Predictions for 07 season

[Tricky]

I don't know more about the Brit pb scene than what I see at the Millenium and read here.

But I am pretty sure that I would pick the UK before Norway if I was trying to build a worldclass team.

Yeah but then ship them out to Norway to train at your place mate, miles ahead of anything we have here!

 

[cookie_834]

PS ......and some of your points were a tad naive.

Being naive is one of the joys of being a kid

that and all the ice cream!!

 

[Buddha 3]

Being naive is one of the joys of being a kid

that and all the ice cream!!

Can't argue with that.

 

[Robbo]

Being naive is one of the joys of being a kid

that and all the ice cream!!

Hmmmm, now you're talking Cookie, mine's gotta be any ice cream with cherries in it, I'm a glutton for that stuff.

 

[Robbo]

pffft, what would a frenchie know about uk ball? (just kidding digga )

Anyone that needs people on the forums, who they more than likely don't know, to drive them on is not gonna get anywhere.
I agree there is a lot of negativity around at the min but tbh, it just makes me more determined to work hard and win sh!t. I train 2-3 times a week and have still got a long long way to go before I get to where i want to be, it amazes me how people can pick up a marker once a month and then come on here and spout about being the next big thing!.
fair play to all out there who are working hard at it ( and there are a fair few Robbo) but we do have a long way to go before we prove ourselves.

I think both you and Cookie make a valid point in commenting upon the prevailing negativity ebrulfing our sport at the moment and to be fair to you both, I can understand if it seems like I'm being less than positive and perhaps should indulge myself more in encouraging our tourney demographic rather than what I seem to be doing now.

I have made many comments on where we are now in the UK in terms of overall development and achievements; as we all know, we pretty much suck on both, no real need to expand on that but..I, and others have tried to inject some pride, some new ideas and opportunities for people to take advantage of.

These for the most part have fallen on stony ground leaving me and others, quite discouraged and feeling, is it all worth it.

I suppose one of the main things that motivated me in anything I have ever done in paintball was pride and if people can't get up off their arses and try and improve themselves out of pride, then I have little time or consideration for those players who harbour that level of indifference.

There are most certainly teams and sites who do care as is evidenced by Markie C, both Sids, and Dave, Kellys, Shock and a few others but these are simply not enough.
We cannot ever use these as symptomatic of the UK scene because they are but exceptions to our domestic rule.
Inspirations 'yes' but they can only inspire people who are receptive and as of yet, the UK does not play host to enough ballers who care enough about themselves or they have zero pride in what they do.

'Yes' the rhetoric is negative and maybe I have indulged too much in commenting upon the downsides but until I see a significant shift in people's attitudes, I am gonna remain pretty much depressed about our domestic scene.

I, and other guys will help, and do pretty much anything we can within reason to help jump-start this much needed recovery process but we can't do it alone, we need players who possess some self-respect, that's all, it's not as if I am asking for the world here.

 

[Sid_Clan]

Damn some serious threadjackin going on here

Okay, why do I think UK ball is not at the top of it's game.

1. Players bitch and moan because there is not a training facility in their own back garden.
2. Players bitch and moan because they have to take a 2 hour average car trip to a tournament.
3. Players bitch and moan hold on....said that
4. How many serious players are there in the UK, who really want to make something of themselves? I was the ONLY non English (apart from that Frog Digga x) to attend the UK (England) X ball trials a number of years back, now, how many people had enough drive to actually go to these trials...oh...let me think...50 maybe less from the North/Midlands that's pathetic!!!!!! It was a chance to experience something new, to make it into the National Team so to speak and could people be arsed....I think not.
5. From that NeXus was born, NeXus held trials for the Nexus Eclipse feeder team, how many attended....under 40, so while we are all bitchin and moaning at the state of UK paintball have a look at yourselves, Digger and Dunny are now on NeXus, living it up, paintball names we all know, we see on DVD's, playing in the big leagues, being admired by other players....does no one else want this?????
6. Markie C has ran a Dynasty and XSV clinic....how many DEDICATED players attended who were NOT all mouth?

So, my take is simple, UK Paintball is in it's current state because players are lazy and expect everything for nothing, there are a few exceptions to the rule but on the grand scale of things this is a very small drop in a very big ocean.

Predictions.

1. This same thread will be dragged up at least twice in 2007 and Uk ball will be no further forward.
2. Kelly's will shine in CPL as one of the very few teams in the UK to make it after years of hard work and dedication.
3. The Firm will become a serious force in European and Domestic leagues with serious training and can do attitudes.
4. Robbo will don a kilt and play the bagpipes while eating haggis and drinkin whisky.
5. Robbo will phone Rocky.
6. Digger will get over his fear of bottoms
7. Sid will buy Re-Balls and hire a sports hall once a week for the Clan.
8. Sid will get bumped for money from the above mentioned team.
9. Sid will have a slap from Digger for talking about bottoms.
10. Cos it's a double figure!!!!!

You want to make UK Teams better, train, attend clinics and work hard for what you want, don't just think playing well in one event makes you a superstar.

Sid
Clan Army

 

[Flint]

'Yes' the rhetoric is negative and maybe I have indulged too much in commenting upon the downsides but until I see a significant shift in people's attitudes, I am gonna remain pretty much depressed about our domestic scene.

This is what I mean, there is so much negative attitude towards UK paintball, and to a new team, its a little disheartning. Why should I get my team training once a week and trying to be the best we can be if we're just going to enter the crap UK paintballer catergory anyway? Maybe Im over reacting as Im not sure if this is aimed at teams at my level, but we're a new(ish) team and seeing all this, its disheartning.

On the side of whether it is a sport or not, I see it as a sport, regardless of whether it is officially or not. I think seeing tournament paintball as a sport and not a hobby is important, not just in terms of fitness but in the attitude needed to progress.

 

[Nick Brockdorff]

Dedication is what it is all about.

I have players on the team that drive 2 hours to practice - each way - twice a week on weekdays, after work.

But, that having been said, if people don't have dedication, who are we to tell them they should have it?

People play paintball for all kinds of reasons, and have all kinds of dedication levels.... and if there is ONE thing I have learned in my many years in the sport, it is that you can't force the passion on anyone - and if you try, that little spark that had them take up paintball in the first place, will vanish.

All you can do, is make the arenas and trainers available to people - and then see how many want to make use of the offer.

Nobody ever got good at anything, by being forced/shamed/ridiculed/pressured

Nick

 

[Tricky]

6. Digger will get over his fear of bottoms

Sid, C'mon, Now seriously!

That will never happen and we all know it

 

[Buddha 3]

Nobody ever got good at anything, by being forced/shamed/ridiculed/pressured

Nick

Four words: East German shot putters.

Christ, I just realised many people on here are not even old enough to understand that.

Flint, I don't understand that. No offense, but it sounds like just another excuse. "Oh well, Robbo says UK ball is ****, so we may as well not bother."
To me personally it is more like "Robbo says UK ball is ****, let's go ask what the problem is."
I mean, what should people that want the best for UK ball do? Ignore reality? In order to start improving, you first need to realise where you are, even though the truth may be uncomfortable.
Now while I agree it may seem a monumental task to start improving any country's balling, just take things one step at a time. For most of the people all it takes is to put all those New Year's resolutions into practice. All it takes is a number of players to dedicate themselves to training. If everybody does what they can, ranging from the smaller actions like buying a box of Reballs if you are a player in some small team, to organising workshops and training sessions if you are some paintball demi god and so passing on your knowledge, things will be on the up and up soon enough.
While this doesn't mean that you will all be CPL contenders within a year's time, there WILL be marked improvement.

I also agree with what Nick has posted above. You can't force somebody to like and do something. But I do think that there are plenty of players out there that have the drive, but just not the proper guidance yet. There may well be a number of diamonds in the rough hiding in some lowly, play for fun teams, while they personally do have the determination and dedication to get better. They just don't know how to go about things because they have team captains that are in it just for a laugh.

Sure, we could all go into happy and cheerful mode, but we'd just be like Hitler during the last days of his Reich, moving Divisions and armies across a map, which in reality were only still consisted of battered battalions... Just without the bad moustache.