I think that I'm lucky that I came on the scene before all the decisions were made for X Ball in Millennium, Season 3003. Because I did, and I just have to try with all my might to make the best of what we got, I don't have to deal with that poison called bitterness.
If a mutually beneficial official relationship doesn't get established between the NXL and EXL, that almost guarantees Euros up to bat against Americans at every event, then we just have to do our own thing here.
We gotta get X Ball fields all over the place sose we can practice hard and often and train ourselves like the most wacko extremists hellbent on destroying the world. We need small tournaments frequently. All the best teams gotta get in each others faces often.
If we need to we can set up practices and series with only 10-minute halves to cut down the paint costs until the sponsorships get better. We can cut some things here and there and still keep it authentic X Ball.
And, if we have to, we have to frekkin' bribe the Yanks to come over and play against us.
And as far as the beat-to-death debate about why THEY (my fellow countrymen) dominate paintball:
1. They play, practice, compete and live PB 24-7-365. We gotta find a way to do the same.
2. They are turned-loose. They are balls-to-the-walls, they roll-the-dice. For obvious historical-cultural reasons we are risk-takers. We gotta set our minds free so that our asses'll follow. THIS IS THE MAIN THING! We (Europeans) got most of the technical skills and all the technical advantages; now we gotta get the mental.
Let's think positively and take some affirmative action. Let's don't get hung up about alleged frigged-up decisions in the past. Monday morning quarterbacking is always too easy.
Let's get our own sport, practice, sponsorship, media thing going. Paintball and Europe as a much more unified single market are both set to go off tha hook! I believe the atmosphere is charged with great possibilites.
Steve
