or teams that run 2 lines without switching up players to suit the situation. Wayne is the other owner and coach of N2, him and Ronnie are co-owners. He ensures everything is set for practices, and works together with Ron to piece together plays.”
 
  • Which teams do you expect to see make NAX this season?

“I expect to see ourselves, Thunder, Recon, Lockdown, Cowboys,
and Mirabel in Nax. All in no particular order, each team out there is going for Nax, that’s every single player’s goal. Only time will tell.”

Tom- Thanks for the interview! I really appreciate your thoughtful answers to my sometimes challenging questions. It’s interesting to me that Raiders and Daytona are not on your list for NAX competitors considering that these teams are currently holding down second and third place.  It’s never a surprise to see the standings change a little throughout the season however; I would be surprised to see some of the other teams you’ve mentioned as NAX competitors before these two BUT as you said, only time will tell. 

What do the rest of you think? Who will we see at NAX? I have my suspicions but I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Signing off,
The Paintball Wife

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

CXBL Elite Event 1 Reflections with Vancouver Thunder


Vancouver Thunder are the new guys around the CXBL, having only joined the league last season. They are also the only Western Conference team taking part in the new CXBL Elite division. That being said, their great showing at Elite event 1 suggests that being new to the league will not slow them down. They had only 7 players present on June 9th and 10th at Flag Raiders and still managed to pull off four big Ws. I have said in a previous post that, in my eyes, they are THE team to beat this season. I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Thunder’s Alex Borromeo about his take on Elite event 1. Read on, my friends. 

 Thunder's Alex Borromeo
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless


  • What is it like being the only remaining Western CXBL team? Has it been difficult to enter the CXBL Elite division where you face unfamiliar teams?
“It's unfortunate that no other teams from the Western Conference could be a part of the CXBL Elite Division so it is a privilege to represent the Western Conference. It really has not been that difficult entering the elite division. Last year was our first year in the CXBL so every team we face is unfamiliar to us.”
  • Having had the chance to see all of the Elite teams play (with the exception of Tremblant Cowboys), which team(s) were you most impressed by? 
“I think Cambridge Raiders and Windsor Lockdown were the two teams that impressed me the most this event. They both play a great game and both teams have great players. I look forward to playing Cambridge Raiders at Event 3 and hopefully getting the chance to take on Windsor Lockdown at NAX.”
  • Your team successfully won all of your matches by a sizable margin. Which of your matches proved most challenging and why? 
“The most challenging match for us was against Kitchener Recon. We ended up with quite a few penalties which we are not used to getting. We had a bunch of points where Recon had the upper hand on bodies but we stayed calm and grinded out each point pulling out the victory. Thomas Taylor and Frank Connell are definitely shaping that team into a top contender for NAX this year and I look forward to playing them in the future.”

  • Your team managed to pull off four big wins with only 7 players. Were you expecting to be so successful with so few players? Why were you so short-handed for this event?
“We most definitely went into this event expecting to be successful regardless of how many players we had. We knew for awhile that we were going to be short-handed so the entire team prepared mentally and physically for the event. We all knew that we needed to have the endurance to run point after point and this weekend we proved that our training helped out. A few of the players that were supposed to show up for this event either did not have the proper funds to afford it or had prior engagements. Sometimes that's how things work with how tight money is nowadays but you just have to work with what you got and I'm happy to say that E1 was still successful with only 7 players.”
  • What do you feel your team most excelled at during this event? 
“I think our team most excelled at organization this event. With the help of our AMAZING pit crew and each of the players understanding our roles the entire weekend ran smoothly with no problems whatsoever.”
  • Will you have more players at Event 3 when you face some of the more challenging competitors? 
“We plan on having a few more players at Event 3, the ones that could not make it for Event 1 will be there this time around.”
  • Which of your teammates do you most respect as a player? Why? 
“I can't say I respect any player on my team more than the other. We have all been playing together for so long now that we are a family and I respect each and every player on the team equally.”

  • Do you also play in PSP? If so, how are you working your PSP practice schedule around Event 3?
“I play PSP in Division 1 with Fuzion, with so many events happening at the same time it definitely is a struggle to get a good practice schedule set up. Fortunately I am able to utilize Doodlebug Sportz indoor facility in Everett, WA to practice once a week. Everyone on Thunder attends mandatory Monday practices. We also try to get in scrimmages over at our owners field up in Tsawwassen, BC at Tsawwassen Paintball. He recently got the new 2012 CXBL field to help us prepare for all the events."

  • Is there anything else you would like to add? 

“I would like to thank Matthew Jantzi for supporting the team and providing an excellent facility for us to practice at (Tsawwassen Paintball). I also would like to thank Doodlebug Sportz for also providing an excellent indoor facility in Everett, WA for us to practice at year round. Last but not least I would like to thank Caro Burden and the amazing pit crew we had for Event 1, we could not have done as well as we did without your help.”

 Thunder's Danny Cort and Nate Schroeder
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless


Thank you, Alex! Interviewing players is my favourite part of writing this blog. It is so nice to see players with so much talent manage to keep a level-headed approach to the sport. All the best to you and your Fuzion teammates as you head into PSP’s Chicago Open this coming weekend! We look forward to seeing Thunder again at Event 3. 


Signing off,
The Paintball Wife

P.S. Don't forget to vote for some of these guys to play in the NPPL All Star game!  http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e61f81wzh3gucsn7/a024mhh3lx2jdm/questions

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Riddle Me This

Happy Saturday my paintball playing pals,

     It's a beautiful day to get out and grind it out on the field in preparation for Atlantic Event 1 and Border Battle which are both quickly approaching. Almost everyone I know is running drills and/or scrimmaging to ensure that they are boosting their skills. If you aren't out there, you should be!

     Every now and then, I am going to have some questions for you - my loyal readers. Today is one of those days! I want to know which CXBL Elite players you would like to hear about. If you had the chance to read my pre-season interviews, you also had the opportunity to learn about some really amazing guys and their paintball journeys. Since so many of you have mentioned just how much you loved reading their stories, with the help of the chosen players, I'd like to continue sharing their profiles with all of you!

     My question for you is this: Which CXBL Elite players would you most like to read about and why? If you have specific questions you'd like to see me ask, please also include your inquiries in your comment! So far, my goal has been to keep as much focus as possible on our Canadian talent. I do realize the amount of American talent in the CXBL has grown immensely and I am not saying that I will not give recognition to American players. However, many of those players already have enjoyed time in the spotlight and a big part of my vision is to make sure that this blog is a place of encouragement and challenge for more local talent. So just keep that in mind when answering!

Thanks Guys and Gals!

Signing Off,
The Paintball Wife

P.S. Post Central Event 1 interviews are currently in the works! Stay tuned!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Reflections on Central Event 1 - Part 4


Due to overwhelming demand, I have decided to do a post featuring the central CX4 division. Having not seen the matches, my comments are based on standings alone. 

There are 15 teams in the CX4 division but only 12 were present at Central CXBL Event 1. Three teams failed to show up to compete but I have been assured that these teams have now been sold and we can expect to see a full 15 teams present and ready to compete at Border Battle. Of the twelve teams who did compete, two teams stood out. Hamilton Havoc and Codrington Chaos both pulled off several wins throughout the two days of competing and are currently tied at the top of the standings with 86 points. Barrhaven Raiders Army follows close behind with 82 points. Whitby Whiteout, Wawa Rockstars, and Petrolia Pirates also have potential, each being separated by only one point with 79, 78, and 77 points respectively. 

 Petrolia's Ian Brown
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Riding out the middle of the pack are Muskoka Mercs (74 pts), Mount Hope RS Bedlam (60 pts), and Lowville Lions (52 pts). Of the twelve teams who partook in the competition, Brampton Rage Kidz are currently in last place, holding fewer than half the points that Havoc and Chaos have. Rage Kidz currently have 42 points and thus will have a long road ahead of them if they seek to make a comeback. That being said, it wouldn’t take much for them to come out ahead of Owen Sound Stars(44 pts) or Brighton Bandits (46 pts).

 Owen Sound's Kevin Alforque and Brian Toms
Photo Credit: The Catshack Reports

The three new teams will also have their work cut out for them to make up for the lacking points from the first event. I trust that these teams are currently firing their markers as much as they can to prepare. We will look forward to seeing how they do at Border Battle at the end of this month. 

Signing off, 
The Paintball Wife

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Reflections on Central Event 1 - Part 3


Brace yourselves, I'm not holding back today. 


RXL


Most exciting game – Niagara Aces Vs. Mississauga Hate


Anyone could have predicted that this would be an exciting game considering it was the battle of the two top RXL teams. I predicted these two teams to be the strongest in their division and that has proven true thus far. That being said, I did expect the point spread of this match to be much closer than it was. Hate started strong, quickly taking the first two points of the game but Aces were not prepared to be beaten and their team-playing and creative breakouts ended up winning them the game. The final score was 9-5 for Aces, leaving the Hate guys quite disappointed. 

 Aces' Andre Gravelle
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless


Most surprising game – Essex Distortion Vs. Joyceville Venom


From looking at Joyceville’s roster, you might have expected them to make the most of their former CXBL and MXL players and thus be riding near the top of their bracket. However, they came out of event 1 with only a single win. I was most surprised by the Essex – Joyceville matchup not because Essex won but because they won by so much! The final score on this game was 12-5 for Essex. That’s a whopping 7 point spread between two teams who should theoretically be a fairly even match. I didn’t have the chance to watch this game but I have to give Distortion props for their very successful win. 

 Distortion's Eric Trautman and John Wood
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless


Strongest team thus far – Niagara Aces


Not only did Aces win every game they played AND beat their most challenging competitor, they also have a current +/- of 27 after only 3 games. Mississauga Hate, their closest competition has a current +/- of 14 after four games.  It will be very difficult for any other team to come close to catching Niagara and should they continue playing as strongly as they did at Event 1, we WILL see them in MXL next year. These guys have determination and passion and they are willing to work to make their goals a reality. My guess is that no one will stand in their way. 

 Aces' Joe Ribble and Justin Jhauj
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless


Weakest tam thus far – Vaughn Vipers


Vipers had a sad showing at event 1, losing every one of their matches by a minimum of 4 points. In fact, the team only had a total of 13 points in their four games combined. The team’s +/- is -32 after event 1. It’s going to take more than hard work to bring them back from depths that low and they haven’t even faced Hate or Distortion yet. Luck is what you need, my friends. 

 Vaughn Vipers
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Teams to watch out for at event 2– Essex Distortion, King City Extreme, Dundas Demolition


Essex has shown that they know how to win against RXL level teams. The only match they lost at event 1 was their game against Mississauga Hate and let’s face it, that team has a couple of former CXBL and MXL level players on the roster. I believe that with a few wins under their belts and their confidence lifted, these guys will come into event 2 stronger than ever. They will need to practice hard though because their next match is against Aces and the Niagara guys do not hold back.


King City Extreme proved their strength by holding their own in their game against Hate. Many suspected that Hate would steamroll this team but while they lost, it was only by 4 points. Also, they showed that they have what it takes to compete with like-skilled teams considering their game against distortion ended with Distortion leading only by 1. With practice and continued dedication, I see these guys moving up the ranks. 

 King City's Jeff Doherty and Julio Balkowski
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Dundas Demolition have been around for quite some time. They have seen their fair share of bumps and bruises along the way but it’s nice to see them pulling in some Ws this season. They lost only one match to Mississauga Hate, winning their other matches against Beast Mode and Vipers. I suspect that event 1 has left them with a slight taste of victory. They will be back with more determination than ever. 

Signing off, 
The Paintball Wife