( To say that this year ’ s NXL World Cup was unlike any other is an understatement ! Through all the years of attending , I ’ ve never had the pleasure of enjoying the event as much as this year . From the introduction of the new women ’ s WNXL to the kid ’ s exhibition matches we hosted and all the exciting games between each division , the event was unlike any other and it had an even bigger twist .
If you follow Paintballer ’ s For The Puzzle , you ’ re familiar with all the great work Robert Panarella does with Autism . We are big supporters , playing out of Dynamic Paintball whose owner Mike O ’ Lear also has an autistic son . So , it ’ s no surprise when newcomer Kieran Johnson , a local player ( to me in Colorado ) with Williams Syndrome burst onto the social media and local scene , we all took him under our wing .
Kieran is a fun loving , outgoing advocate of the sport who ’ s been accepted by more teams and players than I can count at this point . His zest for life and energy is contagious and quickly gained him a large following , many attracted to his good-hearted nature . Players across the country have raised funds to get him everything from a gold marker to the mass collection of team jersey ’ s he now has . He ’ s everyone ’ s team captain depending on who he ’ s at the field with that day .
A few months back , Kieran started a Facebook Williams Syndrome World Cup page , adding in the many people whom he considers close friends and began talking about attending the event in 2022 . He was no different than any of us who dream of something big and are determined to reach that goal . The posts begun and everyone supported the idea for next year . We knew we could make it happen and it would be the experience of a lifetime for Kieran .
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