The Spirit of Paintball
After my experiences at the weekend I feel I have to put pen to paper to view my opinions on where we appear to be going in the UKWM.
First and foremost the Turks believes 100% in the resurrection and development of Woodland paintball and the spirit that it should be played under.
We are at a very fragile stage in our evolution and the only way Woodsball will grow is by retaining the existing teams and introducing new younger teams and players. Without the retention of the existing teams the tournament scene is destined to fail. We all need to be asking ourselves, “How do we keep these teams involved?”
It’s simple, each team at the end of the day must go home thinking what a fantastic day they had and rebook for the next leg. For the first time in two years I don’t think this happened on Sunday. In my view players need to take a long hard look at their selves and their attitude about this beloved game we grown to admire. Don’t forget a lot of the players on Sunday were at the forefront of Paintball since the late 1980’s and know how bad it can get.
The biggest problem faced by teams and marshals has always been playing on. The concept that you might get away with it, has to be history. If you are hit and there is no marshall near you, your mind set should be to put yourself out and not to even contemplate how I can get rid of the shot. If you are unfortunate to get bunkered, rather than spin on the player and try to play on before a marshall can call you out. Your hand should automatically start to go up and call yourself out, and maybe even congratulate your opposite number on a fantastic move, (and get 1 4 1 for dead man talking J).
If you think you are shot you should call a Marshal (do not fire your marker) or call yourself out. If everybody lived by these rules this great game of ours will flourish and become even better. I am not saying this will be easy and not all teams are going to play by these rules, because they seek to use this to their advantage. BUT it needs to be done.
So how do we combat this, apart from EVERY player living and breathing it?
The Rules and Marshalls need to be 100% consistent in their intent and judgment. Simply put, if you have a hit on you and you have not called for a check then you should be 1-4-1. Argue about it and get 1 4 2. Everyone needs to understand it’s never going to be perfect, so accept that sometimes you will get a bad call. There is always going to be a situation that cannot be black and white, whatever the Marshall decides, live with it and prepare yourself for the next game. It’s not the end of the world. This also includes being shot in a place you can’t see or feel, or if you think its spray. The Marshall’s decision is final.
I know this may sound harsh but after 2or 3 tournaments you would come to understand and appreciate the benefits it brings. Go onto the field with the thought, “I will not let my team down by getting a 1 4 1”, don’t come off the field feeling you got crapped on again. There will be some innocent victims, but the positives will far out way these mishaps. You may even go further, if you receive an excessive amount of 1-4-1’s on the day, your team gets penalty pointed.
I would also like to see at least one team member put over the chrono during each game. We are all living in a very naive world if you think nobody is turning their guns up the minute they have walked pass the chrono judge.
Our attitudes need to change or the desire to play in the woods will die.
Thanks
Darron Doherty
Turks Captain
After my experiences at the weekend I feel I have to put pen to paper to view my opinions on where we appear to be going in the UKWM.
First and foremost the Turks believes 100% in the resurrection and development of Woodland paintball and the spirit that it should be played under.
We are at a very fragile stage in our evolution and the only way Woodsball will grow is by retaining the existing teams and introducing new younger teams and players. Without the retention of the existing teams the tournament scene is destined to fail. We all need to be asking ourselves, “How do we keep these teams involved?”
It’s simple, each team at the end of the day must go home thinking what a fantastic day they had and rebook for the next leg. For the first time in two years I don’t think this happened on Sunday. In my view players need to take a long hard look at their selves and their attitude about this beloved game we grown to admire. Don’t forget a lot of the players on Sunday were at the forefront of Paintball since the late 1980’s and know how bad it can get.
The biggest problem faced by teams and marshals has always been playing on. The concept that you might get away with it, has to be history. If you are hit and there is no marshall near you, your mind set should be to put yourself out and not to even contemplate how I can get rid of the shot. If you are unfortunate to get bunkered, rather than spin on the player and try to play on before a marshall can call you out. Your hand should automatically start to go up and call yourself out, and maybe even congratulate your opposite number on a fantastic move, (and get 1 4 1 for dead man talking J).
If you think you are shot you should call a Marshal (do not fire your marker) or call yourself out. If everybody lived by these rules this great game of ours will flourish and become even better. I am not saying this will be easy and not all teams are going to play by these rules, because they seek to use this to their advantage. BUT it needs to be done.
So how do we combat this, apart from EVERY player living and breathing it?
The Rules and Marshalls need to be 100% consistent in their intent and judgment. Simply put, if you have a hit on you and you have not called for a check then you should be 1-4-1. Argue about it and get 1 4 2. Everyone needs to understand it’s never going to be perfect, so accept that sometimes you will get a bad call. There is always going to be a situation that cannot be black and white, whatever the Marshall decides, live with it and prepare yourself for the next game. It’s not the end of the world. This also includes being shot in a place you can’t see or feel, or if you think its spray. The Marshall’s decision is final.
I know this may sound harsh but after 2or 3 tournaments you would come to understand and appreciate the benefits it brings. Go onto the field with the thought, “I will not let my team down by getting a 1 4 1”, don’t come off the field feeling you got crapped on again. There will be some innocent victims, but the positives will far out way these mishaps. You may even go further, if you receive an excessive amount of 1-4-1’s on the day, your team gets penalty pointed.
I would also like to see at least one team member put over the chrono during each game. We are all living in a very naive world if you think nobody is turning their guns up the minute they have walked pass the chrono judge.
Our attitudes need to change or the desire to play in the woods will die.
Thanks
Darron Doherty
Turks Captain
