Future thoughts, where are we going.

[Tom Allen]

So another season is underway, 5 man here, 7 man there, x ball over there, ramping or semi. Why are we fannying around with so many different formats.

If x ball is seen by many to be the way forward, why have we not taken it up across the board, with x ball lite for junior/newbie divisions.

It was agreed many years ago that the only way forward for paintball was to get spectators and the media interested in a format that could be understood by the masses and enjoyed as a sport.

We have an extremely passionate following among these boards, and surely we as paintballers should feel strongly enough about the future of paintball to forget the arsey bickering and set out to do something this season, so next year a new season begins with some idea of a future for paintball.

I've been in this sport for so long it embarrasses me to see the state we're in today, ffs let's get something done this year and get off our fat behinds and say what we want.

 

[fatrix_1]

keeps reposting everything

 

[fatrix_1]

nicely said, i agree i have a few friends who enjoy the sport but are not willing to buy their own gear, however with a little friendly encouragement from various media and televison i reckon they would come and join in on all the fun, thus making your community larger with a bigger variety of people.

However with everything there are cons...such as the amount of utter t**ts that will come and take your nice established community and turn it into a not so nice community.

But whats more important quantity? or quality? (e.e amount of people envolved or quality of the personnality of people envolved)

 

[Fish]

i didn't realise mod candidates were making speech's now... someone had best let lump know else he'll be pi$$ed


but seriously... i may not have been in the sport for as long as others, and dont profess to know the full extent of the politics or the entire history; buuuut, it is my generation that will get stuff done. we are young enough to stirr media attention as to why we get up at stupid o'clock on the weekend, why we go to college on a monday covered in welts and aching, why we spend most of our hard earnt on one single cause... that sort of thing has potential to sell papers, and gain a little more publicity; of the good variety! main problem being that due to the lack of unification, this community is sub-divided up, and so doesn't really look like a solid unit from the outside. and you will struggle for entire country wide tournaments, since most people just can't travel as far as would be needed by some! i think 08 will be a new season, and there will be new things to procrastinate over/about, but whats new there? maybe with the pa switching to x-ball we'll see that grow, and if not, maybe the uk isn't ready for it yet???

my 2pence, not exactly the most educated, or witty that'll come back... but it was written by me; wheres my little sticky star at?!

 

[Russell Smith]

Tom,
As much as I am so looking forward to an Xball league I do not think it would be practicable to have it as a "normal" format.
Five/seven man will always have a position in paintball and will always be popular but the question should be not the format but how we make paintball into a pastime that attracts more participants.
As for ramping/semi debate I tell everyone that as soon as someone can prove to me a real semi mode exists I would support the dumping of ramping but until then I want to see a mode used that stops the one sided cheating.
Most posters on this board (and I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone with this) are a couple of steps up the ladder from the guys on pbnation - all talk and very little action, and in truth why should they!
The posters whom I have respect for are very limited, maybe twenty people at the most and most of them have a life outside of paintball.
I look at this board every day, check who has posted and decide at that point if I can be bothered to read it.
And sadly that is the same outlook I have when it comes to people who say lets do this or lets do that, nothing happens, sod all, all talk and no action. They all believe what they say, just want someone else to do it.


Russ

 

[Lucky]

I've been in this sport for so long it embarrasses me to see the state we're in today, ffs let's get something done this year and get off our fat behinds and say what we want.

The simple answer to where we are going Tom is an easy one "NOWHERE"!

Just like yourself i've been around for too many years to remember, and the progress has gone nowhere in all that time.

All the time that this so called sport has so many different leagues and formats, it will go nowhere. I feel that there are two main hurdles to contend with
1=The Organisers
2=The Players

The organisers are only ever in this game to make money (which they make a lot of), and so all the time the income comes rolling in, why should they bother changing things? If they merge formats or join leagues or anything like that, then their income will automatically be cut in some way, so of course they are going to step foreward and change things aren't they? Duh

The Players, I've been involved in many "extreme" sports in my time, Skateboarding, Mountainbikes, etc and they all suffer from the same disease which i call surfer syndrome. Everyone's too laid back. we turn up, we play, we go home again, man-yana dude
All the time you have this apathetic attitude towards "the system", nothings ever going to change. I'm not saying the players are not serious about what we do, it's just they have no time for paintball politics, and never will.

Until someone enforces a players union, that you "HAVE" to join to play in the Uk, we are never going to get anywhere.

There has been talk of National Leagues, standardised formats, player registration, etc etc etc, but until two parties can actually agree to do something then i'm affraid that's all it is "Talk".

I explain to people what i do for a hobby and they look at me dumbfounded as if i have two heads. I'd love to see the day when our so called sport was organised in to a single recognised body, that could acctually stand on it's own feet and call itself a "sport" and maybe someone may have heard of it.

I guess it won't happen overnight, so there's always tommorrow right

 

[Tom Allen]

Russ, i've been known for giving time to the pa's ideas, as i feel the steps you have guys have made, have been worthwhile. But this soap box needs to be aired every now and then, to try to jump start people into thinking for themselves.

 

[Markie C]

Well i think there needs to be more things that can get the recball punters or the public in to it more.

not sure what or any thing but i just think that the catchment for new players is not that good.

We hav things in the pipe line but i am not sure what every one thinks to it it might work might not but we have to try.

 

[Tom Allen]

Paintballers, yes you.................. it's you that this is aimed at, get your act together and stop waiting for the site organisers to do it, they won't.

You're the ones with the money.

 

[Tom Allen]

Well i think there needs to be more things that can get the recball punters or the public in to it more.

yes , but what are we getting them into, who knows, and who cares, as long as they pay the entry fees.

We need to get our house in order before we drag people in the pit.