Shocktech Intimidator

I used to have a wicked Dust Blue Shocktech Intimidator.  This gun was HOT!

we started shooting timys in 2004 in the UK, and man they were fast.  This gun had a very unique trigger that allowed anyone to shoot it super fast.  It was a bit loud, it had that Timmy “Krak”.

I sold it when i came to Montreal.  I really shouldn’t have, i miss this gun.

Here’s a picture of me playing in Spain at the first event in Malaga.

If i could find this gun again (or one like it) i’d buy it in a heart beat.

a whole year…

It’s been a whole season, and i’m finally getting around to updating the paintblog.

I played MXL eastern this season for Trois Riviers “Public Enemies”, which was a tough, but rewarding experience.  I have to take the attitude that it’s not how many games you win, it’s about how well you play, and about moving forward.  I made some good friends, and we worked hard to be signifigantly better than the year before.

Sadly the team has disbanded and the franchise was sold.  Some of the guys have quit, and some guys went over to Cyclone.

For me, i decided to take some time off, focus on my carrear, and not get caught up the politics of the league until next season starts.  I have come to realise that if you are pretty reliable, and experienced, and have some skill, you will always be able to find a team to play for when the season starts.  It’s more important to avoid burnout, and at 32 years old, i need to take the time off between seasons.

Two very important side effects of taking an off season:  time and money.

Seriously, not shelling out for paintball for a couple of months has been a big boost to the pocket book.  This was good because we needed to re-roof our house, and i rebuilt my computer.   It may not seem like much each week, but it adds up quickly.  I’m currently saving up for a Herman Miller office chair, and the Bob Long M-Tac

Second: time.   I shipped a video game this fall, and that was hard.  As an Animation director, it was my respoinsiblity to pick up a lot of slack, and this took a lot of time.  Like almost 80 hours a week.  And now the game has shipped, i have my weekends and evening back, and i can do things like relax, play video games and all that good stuff.

So the off season is here, but it’s not a total switch off.  I always like to check PB Nation, and stay up to date on some of the great new gear that’s comming out.  I’ll also have to do some gun maintainance and get some of my many guns ready for next season.

Then there’s the M-Tac, but that’s for another post.

Paintball Guns, not markers

I don’t think we’re doing anything good by calling a Paintball Gun, a Marker instead.  The purpose of a Paintball gun is to shoot people.   It’s not for marking cattle or trees, and it’s not for putting dots on your bingo sheet.  It’s purpose is for SHOOTING PEOPLE.

Calling it a Gun means we’ll treat it with more respect and understand that you can hurt someone with it if you’re not carefull.

Paintball is a War game.  Even tournament paintball.  It’s about eliminating other people.  In a similar way, Lacrosse is a War game too.  played by indians it simulates battle.   If you break it down further any competitive sport is a simulation of War. Look how many olympic sports are driived from ancient warfare?  You think Javilin is anything but the sport of throwing spears?

In fact, so is Chess.  So trying to hide the fact that our Sport of Paintball is derived from modern warfare is just plain silly.

Today is Nov 11th Rememberence day.  I am very thankful for what the veterans suffered through and what they sacrificed.   Knowing what freedom they have earned us, i can say their sacrifice was justified.

The similarities of what they experienced and what we play as paintball is very slim.  War isn’t mostly about the combat, the soldier experience is about waiting around, not getting enough sleep, being tired and hungry, and extremely dirty.  Then when you think you can’t take anymore, It’s about that few minutes of bullets flying, bombs falling, and people dying.

We play 15-30 minute games of paintball.  Then we head back to the safezone for a cup of tea, or a can of pop.  The place i play at we even have toilets and a sink with hot water!

For me, it’s a game of competition, hunting down your opponants and seeing if you’re better than the other guy.  It’s not about killing, or any sort of psychopathic desire to take lives.  It’s about testing yourself to see if you’re better than the rest.  Did you survive?  Were you more skilled than the other guy?

I’m not trying to be a soldier.  I love sneaking around in the woods, or running down an Xball field.  I like being able to test myself, and see if i’m good or not.  I work hard to be good at paintball, for me it is important to be good at something.

I am very thankfull that i can test myself in armed combat against other men and women, and that at the end of the day, no one goes home full of bullet holes.

One weekend, two styles

This weekend I experienced two very different spectrum’s of Paintball.

Saturday morning: I arrived at Tim Hortons in Pincourt to pick up Nick Gaudette.  We were going to Mirabel Paintball park for a tryout with Impact.  Nick was Nervous, but frankly he had a spot on the team if he just put in the effort.  I wasn’t there to tryout per say, but more to see what the team was like.  I’m in this weird inbetween place, stuck somewhere between the memory of our old team, Montreal NRG, and looking for a new home with the PBL/ Procaps gang.  For me, i was looking for a place to fit in.

 So Nick and Matt Chow both showed up for the tryout, which consisted of a lot of running, and exercises.  It wasn’t so much to see what capibilities people had, as much as to see how hard people tried.

It was also good to see our friend Ian there.  Ian will be refereeing the CXBL in 2008, but he still wants to keep playing and stay in the sport.  We also talked about playing the SPPL (Scenario woodsball league).  Ian was excited about this as he talked about getting out his old renegade gear.

 Nick and Chow played very average.  Nick was sick with a chest cold, and he hasn’t played in 2 months, but he showed enough skill and awareness of the game to win a spot.  He made enough of an impression last year, that Sparky gave him the thumbs up. 

As well Chow did alright, not brilliant, but consistent enough to get the go ahead.  I think being part of the Procaps family really helps.  Procaps is all about Loyalty, so a guy like Chow is always going to get the benefit of the doubt.  Don’t get me wrong, Chow is a consistent and talented player. 

 In a way it was like it was a Montreal NRG reunion.  All the old faces are now at Mirabel, Alex and Julien C-P, Eric Carpentier, Michel Grenier, Nick, Chow.  Somebody needs to drag Steven Ernie out of retirement…

So i think i found a place to call home.  I don’t know if i’ll ever play with these guys, or just practice with them.  I’m old now, and with the possible commitments to the CXBL next year, i may not be able to focus on playing 100%.  I don’t care about that though, i just want to hang with my friends.

 You see, being good at paintball is important to me.  Having good skills is important.  Being in shape is important.  Playing with people i know, and trust is important.  As long as i can practice with them, and help them at events, then i will have a place to belong. 

So Saturday is finished, old friendships are reaffirmed, and in a way some lines were drawn in the sand so to speak.  Nick is very sick, but happy he has made the team.  I think Chow is happy too.  I am happy  because i look forward to training with the guys, and making the most from the winter.

Sunday morning, and it’s daylight savings, but i still get up late.  I am getting ready to go play woodsball at Warzone Paintball with my friend Sean Bartunek.  I get my gun put together, and head over to Warzone, stopping to see Nick at Tim Hortons.  When i get there, the Warzone Tactical Team (Local Scenario team) is not there, so we will play against the walkons.  I get the super woodsball matrix all set up, and get all my new gear on.  Everyone is amazed at the gun, it’s just so different.  First game, Sean and I defend against all the walk on players.  We keep them at bay for a while, but then they rush us en-Mass, and we die.  20 guns all pounding on your position is a lot of paint.

 THen we play a normal elimination game, with Sean and I on separate teams.  I have ACU camo, and I’m virtually invisible.  I go down the left flank and shoot about 8 of the 12 opposing players.  They can’t see me or hear me.  Sean is the last man standing, and he is afraid that i will shoot him, so he focuses on me just a bit too much.  A walkon player shoots him in the face.

 After this i go fill my q loader pots, then head up to the top of the field.  I have a radio and a head mic, so i radio ahead to Sean and tell him i’m going to snipe him.  He’s scared, so he starts looking for me.  He even gets on the ATV and starts driving around looking for me.  I set up an ambush, but he didn’t come my way.  The whole time we’re trading taunts on the radio, trying to psyhce each other out.  Sean goes on foot and tries to find me.  We end up stalking each other over the mountain for 2 hours, until it gets dark.  At one point we are less than 30 feet from each other, but we are so good at hiding and stealth that we don’t see each other. 

It’s getting dark, so i say to Sean ‘If you can make it to the basecamp alive then you win’.  I set an ambush, and Sean almost evades it undetected.  I spot him about 50 feet from the basecamp trying to sneak through the village field while a game is in progress.  We get into a high volume shootout in the middle of another game, but Sean manages to get past me for the win. 

 Honestly it was 2 hours of epic suspense and action.  Sean is a very good player, and we are evenly matched if not having differnet styles.  We had such an amazing time, and i can’t wait to do it next week.

The sniper matrix worked great.  I really need a ramping board to play against Sean’s fullauto Tippman A5.  I will put a ramping board in next week, when my new gun arrives.  The gun worked flawlessly, and i can call “Prototype 1″ as success, and hit the drawing board for the ultimate sniper version…

 Stay tuned!

Wife went to World Cup…

Usually it’s the guys who go to the tournaments and ditch their wives.  Last year i went to World Cup in Flordia to play with 514 kids (part of Montreal NRG).  This year my wife went, and left me behind.

My wife works for Procaps.  She’s a customer service manager in Montreal, and because of a great perfromace this year she got to go to world cup as a “Business trip – Vacation”.  I had to stay at home because i have deadlines at work, and because i lost my passport sometime last year.

My wife got me tons of cool free stuff.  Tee shirts, matrix parts, and Holly Cow, a Specops broadsword vest.  This thing is built like the garment equivalent of a Humvee (not the sissy H2- the the original Schwarzenegger/Desert Storm version).  It’s a massive beast with tons of pockets, and zippers.  Normally it sells for $200 but the Tippman guys gave it to her for Free.  Free!  Wow they like her.

Anyhow My wife had a great time, expect to read about it in her blog (check the side bar for a link to her blog).

We also got some of the new ‘torque’ loaders, i’ll do a review of them at some point.  They look well designed though, but the motor constantly runs… hmm.