anymore ? Face it , this is a team sport and without a good team , you can not win . People get injured or move on in their life . Everything is evolving , including the game . Just because you are great one season , does not mean you will be great the next season . If you think about it , the genuinely GREAT people in this sport , are not known for their skills on the field . Sure , there are a few stand out players who are known for their skills , but those players are only known to other tournament players . The rec-ball players honestly … could not give a crap . Ask a magfed player who his favorite NXL player is , and he will probably tell you Wayne Gretzky or some other equally sarcastic remark .
Remember that the majority of paintball players do not play tournament paintball . No , the truly iconic people in paintball … people like Bud Orr , Glenn Palmer , Fred Schultz , Greg Hastings , Tom Kaye and even Tim Montressor are not remembered for their playing abilities . Were they fantastic players ? Hell yes … but they are remembered and respected because of what they contributed to the sport . They went above and beyond to more than just play . They created . They innovated . They sacrificed of themselves because they absolutely loved what they were doing . To be fair , they made what they loved their job so there was money involved as well but ask anyone in the upper levels of paintball and they will tell you that there are easier and more rewarding ways to make money . No , if you are in paintball , it is because you love it and the people in it .
Back to the question … What is paintball to you ?
Personally , I love the sport and the game . Plain and simple . I love meeting other people like me . The staging area is just as much fun as the game itself . Truthfully , at this age and stage maybe more than the actual game itself . So , in answer to the hater that started this whole chat , I am qualified because I have been loving and playing this sport since 1989 and paintball to me , put in the simplest of terms … is “ home ”. In all its styles , in all its formats and in all its evolutions , paintball is home . That makes all the players in paintball my family . So please , reach out to me here at Paintball Media or reach me through my podcast . Good or bad , I would love to hear what you think paintball is to you . Maybe I will get you on the show and we can talk about your favorite things live , or maybe your negativity will inspire another article . Who knows ?
Until next time , Play with Passion !
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