Newsgroups: rec.sport.paintball
Subject: Re: paintball questions
From: Alexander Franklin Rose <ar2z+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 16:31:44 -0400 
Organization: Freshman, Design, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

One more thing,
    I forgot to address the part about all of us being millionaires or
something.  It is true that it costs me more to practice at this point
than it does to play tournaments, but that isn't how it always was and I
can't let myself believe that it always will be.  You have to Navarone
to never win anything and still get fully sponsored.
    To get sponsored is not an easy thing, especially now, even the All
Americans who are considered by some as our equals have very little
outside sponsorship besides the company the captain owns.
    It was blind luck that allowed me to be in the position that I am. 
Last year, a couple of months before the Lone Star Open '91 I decided
that since I was in my first year of college that this would be my last
tournament and I would just have a good time.  So I saved up up and
lived like a bum for three months to save up the seven hundred dollars I
assumed would be a base cost for the tourny.  Before this I had attended
the World Cup '90, and Bay City open '90 because one was in my home town
and the other one I was still living at home then so I had no overhead.
    So figuring this was my last tournament I went with an all or
nothing attitude.  Fortunately foe me a lot of things just happened to
be coming together at this point.  Bud Orr had decided to sponsor a team
for the first time and he decided to give us a shot.  He flew out there
with six prototype autocockers and the rest of our team still had our
old Bushmasters.  The only reason Bud decided to do this was because he
plain and simple liked us, and thought other teams liked us too.
    This is the key to all sponsorship, it isn't winning,(as Navarone
can prove) it is publicity.  Navarone has the editor of the largest
Paintball publication on their team so therefor all sponsors of Navarone
get on the cover every single month.  Why does a sponsor want to give
you something? They want good press, even if it is word of mouth.  The
other way is to flat out win.
    Okay so we won in Dallas locking our future with Bud and hooking in
George from Bullseye.  We began to win tournament after tournament
partly because of superior tech. but mostly due to the way our team came
together.  I don't think that there is a tournament team out there that
does not think that we have severely upped the winning tournament level
of play.
    This was born out of a very diverse team body that actually got
along.  The other key is youth.  I am currently 20 and I attended my
first tournament at 16.  Our team is easily half 21 and younger.  There
is also our captain who is 34 and a few in their mid 20's.  All from
very different backgrounds, but all of us like and trust eachother on
and off the field.  This is KEY.  To make your team win they have to be
able to read eachothers minds, see through eachothers eyes, and hear
through eachothers ears.
    Playing types are also important.  You need people that work well
together and are not just good players but their strengths need to
complement eachother.  Also everyone has to be able to think, to have
the birdseye view, and stay calm.  The other thing is certain squads for
certain fields.  On our team we have a thick brush squad and longball
tree to tree squad.  Almost all tournaments try to incorperate both of
these elements onto every field so therefor we never have a weak side.
    Practicing every weekend is the last and probably the only way to
achieve everything I have mentioned.  You cannot send players to
tourny's because they are your friends, they have to going because they
are the best players that can possibly afford to go.  If you think that
one player that can't afford it would make a difference, sponsor him if
at all possible.  Better to go with the sharpest teeth and know that you
did the best you possibly could than to regret not having the best team
there and have the weak player blow it at the crucial moment.
    Once at the tournament, everyone hangs out together, eats together,
and meets together.  It is your family at this point and paintball
should be the only thing on your mind.  An eleven PM curfew is
mandatory.  You should spend an absolute minimum of two hours per field
checking out the side you are going to play.  You should work the same
wire no matter what direction you are going.  You should also know if
there are any points where you could lob shots accross field to help
your other wire.  Even if you cannot see the position you should find
out what arc you neeed to at least scare that person into breaking cover
or leaving the position.
    If there is more interest in these topics pleas let me know by
asking more questions.  Please post the questions so that everyone can
see them with the answers.  As you can tell being away at college
doesn't give much opportunity to talk Paintball and this is essentially
my only venting point between tournys.  I have good pushing, and
practicing tips as well as team dynamics suggestions.  If you are
interested in starting a team especially if you are young please post
questions, I have thought a lot about these things and have puit a lot
into practice.
            Keep the Questions Coming.
                                    Zander of the IRONMEN
Organization: Freshman, Design, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA