Monday, July 30, 2012

You and Me, We can be Trail Blazers.


Good morning paintball world! 

As you may have noticed, I have been away from the blogosphere for a few weeks. Shocking I know, but my husband and I do have a little bit of a life outside of paintball. In fact, we are currently in the process of building a new home. We have been up to our necks in decisions about everything from floor plan to paint colour to cabinetry and so on. It’s a seemingly never-ending list of considerations and dreams and concerns. We are officially down to the wire as our closing date is set for the 23rd of August. This has meant that every spare moment (away from the field) has been spent working on projects for our new home and packing up our old one. 
 Sanding timber beams...and sanding...and sanding...and sanding...
Applying stain. 

While all of you have been grinding it out on the field in preparation for Central Event 3, I have been up to my elbows in wood shavings, stain, and varathane. While you have been running drills and scrimmaging the competition, I (with much help from my husband) have been dealing with contractor mistakes and running house-related errands. As you grow in your skills and confidence on the field, I am expanding my knowledge of construction and wood-finishing away from the field. I know how hard you guys work to perfect your game because I have put the same effort into preparing beams for our house. It simply isn’t an option to give it anything but your best. The things we desire most in life also happen to be the ones that require the most from us. These things take all of our energy and endurance. We will give up the so-called necessities of life just to thrive at what we love. 


One thing I have always loved about my paintball playing friends is their drive - that sometimes ridiculous passion that goes beyond reason. That kind of all-out determination is something that resonates with me. I have an all-or-nothing personality. Once I’ve decided to do something, anything, there is absolutely no stopping me. I will work at it until I have accomplished what I set out to do. It doesn’t matter how many times I am beaten down and bloodied in the process, I will get back up and push through the pain. I will persevere. I can see you all nodding your heads in unison. You all agree. You know that those who succeed in the sport of paintball are the ones who never quit. 

 Drummondville's Julien Croteau Pothier doing work. 
Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

So now- more than ever- some of you need the reminder to keep pushing. Where we stand right now, the path to NAX for the Elite teams is not as clear set as in past seasons. Sure, there are some who are guaranteed a position fighting for the title and there are some who already know that they won’t be battling for rings in the 2012 season.  But it doesn’t matter whether you are riding near the top of the standings or the bottom, this is no time to roll over and allow others to stomp down on you. Stand up for what you want, put up a fight, show the paintball world that you WANT to be here. Go out with your heads held high, and play the game like it was meant to be played. Heck-don’t stop there! Raise the game to a new level! Blaze the trail, my friends.

 Tremblant Cowboys
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Raider's Ryan Chantler playing paintball as its meant to be played.
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

 Kitchener Recon
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Hustle's Brett Robinson
Photo Credit-Sheldon Carless

Toronto Rockstar
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless


I’ll see you and you’re A-game at Central Event 3! 

Signing off (to go dip into some Varathane),
The Paintball Wife

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Meet Drew Guppy of Windsor Lockdown

      While Drew Guppy now plays for one of the best paintball teams in Canada - Windsor Lockdown - he admits that he wouldn’t be where he is without years of dedication, hard work, practice, and the encouragement and guidance of friends. Guppy’s paintball journey began several years ago when he started playing paintball with his hockey teammates at SGT Splatters. This quickly became a regular weekly outing and eventually the group, “listened to the boys that worked there (mostly the Levack brothers) and put a 3 man rookie team into a TOC event” recalls Drew. He adds, “It’s funny because Justin Ing and I have stuck together through the years from playing in the sand, all the way up until now”. 
     A couple of seasons later, Drew joined the CXBL on the Toronto Rage roster at a time when there was only one division. He remembers, “We wore red t-shirts which were the laughing stock of the league because everyone else had nice jerseys”. Guppy looks back on his first year rostered in the CXBL as a time of huge progression. Thanks to spending lots of time on the field and guidance from Dan Szpka, Phil Thompson, and others, Drew developed greatly as a player. 
    Guppy has invested lots of time and energy into this sport. Having played in TOC, NPPL, PSP, and the CXBL, he has enjoyed many victories along the way. Some highlights of his journey thus far include: 1st place at Huntington Beach NPPL playing at the D1 level with Synergy, 1st place at Chicago NPPL playing D2 with 3CT, 1st place at World Cup PSP at the division 2 level with Defcon, 3rd place finishes with Synergy at Jacksonville and San Diego NPPL events in division 1, 4th place finish at World Cup PSP with Toronto Mavericks D3 team, many TOC wins with synergy, and of course, placing 1st overall in the CXBL central division five times running. 
     In his early days with Synergy, Guppy was known for making big center 50 runs off the break but now frequents the snake side of the field, keeping watch over his front snake teammates. That being said, Drew has played the doritos before and says that he “might consider making a return to the dark side of the field”. While Guppy would love to play a pro PSP event in the future, he admits, “Where I’m at in life right now with my career, I don’t see there being the time to travel and train to be playing competitively at that level. I’m just taking each season as it goes and enjoying the time I spend with the boys”. 

 Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

I had the pleasure of interviewing Drew in regard to Windsor's showing at Border Battle. Check out what he had to say!  

  • What are your general thoughts on Windsor's showing at Border Battle? Did your matches turn out how you expected they would or were there some surprises?

“For the amount of practice (or lack of practice) we had before this event we did pretty well.  We changed up our roster, and didn't really get as much time on the field as we would have liked due to the quick turn around between the events and the crazy wind storms on our Friday practice in Ottawa before the event.  That being said, we came in to the event with a focus to win all 4 of our games and only came out with 3.  So we have room to improve and work to put in.  We were confident that we would take care of business in all of our games, however we seemed to start slow in our morning games and pick up the pace as the day proceeded.  We came out flat against Cowboys in the first half of the match and that is really what hurt us the most.”

 
  • Prior to this event, many were surprised by your team's decision to add a line of Damage players to your roster. Lockdown is already made up of many of Ontario's best. What factors led to the roster changes?

“Simply put, these guys are among the top players in the world.  You would be foolish to have an opportunity to gain guys like this and ignore that fact.  Ultimately the plan was for this to happen from  the beginning of the year, however they were committed to the Millenium Series and were unable to play.  For their own reasons, Damage left Millenium and it just made sense to add them to the roster.  We came into this year with 1 intention, and that is to come out with NAX rings.”

 
  • Having played four matches with your new line up, do you feel that your roster changes have proved beneficial? In what ways did your new players add to or take away from Lockdown's success at this event? Can we expect to see your Damage line at Elite Event 3 or will they be practicing for PSP?

“They are definitely beneficial to the team as a whole.  It's a nice feeling to have these come in and be able to critique your play and put you back in place.  They're also all cool guys and we were able to do some "team bonding" in Ottawa outside of paintball which I think just got everyone comfortable together on a personal level.  They bring a real competitive drive to the team, which I can only compare to our own core's attitude of playing to win.  As for Event 3, I'm not sure what is planned and it will be an interesting event for all the teams that rostered players who play PSP. “

 
  • At Border Battle, Windsor enjoyed victories against Drummondville Daytona, Scarborough Hustle, and Mirabel Impact. What do you feel your team excelled at during these matches that helped to make you so successful?

“Against Drummondville we started slow, however were able to work out all the kinks we had from the little time we had as a team together on the layout.  From there I think we were able to just get our lanes on point and work together as a team on closing out points and capitalizing on any body advantages we had.  We were nice and calm in the pits, were well organized, and had good communication and calls laid out for the field. “

 
  • Your match against Tremblant Cowboys was anticipated to be the most exciting match of the event, and possibly the season. While it was certainly a great match, Lockdown came up short by 1. Can you tell me a little bit about this match--what were you and your teammates doing right and where if at all did you go wrong?

“We came out flat in the first half simply put, I believe by the end of the first half the score was either 6-1 or 6-2.  We weren't putting enough paint in the air and flooding the lanes, and they were able to get down the dorito side of the field quicker than we were.  After the half the field seemed to tilt, and we had points going up quick.  There was an extremely long point that was a nail bitter to tie up the game, and unfortunately in closing out the point Keith got a major penalty.  This left us in a 5 on 4 situation, and in turning around the point Jason was unable to get to passed the chronograph ref, so we started 5 on 3.  Matt got laned off the break busting snake side, putting us in an even further predicament playing 5 on 2 essentially from the get go.  Chad and Jacob played solid that point, and they were almost able to hold off the rush and shoot out a bunch of guys.  We had the decision to make to see if the flag hanger was hit, or to towel the point with 14 seconds and try and draw the major swing point.  We toweled the point, and the boys came out hard for the final 14 seconds.  Unfortunately, no major penalty was called (I believe there was a minor) and although we had grabbed the flag,  there wasn't enough time to close out to send the game to a draw.”

 
  •  I couldn't help but notice that the familiar Rage faces didn't receive very much playing time throughout this match. As a spectator who has become familiar with your playing style, I found this match to have a very different feel. How did the team decide who to put on the field? Were you and your former Rage teammates disappointed with the lack of playing time? Do you feel this match may have ended differently had you maintained your typical style of play?

“The game started with a regular 3 line rotation that we had been utilizing for our previous games.   When you're in a situation where you are losing points consistently, you just have to turn to the 5 guys that are on the field and hanging the flag.  That was the reality, the two rage lines simply weren't putting the points on the board and the Damage line was.  At that point you just have to suck up your emotions and just do whatever you can to help those guys keep winning.  Sure it sucks to be sitting, but it's not like we have never shortened the bench before even on previous teams.  We've all sat to run 1 line constantly to go for the win at some point or another, regardless of which jersey we are wearing.  Do I feel the outcome could have changed if we had played more points?  That is impossible to answer.  A game can change by a single shot, getting to a specific bunker, laning a guy off the hop, a penalty going in your favour, etc.  There's too many factors to go into depth, and the reality is that teams will always go with the hottest guys on the field.  Unfortunately for the "Rage" boys, we just weren't the hottest.  That just means putting the work in the next few weekends and getting mentally prepared to go out and be the best for our future events.”

 
  • Windsor plays against Kitchener Recon and Medonte Ntwo Factor at Elite event 3. What are you doing to prepare for these matches? Has Medonte's win over Cowboys changed the way you view them as a team?

“We're getting back to the basics, and are going to be focusing on doing drills/breakouts and learning the layout.  They're both good teams that will be practicing hard to come for wins as they are looking to secure NAX positions.  Medonte played a great game against the Cowboys, but I don't think this changes any views on the team.  The league is tight this year, a lot more concentrated amount of talent than what we're used to.  It might be a new aspect locally to see top teams losing games, but if you look in the PSP you will find that that is just how paintball goes.  I know they will be showing up to win, and so are we.  No team will be taken lightly.”

 
  • With Windsor currently leading the CXBL division, it is certain that you will have a place at NAX. Who do you expect to find yourself competing against at NAX? 

“I'm not sure. There's still a lot of games to be played to judge how the standings will finish.  I'm hoping to line up against Vancouver Thunder first game though, and get redemption for last season.”

 
  • Is there anything else you'd like to add?

“Yeah, I'd like to thank our sponsors Combat Pursuit, Next Paintball, and Dye Precision. Trevor/Jeff van Dorsser for all that they've done to put this team together and efforts throughout the season, our pit crew boys who hustle hard for us, and all of the people who cheer us on to win the rings.”

Drew- Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! It is nice to get honest, well thought-out answers. I look forward to watching your matches at CXBL Elite Event 3. Best of luck to you and your teammates! 

Signing off, 
The Paintball Wife 

Monday, July 9, 2012

Reflections on Border Battle - Part 3


 RXL Reflections:

Most exciting game to watch –   Essex Distortion Vs. Niagara Aces  

     Considering that both of these teams have been riding near the top of the RXL division, one would expect a close, exciting match and that’s exactly what these two teams gave us! Essex came out with a quick 4-0 lead but the experienced Aces players with the help of their coaching staff were able to adjust to the skilled Essex playing styles. The game ended with Aces leading by only one point. 

 Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Most surprising game –  Niagara Aces Vs. King City Extreme   

     I am fairly certain that nobody expected the outcome of this match. Niagara Aces have proven themselves to be a VERY strong team -coming out of event 1 undefeated and leading the season in points - with King City rounding out the middle of the RXL pack. Unfortunately for the Aces crew, this match did not go according to expectation. Instead, due to penalties and missing their coaching staff, Niagara suffered a fairly significant loss to team Extreme. If you ask me, this was the upset of the RXL season. 
 
Most Impressive team at this event –   Mississauga Hate

     Judging by roster alone, one would expect to see great things from this team and having only one loss to another top team, Hate is showing their strength. Mississauga has now faced all of their top competitors and remain only to play the lowest ranked teams, Joyceville Venom and Vaughn Vipers. We can expect to see Hate battling it out at NAX. 

Weakest team – Vaughn Vipers

     Vipers had only one match this event and it happened to be against their closest matched competition – Joyceville Venom. I gave these guys the benefit of the doubt and predicted that this would be their opportunity to pull out a W. Unfortunately, they didn’t quite pull it off finishing the match with a 7-7 tie. Vipers have yet to face King City Extreme, Mississauga Hate, and Essex Distortion. Considering Hate is leading the division and Essex has been great competition for the top teams, I don’t foresee good things for Vaughn.  

 Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski


Team to watch out for at event 3 and team to most surpass expectations- Dundas Demolition

     Dundas is currently sitting third in their division with 4 wins and 1 loss under their belts. They had some very close games at Border Battle but managed to pull through with wins over Joyceville Venom and King City Extreme. Demolition has yet to play Guelph Silence, Essex Distortion, and Niagara Aces and they will face them at Central Event 3. With continued hard work, I am confident that they will show up ready to perform. That being said, they face some challenging teams and they will have to come out forcefully to pull out wins over Essex and Niagara.  Either way, they will be strong contenders for NAX. 

Signing off,
The Paintball Wife

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Reflections on Border Battle - Part 2


   Due to other commitments, I was unable to make it to Border Battle until Sunday morning. As a result, I had to rely on the help of others to make this blog post come to life. A very special thank you to Mark Wineck for being my eyes on the MXL field this past weekend.

MXL 

Most exciting game to watch – Waterloo Wolves Vs. Hespeler Hooligans

     One could have predicted that this would be an exciting match based solely on the fact that it occurred between two of the top teams in the MXL division. I must admit that I underestimated Wolves as I predicted Hespeler for the win. Hooligans spent the majority of this game working off penalties which likely gave Waterloo the ammunition they needed to pull through with a strong win. Penalties are always expected, especially when two fairly equally matched teams play one another. Emotions heat up and this can either help or hinder a team. In this case, Hooligans allowed their emotions to get the best of them, taking a whopping 21 minutes in penalties in this match alone.
     At the beginning of this match, the two teams went point for point leaving Wolves leading 3-2 with just over four minutes remaining in the half. Waterloo made the most of those four minutes procuring a quick 2 points finishing the half with Hooligans trailing by 3. The first point in the second half has got to be one of the longest points in CXBL history lasting nearly 8 minutes before Hespeler was forced to towel the point to their challengers. It seems that the point lasted this long because both teams had 2 players remaining. Hooligans opted to make a move to bring it down to a 2-on-1 but missed the shot consequently forfeiting the point. Toward the end of the match, Hooligans pulled off another two flag hangs but, thanks to their penalties, also toweled 3 more points to Wolves. Waterloo came through with  a 9-5 win but I hope to see both of these teams battling again at NAX, hopefully involving less penalties on Hespeler’s part.

 Hooligans' Brock Browett
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Most surprising game – Barrie Freeze Vs. Sarnia Energy
     
       Prior to this event, I had these two teams pegged as being well-matched in regard to player talent and coaching and while I still believe that to be true, I was incredibly surprised by the outcome of this match. Truth be told, many suspected that this match could go either way but I am sure nobody expected an 8 point spread. Sarnia took the first point of the game with Freeze quickly evening the score. Having not been on the sidelines, I am not sure what happened next but Freeze must’ve fallen apart considering they toweled the next 5 points to Energy with Sarnia pulling in one more flag hang before the end of the first half leaving them leading by 6. Freeze hung the first flag of the second half and after toweling the next point, managed to bring the score to 7 – 3 Sarnia. Freeze went on to towel the next point and thanks to their major penalty, Sarnia procured 2 more fast points before the game ended with Energy leading by 8. This match was certainly a good showing for the Sarnia Energy crew but I don’t think it will be enough to secure them a spot at NAX.
    
Most Impressive team at this event – Waterloo Wolves
    
       This is a team made up of a combination of some of the old Woodstock Defiance and Tavistock Defiant guys as well as a few stragglers. These are players who are well-known in the paintball community for their hard work and passion. It’s no surprise to see them battling at the top of the MXL bracket, after all, some of them already have an MXL title and a season of CXBL under their belts. After their tie against Sarnia Energy at Central Event 1, many questioned whether this team may be over-rated. Waterloo came back this event, knowing they had to step up to show that they deserve a spot at NAX, and show up they did. Wolves win over Hespeler showed that they are fully prepared to do everything in their power to finish at the top. It looks like they’d have to lose two matches at Central Event 3 to give up their spot in the top three, and I just don’t see that happening.
     A special shout out to Mark Wineck for guesting with Kitchener Recon to become the oldest player to have ever played in a CXBL match. Fifty isn’t so bad, eh Mark? There may be a one-on-one against Robert Lee in your paintball future! That’s a point I wouldn’t even think of missing! 

 Wolves getting Amped
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Weakest team – Woodstock Semper Fi

     I said the same about Hustle, I wish I could be talking about another team. All I can say is that your match against 420 Army at Central Event 3 may be your only chance at saving yourselves. It’s no longer just a want, you guys NEED to win that match and I for one, think you can do it! 

Team to watch out for at event 3 – Georgina Rebels

       I really think that these guys are under-rated. Sure they are a middle-of-the-pack team but I don’t think they’re without potential. The only significant loss they’ve suffered was against Brooklin Fingers and it was their first match of the season. Their other losses were only by a 2-3 point spread and on top of that, they have wins against Woodstock and 420 Army. Just as they showed up stronger at Border Battle than they were at Central Event 1, I expect them to regroup and gain strength again for Central Event 3. The only hindrance is that they face two very strong teams (Hespeler Hooligans and Waterloo Wolves) at Event 3. Rebels, don’t let the bigger names slow you down. Take every opportunity to practice your skills and drills and to get to know the field layout. Upsets are far from unheard of but you are going to need to learn to stay out of the penalty box. 

Team to most surpass expectations- Sarnia Energy
     
      Sarnia’s only losses are to two of the top teams. Their tie with Wolves proved a surprise to many but also showed that they are here to play hard. Energy’s only remaining matches are against Fury and 420 Army and because of their showing so far this season, I feel confident that they will come out with some big wins.

 Sarnia Breakout
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless
Other reflections:
    
      Since the penalty minute recap was such a hit with the CXBL Elite, I thought I’d do the same for the MXL division. In this division, the penalty minutes were more evenly spread throughout the competition. From most penalty minutes to least, here are the MXL teams. 

1.       Georgina Rebels
      Matches Played: 5
          Penalty Minutes: 59

2.       Winnipeg 420 Army
      Matches Played: 4
          Penalty Minutes: 51

3.       Oshawa Fury
      Matches Played: 5
          Penalty Minutes: 40

4.       Sarnia Energy
      Matches Played: 6
          Penalty Minutes: 37

5.       Hespeler Hooligans
      Matches Played: 5
          Penalty Minutes: 34

6.       Woodstock Semper Fi
      Matches Played: 5
          Penalty Minutes: 33

7.       Barrie Ntwo Freeze
      Matches Played: 5
          Penalty Minutes: 32

8.       Waterloo Wolves
      Matches Played: 5
          Penalty Minutes: 29

9.       Brooklin Fingers
      Matches Played: 6
          Penalty Minutes: 26

Signing off,
The Paintball Wife

P.S. My MXL predictions weren't nearly as good as my CXBL predictions. 4 of 7 correct.