English Paintball on the up?

[sjt19]

I noticed in Amsterdam for the first time something that really suprised me. There was no reason why it should have suprised me as much as it did, but it was not something that i was expecting. The amount of support that the Englishg teams gave each other was awesome. The Tigers were playing and there were members of 5 or 6 UK teams shouting out support and helpful Xball advice, Shock were playing and NExus were helping in the pits. Nexus were playing and everyone was cheering them on as well. Robbo even stated in another thread that he was even cheering for Shock in one of our games.

A few months ago i would have laughed if you had told me the above. In recent weeks there has also ben a great deal of mutual cooperation between the top teams in the country. Tigers hosted a few of the UK best teams at a training session last weekend, while Nexus made the trip down for a training session with Shockwave. It was evident from the Dam that this cooperation to try and increase the standard of all 3 teams, and other teams in the Uk has worked. I did not have the fortune to play in the Dam, as i had uni work, but when i got out there saturday night, i was congratulated by the way my team mates had played by members of other UK teams, including Joy and the Legion. A guy even congratulated me for the guys outside a bar in the city center on saturday night, random but noted. I dont think that we would have played as well as we did had we not had a tough training session with Nexus the weekend before. Both teams learnt a lot about the format that weekend, and for both teams it showed. Tigers are also doing somethig right, and their training partners are also pushing them far.

It struck me as i cheered for Tigers against Joy and the Ton Ton that Brit paintball is about to explode. Because in the EXL escecially, when Nexus and Shock start to find the consistency that i know both teams have the potential for, and Tigers maintain their awesome performances, the EXL is gonna be hit with a UK assualt never seen before. I saw Nexus in Paris, and Tigers in Dam play some points that the Legion were consistently playing all event. If all 3 EXL UK teams bring their A Game to Normay, its gonna be one hell of a ride. I do not think that there are any unbeatable EXL teams, (other than the Legion obviously). So hopefully we will see a UK 2,3,4 in Norway.

UK teams, we have a while before Toulouse and Norway to support each other, lets continue it.

And a personal message to Nexus and The Tigers, massive respect guys.

UK represent.

 

[gaff]

feck sake sam a sensible post from you!...

absolutely true every word of it the Brits can only get better witha combined effort, unless budgets are increased vastly in overseas training!

i had a great day at Tigers the weekend before Dam and i am sure the way the Tigers and the Jags played reflected from this intence scrimmaging. and i am sure both Shock and Nexus feel the same.

it was good to represent and feel part of a Nation rather than just an individual team competeing with everyone!

happy days are on there way i feel too.........

 

[Buns of steel]

UK unity

Cheers Sam, much appreciated. I had to go back to Blighty on Friday to run a day at my site Saturday, so I missed our teams meeting, but in a way it was better that way because with Twizz's passion to win we could easily have risked our 12 years of Friendship locking horns in the coach's box.
I would like to think that you can play this sport hard, fast but still be able to have a beer at the end of it and discuss which of your teams should have won if the other hadn't cheated so much
There has been a lot of stuff posted about who is better than who but as I posted in reply to a point put by Robbo, you should all know who the best team is, and if I have to tell you you might as well stop playing the game.
No direspect to Nexus or Shock but I think our best game was against Ton Ton, and after every point we won I kept going over and telling the guys that they needed to listen to all the support they were getting from you guys, if I could put just one point down to the crowd lifting the team, then that was the point we won the game by.
As you say the Russians are pulling ahead of the pack, its up to us to boost each other up the ladder rather than trying to drag us all of it. (as long as we end up on top )Big up UK Paintball

 

[Buns of steel]

Sam talking sense shock

Originally posted by gaff
feck sake sam a sensible post from you!...

Actually I was going to mention the fact that you normally talk two languages Sam, English & B*llocks, but I didn't want to belittle the good point you were making.....glad to see someone picked up on it .........cheers Gaff

 

[sjt19]

Easy now Steve

Maybe at the next training session you can go through which is the left and which is the right for Alan, Ronnie and Tom. On countless occasions the crowd shouted "Back Left!!!" and all the three names above would come up and shoot back right......

 

[Bolter]

hehe, we (storm) helped with the pits for Shock at Paris, I even lent me halo to one player!!

This is needed for Uk Paintball. Any old grudges should be shoved under the carpet and we should all help each other out.

Safety in numbers and all that!

 

[Robbo]

UK unity

Originally posted by Buns of steel

There has been a lot of stuff posted about who is better than who but as I posted in reply to a point put by Robbo, you should all know who the best team is, and if I have to tell you you might as well stop playing the game.

Now you know I wasn't gonna let u get away with that one Steve, best at XBall at the moment, I concede, but this game of paintball at present is split with the vast majority of teams playing 7 man and I believe we can still quite legitimately, call ourselves the best in the UK.
I will rest easier at the moment knowing Nexus are still top doggies in the format that 90% of teams enter, I will be even happier when I nail XBall and close that last 10%, and until that time, I will not sleep...that much

But I do agree with the general concenus, I think Brit Paintball is looking healthier by the minute and this must be good for everybody.

 

[Buns of steel]

Misunderstood

Robbo, you misunderstand my point, it doesn't matter who everyone else believes is the best team, you have to believe its your team evey time or why play the game. In the Russian game I was guilty of this, now you may say any team would doubt their ability to beat the Legion, but if you don't believe you can win you've already lost.
I can't contest your estimation of Nexus's position because we are commited wholly to X-ball but it was about how you percieve your worth rather than other peoples.

 

[gaff]

one thing that stands in my mind from the weekend regarding support for fellow countymen, was the Tigers vs TonTon game.

where usually the French supporters are all along the netting and we cant get near to shout (without a bit of argy bargy ) but this game saw 100's of Brits cramming the netting and the French behind moaning at us for being in the way!

now that scenario didnt even happen at Campaign last year, but this year we are managing to do it all over Europe! role on Norway (although i hope to be in the finals and listening to the support, not shouting it!)

 

[Robbo]

Misunderstood

Originally posted by Buns of steel
Robbo, you misunderstand my point, it doesn't matter who everyone else believes is the best team, you have to believe its your team evey time or why play the game. In the Russian game I was guilty of this, now you may say any team would doubt their ability to beat the Legion, but if you don't believe you can win you've already lost.
I can't contest your estimation of Nexus's position because we are commited wholly to X-ball but it was about how you percieve your worth rather than other peoples.

Well Steve, I read and re-read and re-read your post and still find it hard to take it any different from what I originally read it as but hey what do I know about what you meant, I can only go on what you write

As for the Russian problem, of course we believe we can win, we have done this on two occasions out of five in 7 man but I never let faith in my players cloud recognition of a better team, that way I can open myself to learning from them, anything less closes down options for me.
If, in the EXL, we all believe we are the best as you suggest, 7 of us are gonna be disappointed and completely wrong, you get my point I hope.