It ’ s a safe space for kids who come from non-traditional backgrounds , “ Some of them are dealing with alcohol abuse and drug addiction at home . This is a second home .”
That kind of family environment created an excitement amongst the players that was infectious . According to Holland , the kids were loving it so much that they did their own promotion and recruitment ; they wanted to bring their friends . They talked to other kids at the field . And unaffiliated kids would see an organized team and they wanted to be involved .
It was amazing to see the kids ’ personalities come out ,” Holland said .
The same sentiment was offered by Sienna , speaking on the Hawaiian team , he spoke about how important the support from the community has been .
“ The kids made friends with other players all over , and they have been keeping in touch ,” Sienna said . And the relationships are already spilling over the boundaries of paintball . “ They ’ ve been talking to one of the players from the Savage Patch Kids who is coming to Maui [ in December ] and he wants to come check out our fields .”
He expressed particular pride in being able to share in the diversity of the paintball community .
“ Whether we lost or we won , they talked story . They shared a little bit about Hawaii with the rest of the community and built relationships that are already transcending the event .
Amidst all of this community building , there was a spectacular tournament held as well . The young guns held tough and executed an intense competition . In the end , it was the Infamous Kids , a sleeper team coached by Thomas Taylor , who took everyone by surprise and took home the trophy .
“ None of the Infamous Kids had ever played . 68 caliber before ,” Gong said . “ They had only played . 50-cal , and some of them had never played a tournament before .”
That is a tough story to top . But Gong says they aren ’ t finished building yet . In fact , they have only just begun . So what is his vision ?
“ Having a primary youth league is the answer , just like Little League Baseball ,” Gong said . “ Having the right people with the right vision will make it a reality , and I think we have that .”
Jennifer Montressor is excited to see fresh life breathed into the sport as a whole through the youth division .
“ The industry should embrace what is coming ,” said Montressor . “ Manufacturers should be making smaller clothing , and gear for these young players . We filled a 24 team bracket with a good variety of teams from everywhere . There were 3 to 4 teams from the West Coast , Hawaii , I mean , come on . If that isn ’ t proof that there is a place for young guns , what is ?”
And she is hopeful that this new generation will be the catalyst to elevate the industry as a whole to the next level .
0142 paintball . media magazine