A Conversation with the Winning General
Mike Elward has a storied history with the IoN community, having stepped up into a position of leadership in the German army shortly after getting involved in the game. He has headed the legendary Guerilla Company, aided in the structuring of the German horde and brought in a new sense of organization, and has served as an XO for the better half of a decade. Known for his live music performances, during the notorious Gnarkill party on Thursday night and, if you’ re lucky to catch him sitting, for some fireside music, as well. But beyond all of that, Elward leads with an understanding of the need for cooperation and collaboration that showed through brightly at this year’ s IoN.
Last year, Elward agreed to step into the enormous shoes of Mike Conklin, a general who had successfully steered the Axis ship for nearly a decade. Committing to one season as General of the Axis army, Elward successfully navigated a plethora of challenging adjustments to the policies and practices of the producers, and he came away victorious.
Following the victory, he was gracious enough to have a sit down with PaintballMedia, and this is( most of) the conversation.
Cheryl:( Just jumping right into it.) So, what were your overall impressions of the event?
Mike: I thought this year’ s event was about as smooth of an event as we’ ve had from the German perspective. [ But it also ] felt pretty smooth in the communication between Mercer, Skirmish and myself.
Cheryl: Obviously, running the show makes it a different experience, but looking at the event from a 3,000 foot view, how was it different from years past?
Mike: I’ ve had experience in the CP Tent( last year with my knee injury) and spent the last few years as an XO. So, it wasn’ t a huge adjustment. It makes it easier having a good staff and former generals to rely on for advice.
Cheryl: Can you tell me anything about your field strategy? And I know you have studied for this. What can you say about the preparation you’ ve put yourself through for the past several years leading up to this?
Mike: We really do try to keep it simple. We have to remember that these aren’ t soldiers, it’ s players who are choosing to spend a weekend in a field in Pennsylvania in the heat / rain.
So we try to make it fun. With that being said in years past we would try to bully the front field. This year we tried to send more forces to the back field and make the allies commit more forces to the back.
The game is so fluid, that it’ s as much a logistical battle as it is territorial. { You have to ask yourself sometimes,] is it worth it to spend all that paint and air to take an objective in front of you when the next two are behind you. So any strategy really goes out the window when the game starts
Cheryl: We’ ve done this event for more than a decade, and in so many ways, it can become almost a routine. Any remarkable moments for you personally?
Mike: I really do love the kids raffle / young guns award that both sides take part in. Five players under the age of 16 from both sides( 10 in total) were recognized for how badass they are. Watching the vendors hop in with no hesitation is really awesome to see, as well.
098 paintball. media magazine