Vote Here - The Choice is Yours !!!!!

[Robbo]

I think John [Sosta] is actually one of the UK's unsung heroes; he's most certainly one of the smartest guys I know and he applies this intellect into soo many diverse areas in his life and also in our sport.

If he's not sticking his little Italian nose in the middle of quite complex electronic circuitry and programming, he's thinking on a much grander scale about how best to move our sport forward.. and he does all this without expecting or getting any acclamation.

A more unassuming guy you'd never meet because the reason he does all this work in paintball isn't for self-gain of any kind, he's just not that sort of person, far from it in fact.
He's not really one for the limelight and prefers to stay in the shadow's of his wife's somewhat most stunning assets ... he don't need no umbrella in the rain I tell ya ..

John gets involved just because that is his nature [as JonBon so succinctly suggests] and the thing he loves to do .. he just loves problems, he loves hearing of things that don't work properly whether it's gats, compressors, air regs or even our chosen sporting format .. he will set his mind on it and invariably come up with some sort answer.
He is one the of the UK's unapplauded treasures and I hope we can all appreciate just what he does for us because I am damned sure there a lot of people out there who are completely unaware of his achievements and goals .. he's another one who has paintball running through his veins ... and on top of that, he's a real nice guy .. I hate him even more

 

[Formula5Paintball]

John has been at the forefront of paintball for most of the years I have known him,

I think John [Sosta] is actually one of the UK's unsung heroes; he's most certainly one of the smartest guys I know and he applies this intellect into soo many diverse areas in his life and also in our sport

and on top of that, he's a real nice guy .. I hate him even more

Can you all stop boosting his ego!!!! His head wont be able to fit through our front door!!!



Danielle

 

[Karlito]

Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to play the F5 format before I stopped playing...and I'm gutted! I feel like I've missed out given the feedback I've seen about it! I've voted 7 man, 'cas thats what I played and enjoyed!

I first played 'competition' paintball about 9 years ago, when it was the PA based in the Midlands, 7 man format with 4 leagues. I loved it! Costs were reasonable, and the competition was healthy. Sids NSPL also had a certain 'buzz' about it where you looked forwards to playing his league with most of the other teams that were going to be there. I also remember there being more training sites, where almost every other weekend a couple of new faces were brought into the mix. You could also turn up and play with your marker not having to worry that it wasn't loaded with the most recent ramping software as it was all semi-auto, you fire as fast as your fingers can.

Somewhere along the line this changed considerably, game formats changed, costs increased, a couple of sites disappeared and I don't know about anyone else, but I lost the 'love'. However, with the F5 format being played, it sounds to me like the fun is being brought back into the game! Who knows....maybe this will breathe some new life back into the game, and optmisticly (sp) allow new sites to develop!

 

[Robbo]

Can you all stop boosting his ego!!!! His head wont be able to fit through our front door!!!



Danielle

Dan, don't worry mate, he'll go under it easy enough .... Hi Ho !!!!

 

[Missy-Q]

Im not saying that tournament woodsball is bad, that can cater to a specfic group of players, which is fine. what im suggesting that returning to the woods from where the current level of the sport has developed to would be like starting over again. I understand people have nostalga for the woodland days, but even at this current cross roads Sup'air has done great things for paintball. yes paintball came from the woods but sports develop and evolve all the time, sup'air caters for a group of players that would disappear if there was no Sup'air paintball, take these stats for example, this is a forum for tournament paintballers yes, but this is the what the forum is driected towards, sup'air paintball and that is why here under 20% of the players wish to return to the woods, calculate that as an average for the rest of the sup'air baller population and it is evident that sup'air is still wanted over returning to the woods. So by reason of logic surely leaving sup'air and going back to paintballs roots (see what i did there) would discriminate against this percentage of players who wish to play sup'air paintball.

This seems logical to me, maybe im missing something? No Sup'air no more sexy gear, no more Sup'air compaines, no more shiny markers, no more CPPS, no NPPL etc etc all of it would be undone.

In the scheme of things, the percentage of players that want to play sup-air paintball is the least profitable sector. If the format changed to a woodland format, and this did actually encourage more players, and more profitable players, into the game, would this not be a good thing? It's the way businesses rationalise, they cut the lowest margin items and add items with a higher margin, right?

If we want to talk about what's good for paintball, then I think we need to think in the extremes. If we want to talk about what's good for paintball with the proviso that whatever we're doing now doesn't get affected, because it might mean you can't go to the CPPS anymore, then I think we could all do that forever.

 

[Kitch]

In the scheme of things, the percentage of players that want to play sup-air paintball is the least profitable sector. If the format changed to a woodland format, and this did actually encourage more players, and more profitable players, into the game, would this not be a good thing? It's the way businesses rationalise, they cut the lowest margin items and add items with a higher margin, right?

If we want to talk about what's good for paintball, then I think we need to think in the extremes. If we want to talk about what's good for paintball with the proviso that whatever we're doing now doesn't get affected, because it might mean you can't go to the CPPS anymore, then I think we could all do that forever.

Looking at the votes so far, it seems to me that some people are voting with a 'What you think will secure paintballs future' while others are voting 'What format do I enjoy the most'.

Now I've been around the block and started playing in the woods with a pump when everything was in black and white, and 7 man got my vote, wether or not it is my rose tinted specticals or not, I believe that it offers something different to the current xball style format.

Teams dont have to continually grind out on the latest field layout, instead training will re focus on core drills and skills, hopefully cutting back on the training $'s. Fields being all different and only available on the day brings another dimension to your event, you spend a few hours walking each field layout to try and give yourselves the edge. Not only does it 'even' the playing field, it adds back in another skill set of field walking back into the game.

Field walking also gives you I think more of an experience, all your team are there you are having a good time, generally taking the mick at of anybody within earshot, it adds to more of a well rounded experience.

 

[Robbo]

Once again I'm amazed at so many votes for XBall considering its continued use as our primary format is killing us .. it provokes the question as to why people do actually vote for it ... do XBall advocates not care what happens to our tourney circuit in that we will continue to hemorrhage teams and players if we stick to XBall???
Or are they not aware of XBall's effects?
I can't believe it's that because this has been discussed and highlighted many times on this forum.
It could well be that people who voted for XBall don't actually believe XBall is eroding our player base which I suppose is always a possibility but the evidence is blindingly obvious to most .... obvious to everybody but the people who voted for XBall it seems.

People are of course at liberty to vote for anything they damn well like but none of us can escape the curiosity these votes provoke in trying to understand why the hell you'd vote for a format that's so destructive in the mid to long term ... maybe it's a bit like smoking, people just plain prefer XBall because it's all they know and they just can't be arsed to think outside the box or indeed think about our future .. they just want their next smoke of XBall no matter what .. until of course ya get the big C ..... then everything changes .....

Still, it's a really interesting thread if only to flesh out people's thoughts .....

 

[basktm]

robbo, could it not be as simple as people/players loving the pace and speed of xball ??

They may not be happy about the cost to trigger time, they may not be happy that teams are dropping like fly's but its the style they/we love to play hence the reason a lot are voting for it.

From my extremely limited point of view, i love training at/for this, i love the pace, adrenalin, athleticism.

I haven't yet played a tourney, but thats just because i think value for money is just beyond a joke and my wallet , its not that i haven't had chance, and no doubt the pressure will come and i will just have to concede and pay £80 odd quid for about 10-20 minutes of games time :O doesn't hit me with a smile.

But what can you do ??

 

[jitsuwarrior]

Pete,

Just a thought but if all event organisers had a chat together to arrange regional tourneys leading into a national league / division would surely strengthen the nations. Players being registered to teams would help to establish a player base, especially if only the national league was locked. I know I personally would love to see a 7 man format come back but I am under the impression if all organisers don't work together the uk game will not improve.

 

[Bolter]

Once again I'm amazed at so many votes for XBall considering its continued use as our primary format is killing us .. it provokes the question as to why people do actually vote for it ... do XBall advocates not care what happens to our tourney circuit in that we will continue to hemorrhage teams and players if we stick to XBall???
Or are they not aware of XBall's effects?
I can't believe it's that because this has been discussed and highlighted many times on this forum.
It could well be that people who voted for XBall don't actually believe XBall is eroding our player base which I suppose is always a possibility but the evidence is blindingly obvious to most .... obvious to everybody but the people who voted for XBall it seems.

People are of course at liberty to vote for anything they damn well like but none of us can escape the curiosity these votes provoke in trying to understand why the hell you'd vote for a format that's so destructive in the mid to long term ... maybe it's a bit like smoking, people just plain prefer XBall because it's all they know and they just can't be arsed to think outside the box or indeed think about our future .. they just want their next smoke of XBall no matter what .. until of course ya get the big C ..... then everything changes .....

Still, it's a really interesting thread if only to flesh out people's thoughts .....

It is pretty intense to play though when it does play well, coaching or no coaching. Thats why Id like if we kept some parts of xball if we ever went back to 7man. A 7man, race to 2, with no coaching would be the best I can think of.

Still think F5 is the dogs balls though. It needs, however, two top teams to play it, against each other to really see its full potential, and Im sure if those teams stepped forward, John Sos would cut them a deal for the first event. Pro teams at your tournie can only be a good thing!