FALLING IN LOVE WITH PAINTBALL & ION By Brick Sturner, PMP
Skirmish ION 2011 Allied MVP Allied Major General and Mission Director( 4-0) Originator of Allied Commemorative Poker Chips and Challenge Coins.
Once again, over the 2nd weekend in July, more than 4,000 people converged on Skirmish Paintball USA in Pennsylvania to take part in the Invasion of Normandy( ION), the world’ s largest game. The 4,110 players were athletes, enthusiasts, creative, inventive, intense, passionate, engaged, and hardcore. Included in this was my team, Blackout Protocol, multi-year recipients of Most Valuable Team( MVT) and Most Formidable Opponent( MoFo) awards, and our partners at the tip of the spear that is the 29th, The Fighting Amish Paintball Team, and Team Valor. But there were also the newbies, wannabes, frightened, curious, patient, mentors, focused, and lost.
And we gelled. We had come from all over the world, all over this country, and we did what we had to do to be there and take part. And among us were friends, enemies, alliances, tricksters, watchers, doers, and everything in between. I once again met some of the finest, nicest, fiercest, loyal, and fun people I have ever met on the playing field. In fact, in my 15 + years of playing, I truly know that this was the crème de le crème of what this sport has to offer. The camaraderie, the leadership, and the opposition took it to a whole new level that didn’ t inspire pride, rather, it defined it.
Paintball is the personification of a team sport. You might show up to this game alone, you might not be part of a group of friends or an organized team like Blackout Protocol, but when y’ all hit that field with a common purpose and you’ re exchanging shots with the opposing forces, the loner is suddenly part of an irresistible force that’ s just been released and together that force drives the enemy back and accomplishes something the loner could not do alone. It’ s music, it’ s an orchestra, and most especially in the final battle of the event, the crescendo was deafening as were the victory cries from the Allied force!
I once again had the amazing opportunity to work with and fight against some of the greatest players in the world this weekend. I meet up with my heroes, met new ones, and was made to escalate my game in order to prove to them that I deserved to be there. And where I’ m tired, blistered, bruised, and still have no voice(“ Who brought the angry Chihuahua?”) as I did it all alongside my Blackout Protocol Brothers, I don’ regret a thing!
I guess it doesn’ t hurt that Blackout Protocol once again won the MoFo award for ION 2017!
I’ ve met some of my best people through this sport, people I am proud to call Brother, but in the sense where it is far more than just a label, it has meaning, and if you saw how both armies worked and fought together, you’ d understand why we are so passionate about this sport---- hmmm, this lifestyle?
Semper Fi, brothers and sisters. Thank you for being who you are and making it great!
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