There is a thread called the Rumour Mill in 'Speak your Brains' that mentions Ollie Lang's recent departure from the Ironmen back to Dynasty and someone remarked that Ollie was spouting the same rhetoric he was when leaving Dynasty for the Men in March 2006 ..
Ollie always pretty close to PGi [the magazine that I worked for and that published this article] because he felt it had supported him from early on which was pretty much true but when he did make the move to the Ironmen for his pot of gold, he was heavily criticised from some quarters and so I wrote this article below to try and put the record straight as far as Ollie was concerned.
Anyway, if it interests you in any way, then you are more than welcome to read it below :-
Living the Dream
Unless you’ve been backpacking round Outer Mongolia or penguin hunting in the North Pole for the past month, you’ll have heard that Paintball just got its very first Pro player. Robbo looks at the events surrounding Ollie Lang’s big money switch from Dynasty to the Ironmen…
Ollie Lang’s recent switch from Dynasty to the Ironmen has caused quite a stir in Paintball circles, with almost everybody having an opinion on it: Some criticize it, some endorse it and some do both. What can be said with a degree of certainty is this; it’s a great move for Ollie and marks his passage through this sport of ours as the time when the ultimate Pro player became the first Pro Paintballer. There is a difference between the two – but I’ll come to that presently.
I’ve talked to Ollie a couple of times about this move and he told me that it was the hardest thing he has ever had to do in his life - and I don’t doubt the sincerity of his claims for one second. He sounded quite shattered when I last spoke to him, as though he had had little time to collect his thoughts. It sounded to me like he was in emotional turmoil due to feelings of guilt about the past and maybe a little apprehension about his future. Ollie’s history with the rest of the guys on Dynasty is extensive, going back years to the Iron Kids and beyond. The likes of Greenspan, Fraige and the rest of that motley crew have been soul buddies at the top of our sport for the past five years. That has created deep bonds of friendship and respect and it was these very same bonds that needed to be broken if Ollie was to fulfill his Paintball destiny.
Every top sportsman who is part of a team will at some stage in their career face a similar dilemma to Ollie’s, it’s the clash of personal ambition against team loyalty. When I used to play for NWC in England, more than a few years back, my team was pretty good. We were one of the top three in Europe at the time, but like any player I wanted to play at the highest level and win World Cups. I realized that to do this it was gonna be extremely difficult to achieve it with my friends and brother, who were on the team at the time. With cries of ‘traitor’ and God knows what else ringing in my ears I accepted an invitation from Billy and Adam Gardner to join the All Americans and ply my trade 3000 miles away in the US…and I never looked back. I got those World Cups and a whole lot more and I never once regretted what to some people may have seemed like treachery in going to play for an American team. Some people told me that I should stick with an English team and the patriotic card was waved under my nose a few times in attempts to make me feel bad.
Of course I felt some guilt, but somewhere along the line we have to consider what’s best for us as individuals and to this end, many a sportsman has walked that fine line between betrayal and destiny fulfillment.
More than the Money
Ollie’s dilemma is a whole new ball game from the one I had to contend with some 12 years ago, because what lies at the heart of his decision was not the fulfillment of playing at the highest level and winning - this guy has won everything there is to win and then some.
His choice was influenced by a different set of factors; Oliver was looking to create a destiny for himself that married ambition with long-term security.
I have always liked Ollie - not for any sycophantic reasons, as I’m in the lucky position not to have to walk that road of blowin’ smoke up anybody’s ass – but because the kid is what we over here in England call ‘a diamond’. The fella is not only the best player in the world, but he’s a damn nice guy as well. He’s always got time for people, no matter who they are. If some newbie goes up to him at a tourney, Ollie will make time for him. He’s so passionate about our sport it positively oozes out of him; his motivation on the field for players around him is not only infectious but phenomenal, in that you can see him winding their heads up before the start of a game. He pulsed through Dynasty like a million-volt electric current. Ollie is the consummate pro, a true marketing dream, and Dave Youngblood saw in him an opportunity to optimize Ollie’s dreams and market him with the Dye brand.
In business terms, it was a stroke of genius - not in realizing Ollie’s potential, any fool could spot that, but Dave realized he could get him if he laid the right offer down. And trust me, it wasn’t all about money as some people have suggested. Sure, Ollie is on the receiving end of a fantastic deal that has a big figure salary and other tie-in benefits with regards to branding, but it also required a close relationship that I think only Dave could offer. I am pretty sure that if any other company had come up with a similar deal to Dave’s, I don’t think it would have happened. That might seem contradictory to what this article is all about but after you read it, and maybe get to know Ollie a little better and see how his mind works, you might understand why I suggest it wasn’t all about money.
Dave and Ollie have been friends for a long time, each having a huge respect for what the other has achieved. Dave’s undoubted accomplishments whilst on the Ironmen were compounded when he set up Dye less than a decade ago, Dye went on to become arguably the coolest company in Paintball whilst Ollie fast became the coolest player…it was a marriage made in heaven just waiting to be consummated. Now whilst Ollie may be attracting some criticism from former teammates (and from idiot outsiders who know jack ****), most people with an IQ that creeps past their shoes size will see it a smart and necessary move. At first examination you could be forgiven for thinking it was self-serving of him to leave his long-term friends on Dynasty and join another team for what ostensibly seemed like his 30 pieces of silver. Is he a Judas? Hell no! He’s a man who is doing what’s best for him in circumstances that cried out for him to take this road.
Working class hero
As Paintball has begun to don the mantle of a professional sport with a lot of the
trappings of other, better developed sports, it should come as no surprise that players want to seek out security. Ollie has aspirations not only as a player but also as a man and whilst some of the guys on Dynasty can rely on rich backgrounds to provide a backdrop of security once their Paintball careers come to an end, Ollie has already given over his academic career to Paintball. He has no such security net. He didn’t go to college - not because he couldn’t, but because he decided to follow his Paintballing genius to see where it took him. Talent like this guy’s isn’t nurtured in conventional ways, certainly no colleges were gonna provide a scholarship for him that focused on Paintball - unlike other, more evolved sports. His choice was stark: college education or sporting destiny.
He chose the latter and the world of Paintball was gifted with its second true genius. (But that’s enough about me…)
That said, lurking in the back of his mind were the financial considerations everyone playing at the top must think about. His position on Dynasty was as one of a large group of guys who had a share in what the team earned but fundamentally, he wasn’t really distinguished from the others in terms of income. Of course he could cut himself an income independent of that group, but these were generally piecemeal deals that served to garnish his plate rather than fill it.
With ‘World’s greatest Paintballer’ constantly being used to describe him, and rightly so, is it any wonder he began to focus on the future? A future with Dynasty certainly assured him of gongs on his mantelpiece, but Ollie didn’t have to prove that point anymore - especially when you consider he had the added endorsement of being the World’s greatest player. This kid has done it all, beaten them all and not only that, he is the best of them all. Sitting on top of the sport he surveyed his options and for him, it wasn’t just about wining cups anymore, it was about security. Ollie’s life isn’t academia, it isn’t working on a production line or picking his nose while selling McDonalds burgers: He’s all about being a Paintballer.
Fortune favors the brave
Ollie has already given over a large part of his life to our sport, his commitment to Paintball is unquestioned, and his talent needed to be rewarded. Fortunately, Dave Youngblood saw that need and offered Ollie a deal that fulfilled both their ambitions.
When Dave called me to tell me what was going down, he explained that he was acutely aware of his father in law’s bold move some 20 years ago. For those of you guys who don’t know their Paintball history, here’s a quick lesson… John Gregory was owner of JT USA, the JT USA that is now owned by Brass Eagle. John’s daughter Rhonda ended up marrying Dave when they both worked for JT back in the day.
Now JT actually started out as a motocross company with John and his wife Rita selling socks out the back of his truck. As motocross riding became more popular and JT went from strength to strength, John made a unique move at the time and was the first company to pay a rider what was at that time a huge sum of money to wear his products.
This then set the trend as Motocross developed in the US. This precedent set by his father in law made a deep impression on Dave, and I think he saw this opportunity with Ollie as a means to redefine the limits of where our sport is, much as John Gregory did with Motocross all those years ago.
Dave is certainly no mug, his company’s phenomenal success over the years had assured Youngblood’s position in Paintball’s Mount Rushmore and I’m sure he sees this as a business opportunity for Dye as much as he sees it as helping Ollie fulfill his rightful destiny. Dave Youngblood ain’t like no ordinary businessman. Sure, he makes a lot of money - the guy has worked frikkin 18-hour days for God knows how long in building that business up - but he wants to do business with people he likes. With Ollie being an old friend, and of course a dream ticket marketing opportunity, in Dave’s eyes this deal was a gimme.
Ollie can now kick back for a few days and reflect. No doubt he will be a little confused and hurt by some of things that have been said to him by what he once thought were friends, but in a typically pragmatic way he told me, “Pete, if these people are truly my friends then they would only wish me well, and if they choose not to be my friend after all this, then they weren’t real friends in the first place”. It’s a somewhat philosophical take on things, but a much-needed one in his circumstances. He has to move past this negativity and focus on what is in front of him - securing his future both financially and as a player.
The boys in blue
Some people have remarked upon the impending collapse of Dynasty after Ollie. Bullfrikkin****! Those Dynasty guys ain’t going nowhere, players like Fragoza, Fraige, Greenspan, Rau, Perchak, Tiljak, Boayes…oh my god, that’s a role call to die for. (Just as an aside, take a look at those names again - Fraige, Perchak, Tiljak, Fragoza, Quincy Boyes, Yoshio Rau…where the hell did those guys get their names from? I reckon they should be sponsored by the makers of Scrabble; they must have the most points ever in Paintball teams if you laid out their names on the board. Bejeeezus, what a mix! But I digress…)
One of the things about Dynasty that I have always found remarkable and commented on in the past is their ability to find a sixth gear. I can’t count the number of times I have seen them pull games outta their ass when all seems lost…they just seem to have an extra gear that other teams don’t possess. This is obviously the hallmark of true champions but what it also tells me is this: Within that collective there is a spirit of defiance, a rock solid belief in their talent that can be called upon in times of adversity. Do you honestly think the departure of Ollie is gonna significantly hurt them?
Damn right it will, it will hurt them on the field and off, but like wounded lions they are gonna come back at you and with the players just mentioned baying for blood and having points to prove, I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere near them mofos when they decide to select that extra gear and start ramping it up. You will see a wounded Dynasty; they might try to hide it because of pride but they will be hurting, and there will be a new determination about them that isn’t exactly unparalleled. I have seen it in them before when they get behind. Yes, Ollie was one of them. Yes, Ollie was their best player. But no, these guys ain’t disappearing any time soon.
Oh Danny boy
As the dust settles on all this we are gonna see stronger people emerge. Dynasty will definitely gain a depth of character as they unshackle themselves from the Ollie era and players like Danny Tiljak will begin to take a more influential role. Tiljak is an unsung hero on Dynasty, that kid is a frikkin killing machine and maybe now Ollie has gone, other players will fill the void he’s left behind. I have no doubt whatsoever that Boayes, Tiljak and whatever other Scrabble names Dynasty have got lurking on their roster are gonna stay at the very top. Fraige and Greenspan will become even more determined to steer that team along its natural path, which for the foreseeable future is still that of the World’s number one team.
Ollie, meantime, has his future similarly focused, and if I know him he will be wanting to win immediately. This kid ain’t gonna be satisfied sitting on his butt collecting money, that ain’t Ollie Lang. He is all about the winning. I know I said earlier that Ollie has nothing more to win, but that doesn’t mean he has lost the thirst and desire for victory. It’s this innate desire to win that fuels the kid to excellence, his talent just helps him along. The Ironmen will become transformed merely by him slipping on that cherished Ironman top, the players on the team will be revitalized and have supreme confidence every time Ollie steps out on the field with them or attends training. Ollie isn’t about just turning up, his genius isn’t a tap he just turns on, this kid works at it. True, he has a god-given talent and I realize it is this natural talent that separates him from the rest of the Pros, but if he didn’t work damned hard that talent would not be able to flourish as it does. This kid works so hard at his game that he should be an inspiration for all others.
The American dream
It’s funny how things turn out sometimes and I doubt many people would have predicted what has just happened. That said, the few switched on people who exist in this sport of ours sure weren’t surprised when they heard what went down. As our beloved Paintball has matured into what could now be described as an embryonic real sport, it follows that players will look upon Paintball to provide them with a living and security if they are at the top. Ollie simply realized he needed to mature and refocus his career; Dave Youngblood then realized the potential of such a union and gave a close friend the opportunity to accomplish a dream. It’s not exclusively an American dream, but it is the dream of most true sportsmen to have their chosen sport as their primary income stream.
I will finish by saying this: I respect Ollie Lang. He has always impressed me with his humility and time for people, let alone his on-field skills. It’s so refreshing in this cynical age we live in to see true talent and fame unaccompanied by the usual traits of arrogance and self-absorption. He is the boy next door made good and in that sense he is living The American Dream, much like his new mentor Youngblood. The combination of Ollie and Dave is a marriage to Dye for…a partnership that was truly made in Paintball heaven.
Good luck Ollie – no-one deserves it more than you.
Ollie always pretty close to PGi [the magazine that I worked for and that published this article] because he felt it had supported him from early on which was pretty much true but when he did make the move to the Ironmen for his pot of gold, he was heavily criticised from some quarters and so I wrote this article below to try and put the record straight as far as Ollie was concerned.
Anyway, if it interests you in any way, then you are more than welcome to read it below :-
Living the Dream
Unless you’ve been backpacking round Outer Mongolia or penguin hunting in the North Pole for the past month, you’ll have heard that Paintball just got its very first Pro player. Robbo looks at the events surrounding Ollie Lang’s big money switch from Dynasty to the Ironmen…
Ollie Lang’s recent switch from Dynasty to the Ironmen has caused quite a stir in Paintball circles, with almost everybody having an opinion on it: Some criticize it, some endorse it and some do both. What can be said with a degree of certainty is this; it’s a great move for Ollie and marks his passage through this sport of ours as the time when the ultimate Pro player became the first Pro Paintballer. There is a difference between the two – but I’ll come to that presently.
I’ve talked to Ollie a couple of times about this move and he told me that it was the hardest thing he has ever had to do in his life - and I don’t doubt the sincerity of his claims for one second. He sounded quite shattered when I last spoke to him, as though he had had little time to collect his thoughts. It sounded to me like he was in emotional turmoil due to feelings of guilt about the past and maybe a little apprehension about his future. Ollie’s history with the rest of the guys on Dynasty is extensive, going back years to the Iron Kids and beyond. The likes of Greenspan, Fraige and the rest of that motley crew have been soul buddies at the top of our sport for the past five years. That has created deep bonds of friendship and respect and it was these very same bonds that needed to be broken if Ollie was to fulfill his Paintball destiny.
Every top sportsman who is part of a team will at some stage in their career face a similar dilemma to Ollie’s, it’s the clash of personal ambition against team loyalty. When I used to play for NWC in England, more than a few years back, my team was pretty good. We were one of the top three in Europe at the time, but like any player I wanted to play at the highest level and win World Cups. I realized that to do this it was gonna be extremely difficult to achieve it with my friends and brother, who were on the team at the time. With cries of ‘traitor’ and God knows what else ringing in my ears I accepted an invitation from Billy and Adam Gardner to join the All Americans and ply my trade 3000 miles away in the US…and I never looked back. I got those World Cups and a whole lot more and I never once regretted what to some people may have seemed like treachery in going to play for an American team. Some people told me that I should stick with an English team and the patriotic card was waved under my nose a few times in attempts to make me feel bad.
Of course I felt some guilt, but somewhere along the line we have to consider what’s best for us as individuals and to this end, many a sportsman has walked that fine line between betrayal and destiny fulfillment.
More than the Money
Ollie’s dilemma is a whole new ball game from the one I had to contend with some 12 years ago, because what lies at the heart of his decision was not the fulfillment of playing at the highest level and winning - this guy has won everything there is to win and then some.
His choice was influenced by a different set of factors; Oliver was looking to create a destiny for himself that married ambition with long-term security.
I have always liked Ollie - not for any sycophantic reasons, as I’m in the lucky position not to have to walk that road of blowin’ smoke up anybody’s ass – but because the kid is what we over here in England call ‘a diamond’. The fella is not only the best player in the world, but he’s a damn nice guy as well. He’s always got time for people, no matter who they are. If some newbie goes up to him at a tourney, Ollie will make time for him. He’s so passionate about our sport it positively oozes out of him; his motivation on the field for players around him is not only infectious but phenomenal, in that you can see him winding their heads up before the start of a game. He pulsed through Dynasty like a million-volt electric current. Ollie is the consummate pro, a true marketing dream, and Dave Youngblood saw in him an opportunity to optimize Ollie’s dreams and market him with the Dye brand.
In business terms, it was a stroke of genius - not in realizing Ollie’s potential, any fool could spot that, but Dave realized he could get him if he laid the right offer down. And trust me, it wasn’t all about money as some people have suggested. Sure, Ollie is on the receiving end of a fantastic deal that has a big figure salary and other tie-in benefits with regards to branding, but it also required a close relationship that I think only Dave could offer. I am pretty sure that if any other company had come up with a similar deal to Dave’s, I don’t think it would have happened. That might seem contradictory to what this article is all about but after you read it, and maybe get to know Ollie a little better and see how his mind works, you might understand why I suggest it wasn’t all about money.
Dave and Ollie have been friends for a long time, each having a huge respect for what the other has achieved. Dave’s undoubted accomplishments whilst on the Ironmen were compounded when he set up Dye less than a decade ago, Dye went on to become arguably the coolest company in Paintball whilst Ollie fast became the coolest player…it was a marriage made in heaven just waiting to be consummated. Now whilst Ollie may be attracting some criticism from former teammates (and from idiot outsiders who know jack ****), most people with an IQ that creeps past their shoes size will see it a smart and necessary move. At first examination you could be forgiven for thinking it was self-serving of him to leave his long-term friends on Dynasty and join another team for what ostensibly seemed like his 30 pieces of silver. Is he a Judas? Hell no! He’s a man who is doing what’s best for him in circumstances that cried out for him to take this road.
Working class hero
As Paintball has begun to don the mantle of a professional sport with a lot of the
trappings of other, better developed sports, it should come as no surprise that players want to seek out security. Ollie has aspirations not only as a player but also as a man and whilst some of the guys on Dynasty can rely on rich backgrounds to provide a backdrop of security once their Paintball careers come to an end, Ollie has already given over his academic career to Paintball. He has no such security net. He didn’t go to college - not because he couldn’t, but because he decided to follow his Paintballing genius to see where it took him. Talent like this guy’s isn’t nurtured in conventional ways, certainly no colleges were gonna provide a scholarship for him that focused on Paintball - unlike other, more evolved sports. His choice was stark: college education or sporting destiny.
He chose the latter and the world of Paintball was gifted with its second true genius. (But that’s enough about me…)
That said, lurking in the back of his mind were the financial considerations everyone playing at the top must think about. His position on Dynasty was as one of a large group of guys who had a share in what the team earned but fundamentally, he wasn’t really distinguished from the others in terms of income. Of course he could cut himself an income independent of that group, but these were generally piecemeal deals that served to garnish his plate rather than fill it.
With ‘World’s greatest Paintballer’ constantly being used to describe him, and rightly so, is it any wonder he began to focus on the future? A future with Dynasty certainly assured him of gongs on his mantelpiece, but Ollie didn’t have to prove that point anymore - especially when you consider he had the added endorsement of being the World’s greatest player. This kid has done it all, beaten them all and not only that, he is the best of them all. Sitting on top of the sport he surveyed his options and for him, it wasn’t just about wining cups anymore, it was about security. Ollie’s life isn’t academia, it isn’t working on a production line or picking his nose while selling McDonalds burgers: He’s all about being a Paintballer.
Fortune favors the brave
Ollie has already given over a large part of his life to our sport, his commitment to Paintball is unquestioned, and his talent needed to be rewarded. Fortunately, Dave Youngblood saw that need and offered Ollie a deal that fulfilled both their ambitions.
When Dave called me to tell me what was going down, he explained that he was acutely aware of his father in law’s bold move some 20 years ago. For those of you guys who don’t know their Paintball history, here’s a quick lesson… John Gregory was owner of JT USA, the JT USA that is now owned by Brass Eagle. John’s daughter Rhonda ended up marrying Dave when they both worked for JT back in the day.
Now JT actually started out as a motocross company with John and his wife Rita selling socks out the back of his truck. As motocross riding became more popular and JT went from strength to strength, John made a unique move at the time and was the first company to pay a rider what was at that time a huge sum of money to wear his products.
This then set the trend as Motocross developed in the US. This precedent set by his father in law made a deep impression on Dave, and I think he saw this opportunity with Ollie as a means to redefine the limits of where our sport is, much as John Gregory did with Motocross all those years ago.
Dave is certainly no mug, his company’s phenomenal success over the years had assured Youngblood’s position in Paintball’s Mount Rushmore and I’m sure he sees this as a business opportunity for Dye as much as he sees it as helping Ollie fulfill his rightful destiny. Dave Youngblood ain’t like no ordinary businessman. Sure, he makes a lot of money - the guy has worked frikkin 18-hour days for God knows how long in building that business up - but he wants to do business with people he likes. With Ollie being an old friend, and of course a dream ticket marketing opportunity, in Dave’s eyes this deal was a gimme.
Ollie can now kick back for a few days and reflect. No doubt he will be a little confused and hurt by some of things that have been said to him by what he once thought were friends, but in a typically pragmatic way he told me, “Pete, if these people are truly my friends then they would only wish me well, and if they choose not to be my friend after all this, then they weren’t real friends in the first place”. It’s a somewhat philosophical take on things, but a much-needed one in his circumstances. He has to move past this negativity and focus on what is in front of him - securing his future both financially and as a player.
The boys in blue
Some people have remarked upon the impending collapse of Dynasty after Ollie. Bullfrikkin****! Those Dynasty guys ain’t going nowhere, players like Fragoza, Fraige, Greenspan, Rau, Perchak, Tiljak, Boayes…oh my god, that’s a role call to die for. (Just as an aside, take a look at those names again - Fraige, Perchak, Tiljak, Fragoza, Quincy Boyes, Yoshio Rau…where the hell did those guys get their names from? I reckon they should be sponsored by the makers of Scrabble; they must have the most points ever in Paintball teams if you laid out their names on the board. Bejeeezus, what a mix! But I digress…)
One of the things about Dynasty that I have always found remarkable and commented on in the past is their ability to find a sixth gear. I can’t count the number of times I have seen them pull games outta their ass when all seems lost…they just seem to have an extra gear that other teams don’t possess. This is obviously the hallmark of true champions but what it also tells me is this: Within that collective there is a spirit of defiance, a rock solid belief in their talent that can be called upon in times of adversity. Do you honestly think the departure of Ollie is gonna significantly hurt them?
Damn right it will, it will hurt them on the field and off, but like wounded lions they are gonna come back at you and with the players just mentioned baying for blood and having points to prove, I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere near them mofos when they decide to select that extra gear and start ramping it up. You will see a wounded Dynasty; they might try to hide it because of pride but they will be hurting, and there will be a new determination about them that isn’t exactly unparalleled. I have seen it in them before when they get behind. Yes, Ollie was one of them. Yes, Ollie was their best player. But no, these guys ain’t disappearing any time soon.
Oh Danny boy
As the dust settles on all this we are gonna see stronger people emerge. Dynasty will definitely gain a depth of character as they unshackle themselves from the Ollie era and players like Danny Tiljak will begin to take a more influential role. Tiljak is an unsung hero on Dynasty, that kid is a frikkin killing machine and maybe now Ollie has gone, other players will fill the void he’s left behind. I have no doubt whatsoever that Boayes, Tiljak and whatever other Scrabble names Dynasty have got lurking on their roster are gonna stay at the very top. Fraige and Greenspan will become even more determined to steer that team along its natural path, which for the foreseeable future is still that of the World’s number one team.
Ollie, meantime, has his future similarly focused, and if I know him he will be wanting to win immediately. This kid ain’t gonna be satisfied sitting on his butt collecting money, that ain’t Ollie Lang. He is all about the winning. I know I said earlier that Ollie has nothing more to win, but that doesn’t mean he has lost the thirst and desire for victory. It’s this innate desire to win that fuels the kid to excellence, his talent just helps him along. The Ironmen will become transformed merely by him slipping on that cherished Ironman top, the players on the team will be revitalized and have supreme confidence every time Ollie steps out on the field with them or attends training. Ollie isn’t about just turning up, his genius isn’t a tap he just turns on, this kid works at it. True, he has a god-given talent and I realize it is this natural talent that separates him from the rest of the Pros, but if he didn’t work damned hard that talent would not be able to flourish as it does. This kid works so hard at his game that he should be an inspiration for all others.
The American dream
It’s funny how things turn out sometimes and I doubt many people would have predicted what has just happened. That said, the few switched on people who exist in this sport of ours sure weren’t surprised when they heard what went down. As our beloved Paintball has matured into what could now be described as an embryonic real sport, it follows that players will look upon Paintball to provide them with a living and security if they are at the top. Ollie simply realized he needed to mature and refocus his career; Dave Youngblood then realized the potential of such a union and gave a close friend the opportunity to accomplish a dream. It’s not exclusively an American dream, but it is the dream of most true sportsmen to have their chosen sport as their primary income stream.
I will finish by saying this: I respect Ollie Lang. He has always impressed me with his humility and time for people, let alone his on-field skills. It’s so refreshing in this cynical age we live in to see true talent and fame unaccompanied by the usual traits of arrogance and self-absorption. He is the boy next door made good and in that sense he is living The American Dream, much like his new mentor Youngblood. The combination of Ollie and Dave is a marriage to Dye for…a partnership that was truly made in Paintball heaven.
Good luck Ollie – no-one deserves it more than you.
