Virtue Paintball , and decided to read it . He basically asked if we could talk and try to find a way to keep the team going . My next step was trying to convince all of the other guys to stay on the team without being paid , and then to secure sponsorships . To my surprise , almost everyone agreed that they would still play even without being paid at the beginning of the rebuild .
I brought this news to CJ and Dana Botsolas , and they generously offered to help fill the funding void I ’ d need for travel and other expenses . It still wasn ’ t enough , so I needed to find another sponsor that could help contribute more . Virtue partnered with MacDev and helped fill the remaining funding void . The first year was tough , I was learning to coach , manage , and play while doing so on a fraction of the budget that most pro teams have .
Some key players didn ’ t last more than a year and a half before quitting the team to focus on life goals , and the new players were getting better but they weren ’ t good enough to fill the talent voids . Little by
little I plugged away and acquired other professional players that wanted to join the team for little to no money and luckily for me they were there to help with the big picture tasks . Tim Montressor was one of those players , he helped me look at the big picture and not the day-to-day tasks . We established a four-year plan that has honestly played out perfectly . Since then we ’ ve moved sponsorships that have helped us more , we ’ ve acquired players that we originally couldn ’ t afford , and paint deals that have allowed us to practice more and stay sharp . Eventually , CJ offered to help out more and we were able to basically bring back Joey Blute to coach and the players we needed from our old 2013 roster , as well as some other killers that we ’ ve always wanted to bring onto the team . It has honestly been one of the longest and hardest times of my life . However , this rebuild has taught me so much about myself , my teammates , and the sport . The Tampa Bay Damage that caught everyone ’ s attention in 2020 , is going to be even stronger and better in 2021 . www . paintball . media
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