Paintball teams are unique in that they perhaps come closest to replicating those irreplaceable bonds that are only formed by those who fight in the trenches when their lives are truly on the line. Lifetime friendships are forged purged from a trust that was built at 1 o’clock in the morning while each had the others back deep in enemy territory. When impossible missions are completed because your team mates held the line or advanced in a hail of paint knowing it was their comrades who were in need. While no one in paintball is truly eliminated in the eternal sense, the loss of a key member has the same effect and the mission suffers as well as the team. Through the all losses and the many wins that come from a seasoned squad the bonds that form are like no other in the extreme sports world.
I have been a part of 3 teams and found this to be true with each. I have friends that I see often who I played with so many years ago and our conversations always turn to those epic games and we relive those great moments as if they just happened yesterday. With Double Threat, my 3rd and final team we are building those moments far beyond what I thought was possible. With each game the bond is stronger than any other team I’ve ever been a part of. Aside from our accomplishments individually and as a team, (which someday I’ll put together in a list) it is the team play which never ceases to amaze me. It is easier appreciate than it is to describe and thats coming from someone who sees it game in and game out. My team mates may not be the most skilled (some are) or have the best equipment but it is when we take the field our solidarity shines. It may be against unbelievable odds or just knowing that when one says he’ll be to a certain point at a predetermined time it’s as good as done. I’m not saying our team is unique in the scenario paintball world, quite the opposite. Many teams have risen up and are approaching this level of play that is almost on the subconscious level and that is what is so great about our extreme sport.
I put together a short video that encapsulates Team Double Threat and for me it seems to describe in pictures what I am having trouble writing in words. I dedicate the piece to each member of my troupe but especially to Garrett Greer who is currently serving our country over seas. Perhaps when he comes back we’ll learn the truer meaning of foxhole fighting and our game will be perfected even more. For now, we’ll enjoy the game, defend our trenches and play each game to it’s fullest as a band of brothers.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Dutch thank you so much, and thanks to everyone else on the team. I hope you and all your families have a happy and safe holiday.
I recently played a scenario with double threat and would like to relay some interesting things I witnessed.
1) Constant “Bonus Balling” and overshooting – Its one thing to occasionally shoot a few extra balls at someone, but the complaint from most people on the field was that Double Threat did it constantly…They even covered a 10 year old in paint. on 2 different occasions they shot someone who had their hands and gun in the air.
2) Shots within 5 ft. – I witnessed the British player shoot 2 people at less than 5ft (the field has a 15ft rule), when a simple bunker tap would’ve sufficed. It turned out to be friendly fire to boot! Later in the game, double threat shot someone up close after double threat refused to acknowledge that they were eliminated by a “bang” rule. They caused that person to bleed from the neck.
3) Christian Bale style scream-fest at a ref – It was filled with cursing and didn’t even make sense. Talk about unsportsman-like conduct
4) Physically shoving a teenage boy and screaming in his face – Is it necessary to push a kid just to emphasize that you “know the rules better than he does”?
5) Ball wiping – I personally saw a player from double threat wipe paint off after a firefight and never acknowledge being hit
6) Refusing to acknowledge an elimination via a “bang” rule – that led to the up close shooting I mentioned above.
Its sad to see that kind of conduct from anyone let alone a “team” of experienced players…People like that give the sport of paintball a bad name.
Hmmm
By your first person accounts above, I can only conclude that you were the gentleman in the helicopter. As captain of Double Threat, I will respond as civilly as I can.
1) Nobody on this team will shoot you if you A) call yourself out, B) put your hand in the air, signifying you are out, or C) have your barrel condom on. That being said, there will always be times when a firefight is raging and the situation is not perfectly clear; the only time I saw something that even approached what you are implying was during a takeover of the Irish base, during a hot firefight when one of our players’ vision was somewhat obscured and shot someone who had just been eliminated. Your assertion that a 10 year old was “covered in paint” is not only repulsive, but ludicrous. I can assure you that Lumpus (head ref) would have contacted me immediately had this actually occurred.
2)Know the rules. You must be referring to the incident where you were hiding in the “helicopter”. I walked past you and at a distance of about 20-30 feet asked me to “take the shot”, your words. I proceeded to walk up to you, acting like I didn’t hear you, and at the time this all went down was actually virtually in your lap. 3 of my teammates were about 30-40 feet away from you, and I told them to shoot you. I tried to get away, but you managed to shoot me 3 or 4 times in the back and side, and that I guarantee you was at a distance of 5 feet. Naturally my teammates eliminated you. Just so you know-the rule doesn’t require me to accept your offer to take the hit. My suggestion to you is to shoot me first and ask questions later, and i suspect that the same rationale would apply to 98% of the team. I didn’t bitch or moan about this incident, and actually complimented you on your play.
3) Know the rules- Once again, you were a prime player in this play. You and 2 other yellow and blue players were standing around behind sinker town having a conversation with barrel plugs on, while we were engaged with some green players who were coming in from the west side of sinker town. I initially asked you to leave the field, as you were eliminated players. You told me in no uncertain terms that I didn’t know the rules, that as gangsters and feds respectively that you were allowed to hot insert wherever on the field you wanted to. Unfortunately, as you were soon to find out, it was you who didn’t understand the rules. Hot insertion for you was only permitted after you had actually left the field. Did our conversation ramp up in intensity? Sure it did. I had already played a gangster and a fed a couple times in Wayne’s St. Valentine’s day massacre before you knew the sport of paintball existed. I KNEW the rules. The shouting I did during this confrontation was with YOU, not the refs. I yelled loudly for a ref, and when they got there, asked them to get Lumpus on the radio so you could be set straight. Which, as you recall, you were. As this happened more than halfway through the game, I can only conclude that you were hot inserting illegally up to this point, which would explain the yellow and blue players miraculously reinserting 45 seconds after we eliminated them, a situation I am sure you would find frustrating had the shoe been on the other foot. Some people would call what you guys did cheating, I call it a misunderstanding of the rules on your part.
4)Our “british player” as you call him, was the person you claim “shoved a teenage boy”. The facts: After being shot in a face to face confrontation at about 10 feet, the player you are trying to call a teenage boy complained long and loud about being overshot. Our player went over to him and talked with him, and in the process put his hand on the man’s shoulder. The teenaged boy is actually a 30 year old man, and is an experienced paintball player who I know personally. Both players by nature of what happened, were both emotionally engaged at the time. That being said, we don’t condone physically touching a player at any time without in being a friendly pat on the back. When you get face to face with someone on a paintball field at 10 feet though, it does tend to get ugly.
5)Any time any person in any context observes a Double Threat player behaving as you describe above, I want to hear about it personally. It is a sad reality that each side in ANY paintball gme thinks the other side is wiping, overshooting. cheating etc. The truth is that almost all players are out there doing the best they can and playing as straight up as they can. A member of another team, who is a friend of mine, during this game shot me in the BACK OF THE HEAD from about 30 feet away-it hit me right in the hard occipital bone, and it didn’t break. He didn’t want to believe it, but there you have it. I even had another player check it. On the other hand, I went out in this game on a finger hit, which no one would have been the wiser about had I chosen to go down that road.
6) Pretty much already covered.
Just a few thoughts to conclude:
My team plays hard. As hard as anyone I’ve ever seen on a paintball field. We also play fair. We are by nature frequently a part of controversy on the field, as oft times, we dictate and create the action. We have been a subject of intense scrutiny for YEARS, dating back to before we won the national championship. I personally have engendered nore personal attention from the refs than any individual person, including having refs follow me around the field. Ask them-don’t take my word for it.
It’s really amusing in a twisted way that people who run with us don’t seem to have the mindset that we are mindless cossacks chopping down the helpless serfs. We simply want to be the best paintball players we can be, and are willing to put the energy into practicing, playing, strategizing-all the hard work that is necessary to become successful at anything.
Come run with us sometime, and take care-
1. Hundreds of people shooting fast guns. Im sorry but your not the only person on the field. Id love to go back to shooting mechanical guns but unfortunately thats not going to happen. When you are hit put your gun up and get off the field fast. People like to just stand around or walk slowly when they get hit. Those people are idiots. Some 10 year olds can take it and some can’t. Nobody purposely overshoots a 10 year old. If they do than inform a Ref, get witnesses from both teams and that person will get dealt with.
2. Was not there so I can’t give my opinion. Though taking the hit is voluntary. If you come up behind someone and say “Take the hit” then there should not be any problems. If they spin, shoot them. If you come running up to a bunking im in yelling “take the hit” and stick you gun randomly into the building. Im going to spin and shoot you because you were premature.
3. Did not see it can’t give my opinion.
4. Did not see it can’t give my opinion.
5. Did not see it can’t give my opinion.
6. read #2
I have been playing paintball, NPPL, PSP & Scenario games, for 14 years and every year I hear the same thing. Whining
If you have a problem take it up with the Ref. If its not resolved take it up with the head Ref. If its not resolved take it up with the field owner. If its not resolved than get some proof, video/pictures. If you can’t than I guess you there isn’t really a problem.
Its paintball. You shoot objects at 280fps at each other. Its not natural and you may bleed. Get over it or go play laser tag.
Looks like there are comments and feelings abound over the game in question, in particular they appear to be aimed at Double Threat…
I will comment as I guess I am the ‘british’ person who is mentioned, I play hard, fast, but I feel, fair… I apologize if I personally offended or hurt anyone, bodily or in feelings… For the record our markers are capped at 15 per field rules, they are never hot, and as for mine it has no ramping set what so ever, it is set on response, no different to most tippmans… I certainly do not wipe, and left the field several times when hit, I clean off re-gas and return as fast as I can if my team is still out there… I certainly do not intentionally overshoot anyone, especially new players or younger players… In fact the opposite, I encourage and often take young players along with me during quiet play… AMongst other prizes I have given at least one marker to a new player who ran hard with our side… I have independently been named MVP, & sportsman on more than one occasion… Lets face it guys, some people buy $400+ markers, dress like players, act like players, but when they get out gunned or maneuvered they don’t like it… Do I feel for them, sure I do, I was one of them… I played more often, worked out more often, worked at the game and improved over time… Now, if someone calmly came up to me and asked me to slow down the game a little, would I have listened, yes I think I would of, we could have discussed off the field and maybe have come to an agreement… That never happened, they were happy to shoot at their enemy when they got the chance, which they did and I have bruises just like them to prove it, thats fair game, shooting back at them was fair game too…
The confrontations witnessed:
Two adults in the double yellow building, they were asked multiple times to call their color, they did not; they were moved in on and taken out, two or three pops max, it was actually neutral fire, not friendly fire… The so called ‘teenage boy’ that was ‘shoved’ was an adult (name with held), he was the one cussing at being shot out, emotions got involved… A player that was hiding in the downed helicopter, called for our player to take the hit at point blank, a good call; our player refused, his right & called to his team to take the player in the helicopter out, he was, three shots… A player loading his hopper at the front door of his enemies base, shot out at 20 feet, a normal acton for a defender taking back his base back…
I leave you one last point as food for thought; the last person that took me out, what was a good take out by the way; upon raising my marker I called good hit, per normal I immediately placed my barrel condom on, walked out saying hit player with my marker in the air: I did however notice he had a clear hit on his face mask & one on his back… I advised him and left the field… He remained playing, of yes, it just happened to be the ‘teenage boy’ aka adult mentioned earlier…