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The best European Paintball Magazine
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1
miss gripFilipa Monteiro
scenarioEuro Big Game
Nicky Cubainterview
millennium
BASildon
N.º 07 September 2013
Bear D’Egidiointerview
02 index
index06–07Team
9Editorial
10–11HighlightWe are Sport!
12-13News
14–15ProfileAdrien Moison
16–39MillenniumBasildon
40–42RulesDomingos Leitão
44–46Project KAxel Gaudin
48–56InterviewBear D’Egidio
58–70Gallery Infamous
72-78IPBS
80-97InterviewNicky Cuba
16-39Millennium
14-15Profile
48-56InterviewBear D’Egidio
80-97InterviewNicky Cuba
118-121Review - DROM
72-78IPBS
03index
98-105Miss GRIPFilipa Monteiro
106-111ScenarioEuro Big Game
112-117ScenarioTippmann Challenge UK
118-121ReviewDROM
122-126ReviewGreg Hastings Paintball
128-130ReviewMacDev Clone GTI
132-135Backstage
138Thanks
128-130Review - MacDev Clone GTI
80-97InterviewNicky Cuba
106-111Scenario - Euro Big Game
112-117Scenario - Tippmann Chalenge UK
98-105Miss GRIPFilipa Monteiro
118-121Review - DROM
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05
06 team
AXEL GAUDINDoesn´t need introductions. Who better to teach you tactics than one of the Project K Masters?
PEDRO SIMÕES GRIP Magazine’s pho-tography editor. He’s also an accredited photojournalist.
RITA PEREIRA GRIP Magazine’s Art Director. She works as a professional graphic designer.
DANIEL TEIXEIRAGRIP Magazine’s kid. He’s responsible for all of the news from the “world of paint”.
ANDRÉ FARIAThe scenario man. If we’re talking about camouflage, gun replicas and lots of fun, then that’s where he is.
DOMINGOS LEITÃOHead Marshal at the Millennium and Portuguese League. He explains you the basic rules.
07team
DUARTE GOMESThe mechanic in charge. Very few understand paintball markers and accesso-ries as well as he does.
HANDY TIMSWho better to help out than one of the RSH designers? Any subject related to image, he’s your man!
ANDRÉ GOMESOne of the “kids” of the team. Dominates the English language. and helps us translate a few thousand words per issue.
GIL BELFORDWith such a name he could only be a translator… or the owner of a waffle shop.
RITA RISCADOOur «Irishwoman» translates and puts up with us and all our doubts. Without her, you simply wouldn’t understand us!
ZANE KJ MAÑASCOIf he is not shooting, he is pulling some serious magic on the computer. the Design madmen and genius together in a unique guy!
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GRIP – Paintball Magazine or André Filipe Sobreira Garrido are not responsible for the content of the ads nor for the accuracy of the characteristics and features of the products and/or goods advertised. Their veracity and accordance with reality are fully and exclusively the responsibility of the advertisers and advertising agencies or companies.
IT IS STRICLY FORBIDEN TO COPY TEXTS AND IMAGES BY ALL MEANS
Property of André Filipe Sobreira Garrido NIF: 227215290
Legal address: Rua General Taborda Nº3 - 1º 1070-137 Lisboa
ERC Registration Nº 126231 Frequency: Quarterly
DIRECTOR EDITOR
MARKETING ADVERTISEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY
André Garrido ([email protected])André Garrido ([email protected])Carla Peixoto ([email protected])GRIP - Photo ServicesAxel Gaudin by Jani Andersson
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editorial
We could have launched this issue earlier, it’s a fact! However we prefer to let everyone enjoy their vacations first, in the beach, in the snow, with the family and friends or simply alone. Although paintball is our addiction, sometimes we need a break to stop for a while, to enjoy it better when we return.
Now that everyone is focused again, you will have time to read the amazing interview to Nicky Cuba, just a few hours before his first Millennium title with Infamous, or get to know Bear D’Egidio, an extravagant player who’s always ready to eliminate whoever appears in front of him.
In the competition section, we always report on the last Millennium event, a warm weekend in the UK. We were also at the Italian league, where paintball is only the motif to celebrate with pizzas, strip shows and swimming pools.
At Scenario we didn’t want to leave the longest European game – The Euro Big Game – in the dark; we also went to the Tippmann Challenge UK, where the terrain injured our correspondent’s foot.
We really had to review the most interesting gear of the moment. This time, it was the new MacDev Clone GTI marker and the DROM shoes, completely dedicated to our sport. We spent some hours playing the IPad too, to let you know all about the new Greg Hasting Paintball videogame.
As always our «teachers» teach you some new tricks and details of our sport. To finish up, we have our beautiful Miss GRIP completely dressed up with the last DYE’s ultra-light equipment.
The season is almost at the end – but the paintballs aren’t!
By André GarridoDirector GRIP
editorial
1010 highlight
We are Sport! Jay Ford left us one year ago. We could not forget, ignore or despise the date; all the community joined many initiatives to remember one of the most humble players European paintball has had. Probably the most outstanding was the bow shaped stickers with Jay’s initials and his number on the team.
Of course sport is competition, but above all it is union. Thanks to Jay we now can say we are a true sport!
Thank you and may your soul rest in peace!
1111highlight
Jay Ford left us one year ago. We could not forget, ignore or despise the date; all the community joined many initiatives to remember one of the most humble players European paintball has had. Probably the most outstanding was the bow shaped stickers with Jay’s initials and his number on the team.
Of course sport is competition, but above all it is union. Thanks to Jay we now can say we are a true sport!
Thank you and may your soul rest in peace!
12 news
The new JT ProFlex version
has reached the market and it was considered by many to be the world’s most comfortable mask. The new
version tries to further improving the comfort by adding a new ear protection and don’t forget that it is available in two colours: Sky Blue/Grey and Orange/Grey. The price will be around 60 euros.
JT PRoFlex – The return
As a way to honour Jay Ford, prizes are being raffled as a way to raise funds for the fight against cancer. Among these prizes there are jerseys from the best players in the world, places in Millennium’s Div.3, photographic coverage, markers, among others. To help and to win, all you have to do is log on to the WEBSITE.
Fight against cancerHK Army Air System
Changes in Millennium
Millennium Series’ organization has promised that Chantilly will mark a new stage in European paintball. For now, the significant changes are the following: Div.1 and Div.2 teams shall play their finals on the CPL field and the traditional greeting between teams shall be done on the field after the match.
It’s confirmed, HK Army has released its first air system which will be available in two colours: Retro and Static. With 48ci or 68ci of 4500 psi, the company states the regulator will allow for ultra-consistency and precision when it comes to providing high pressure air.
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Portugal has been one of the countries that have done more to publicize paintball. GRIP has learned that a television show totally dedicated to our sport will be broadcast. Behind this project is this country’s paintball Federation.Undoubtedly it’s excellent news for the dissemination of our sport. More news, soon on our WEBSITE.
Paintball on TV
Millennium charges tickets
The same way it happens with the north-american league - PSP -, the major paintball European league will start to charge tickets for the main grandstand. There will be three day and one day tickets. The price is 20€ for three days. Those who don´t have a ticket can watch the games in the new lateral stands.After many complaints from the players the organization said that this was the way to bring him more visitors, especially those that bring their families. The organization also says they were forced to find new ways to get more profit.
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Adrien started playing paintball in 1994 with his brother, in any place they could fire their pump. Slowly they began to evolve and to
compete in tournaments, to enhance their paintball skills.
Internationally he always played in the Millennium and was recently seen in CPS, but he has said that his dream is to go and play in the United States, where he has only been as a tourist.
He has been French Champion three times in different formats, ranging from 5Man to Race-To-4. He has no doubts whatsoever when he states that his first tournament was the highlight of his and his teams’ paintball career, as they realised then that they could achieve great distances in the sport.
Adrien says that Outrage represents more than just a team, but all the sacrifices, all different friends and players
profile
Adrien Moison
Text: André Garrido
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Adrien Moison NICKNAME Adri
DATE OF BIRTH05/03/1979
OCCUPATIONDesign & Engineering Technical Director for an office of Nuclear Plants
STARTED PLAYING IN1994
PLAYS FOROutrage Valence
INTERNATIONAL EVENTMillennium Series, Champions Paintball Series (CPS)
EVENTS WONFrench Champion in 2005, 2009 and 2011; 3rd in Millennium Series in 2010 at SPL and 2nd on the overall ranking in 2011.
BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PAINTBALL: The first victory in the French National League in 2005 and the CPL division promotion in 2011.
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We passed through Basildon for the third stage
of the biggest European paintball competition.
Heat, ice cream and many unexpected
results were the motto of this event.Text: André Garrido
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Basildon is the event Millennium likes to say it’s situated in London. The Bas-Vegas event, as many like to call it, is located 40 kilometers from England’s capital, meaning that anyone landing in the busiest airport of the country, still is a little further away and will have to make an hour and half trip. Those coming by car from their own country will have to cross the channel and head to town.
Few are the events that escape the Millennium’s policy of having players and staff sleeping immediately alongside the match fields. However, Basildon
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escapes this rule a bit. This flaw is fixed with the possibility of camping on a green zone, right next to the parking lot.
Just like last year, the event was held on Barleylands’s farm, an
out of sight space, with many excellent options to assemble an event of the magnitude of the largest European paintball event.
Grip knew there was a concern from the organization
of assembling the entire structure in a different manner,
unlike the one of previous years. It’s interesting to recall that this was exactly one of our criticisms last year, in relation
The rain God took a
vacation during the first days
of July.
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when abandoned in areas where players prepare to play, make our sport one of the most disorganized, at first glance.
The main concern regarding this event is the weather. Even looking at all forecasts and seeing icons of a radiant sun lined up on the monitor, it’s known it’s likely to rain. But if there is a rain God, it took a vacation during the first days of July, as we felt heat worthy of Southern Europe countries.
The field’s layout was one of the
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to having the CPL and SPL fields distant from each other. This year, the two main fields were side by side, while the remaining fields were on one of the sides, just like in all other events.
The garbage bins were one of the most interesting features, enormous wooden boxes received all unwanted rubbish. It’s an attitude to have in the future, because our sport normally produces many cardboard boxes, many plastic bags, many loose balls that,
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most aggressive seen in Millennium this year. Despite the snake’s side often being one of the most decisive, it was common to see attacks either by the M or by doritos. In spite of this aggressiveness, it was common for matches to be stuck on the first phase of the game, especially with more experienced teams.
It was exactly one year ago that we lost one of the most humble players in European paintball. We’re talking about Jay Ford, a Nexus player. It was interesting to notice that no one forgot Jay and some tributes were made, through murals or other initiatives. The best one was launched by Steven Wilson, a Merv’s photographer, who is raising funds through raffling off many valuable prizes, while handing out stickers with the famous bow of the fight against cancer and with JF21 written inside.
Division 3 is the one that brings more teams to Millennium. In this event there were 36 teams present and, as usual, they only played on Saturday. It’s typically a division for local teams and for teams who wish to experiment the European championship. As usual, the quality of the match was the weakest of the event, much due to the scoring being race-to-2, which made the matches less exciting. The fact that new teams enter every event turns the overall ranking into a real roller coaster; you can never have a favourite like it happens in other closed
divisions. Of all the teams, 18 made their debut in Basildon, 15 of them hailing from the United Kingdom.
The favourites in this division were the Belgians Apocalypse Brussels, who already had two first places and didn’t want to miss out on winning all events. Their direct rivals were Toulouse’s Evil Men, who achieved two fourth places.
In the preliminaries no team succeed in winning all their matches, and the best results counted with a defeat. The Assalas provoked some furor, after doing
the preliminaries in great style, but they soon lost in the following
stage, against the newcomers Middlesbrough Lethal Bizzle. The two teams at the top of the table didn’t have much difficulty overcoming their
rivals to reach the semifinals. It was at this stage that Evil
Men were also defeated, by the same English team. The Apocalypse Brussels beat the London Fearless, also a newcomer team that was relegated to fight for third place.
In the only stage where the race-to-4 is disputed, Evil Men were superior to London Fearless, winning by 4:2. In the match for the first place, this division’s sensation team – Middlesbrough Lethal Bizzle – defeated the favourite Apocalypse Brussel, in a hard fought match finished 4:3.
It would be arrogant to think that the Belgian team had already won the championship, but they will hardly leave
It’s important
that female and young
teams thrive.
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the first place, if they maintain the level they’ve been demonstrated, especially when they have an advantage of 38 points over Evil Men. The French team would have to be first and Apocalypse a terrible ninth place.
Division 2, like all others, except Division 3, began right on Friday. Poison Ivy weren´t favourites but have they been this division’s sensation team. It’s not easy for a team to show its value in this European event. It’s certain that the fact the team’s markers are controlled by women makes them much more conspicuous. What is uncommon is an all-female team having so much success amongst Division 2’s
sharks. This time, luck did not smile to the Norwegians; they finished in tenth place and this event may have been a harsh blow to conquering this division’s gold. The big favorites are Lucky 15s
whom, with a very solid game, show a desire to be amongst other
divisions.24 teams played in this
division, in the first stage. The only one with three victories was the Lucky
15s, while all others lost at least one match. This shows
the rivalry existent at this level, which makes it very difficult to impose an overwhelming result.
In the following stage, the three all-female teams – Poison
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Tontons hammer their
opponents when they are at a disadvantage
point.
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Ivy, Fat Ladies and Lady Carnage – all lost. Although paintball is literally a sport where «may the best win», it’s important that all-female teams and young teams are able to thrive and thus bringing in more players of various age groups and genders.
Until the final stage, Lucky 15s were racking up victories and they were only stopped by this event’s champions, Mamba Libreville, in a match fought until the very last second of the clock. The other semifinal also took the clock to zero, dictating Manchester Firm 2’s victory, that left Durham DV8 behind. The fight for third place turned into a
real final between English teams, much due to the overall ranking pitting the first placed team – Lucky 15s – against its direct rival – DV8. «Luck» fell on the more experienced Lucky 15s who won by 4:0. In the fight for gold, Mamba, owners of one of the most attractive jerseys in the event, won against Manchester Firm 2 by 4:1 with no major difficulties.
The biggest surprise, on the negative side, was the Italian Idols who, after two fifth places, finished in a modest fifteenth place.
Division 1 was also constituted by 24 teams, with the big difference being that this is a locked division. There are no
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new teams to muddle up the sums. In this division, the error margin is very limited and only those who are constantly at the top can think of winning at the end of the year. Simultaneously, it’s common to see teams placing at the bottom half of the table in one event and be first in the following.
Further evidence of this division’s difficulty is visible in the group stage, where nobody has guaranteed victories. Even the favourites London Defiance struggled to win some of the matches. Another example is the case of Scorpion Milano, who passed to the next stage in second place. This ranking meant the two favourite teams would face each other in the quarter finals,
with the first place overall at stake. As fate would have it, the Italians beat the English, who placed seventh in this event and thus lost first place overall, after two events winning the top place in the podium.
After this victory, Scorpion Milano had a clear path to get as many points as possible and they crushed Bad Boy Oss by 4:0. Bad Boys are a very young team; some of the players are authentic kids, the youngest being 14 years old. If they remain together, they promise to be one of the teams to take into account in the European scene, not only by the experience they’re accumulating at such a young age, but also by the combativeness they already demonstrate. In the other semifinals’ match, Ronholt Blast lost against Vision PPC by 3:4. In the fight for bronze, Ronholt fought until the last second against the Kinds, setting the score at 3:2. In the final, it was expected
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that Scorpion Milano would dilate their advantage over London Defiance, but they were surprised by Vision PPC. This team had never finished above twelfth place, but they showed to be very strong, controlling the Italians’ game from the first minute and scoring an impressive 4:0.
The fight in this division is red-hot, with a four point difference between first and second places. Paris will be a test of nerves for these two teams, who will have to give everything to keep their ranking. Certainly, it will be a division to
follow in the Chantilly event.In the SPL, there were the usual 32
teams, for this division is also closed. As we’ve already said in other
Millennium chronicles, this division is probably the most unbalanced of all.There are clearly two distinct groups: the ones at the top of the table, with many places on
the podium, and all the rest. Once in a while, there are some
brazen ones that can come between this division’s sharks, as Dogs D Amour did. This Greek team, who achieved a third place in Bitburg, was the event’s
Damian Ryan, living up to his mask, brought death to his adversaries.
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surprise. They had Oliver Lang’s help, but they finished in a modest twenty-ninth place. This goes against the trend which states that teams who hire famous paintball names constantly achieve better standings. What is certain is that one player alone doesn’t always mean a guaranteed victory.
The big favourites are London Tigers, who came to Basildon with a first and a third place finishes and were thirsty to repeat the prowess and achieve another podium. Hellwood Paris are their main rivals, although, to date, they’ve missed out on the podiums by very little.
In the preliminaries, Drammn Solid gave no chance to other teams, winning all their matches by 4:0. In fact, all matches of this team’s group were won by 4:0 or 4:1, such was the disparity between the various teams.
Until the semifinals, London Tigers didn’t feel great difficulties, while Hellwood had to fight until the very end, right from the round of 16, and they did not succeed in achieving a maximum score. In turn, Comin At Ya didn’t have it easy against Paris Triade and won with the minimum score of 4:3.
The German team faced the English London Tigers, losing by 2:4. In the other match, Drammen Solid, who had been doing an excellent event, lost by the same score. Drammen Solid seemed to have lost the impetus after this defeat, since they lost 4:0 against Comin At Ya in
the fight for third place.The final had the division’s two best
teams. The final went as well as possible for the French Hellwood. They won by 4:2 and are only 18 points off London Tigers, which gives them hope that they’ll be able to overcome the English in the next event.
In the CPL, many were cheering for the French Tontons. After two consecutive victories in this division, they became authentic legends of the European paintball. Although they are a team with an enviable history, due to their years
as a professional team and to the various paintball personalities
that have passed through there, what is certain is that – excluding last year in London –, they had never won any Millennium event.
The only great achievement of this team goes back to
2006, when they won Millennium without any first place finish and
due to a disastrous first stage from Joy. Winning two events in a row, in a year they’re also competing in the biggest North-American event, and above al,l in the most competitive year that Millennium has seen recently, elevated them to the same level as the biggest World superstars. Hiring the Samuelsson brothers was undoubtedly this team’s best bet. Will the French be able to win one more event and finally to have a team winning all Millennium events?
In the preliminaries phase, Group
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Fedorov shoots above the
base and hits the Impact
player.
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A brought some surprises. Right from the start, the fact that Tontons lost 5:1 against Syndicate, a team who hadn’t gone beyond a tenth place finish this year. The Germans were also responsible for this group’s second surprise, passing through in first place, leaving Tontons in second and Houston Heat and Instinct out of the final stages.
In Group B, first place was virtually assured by Impact and achieved without great difficulties. They won two matches by 5:0 and the third by 5:1. Breakout Spa passed through in second and were only
defeated by the Canadians.In Group C everything was possible,
since three of the teams present had always passed to the final. If before the event all bets were on Nexus as the group’s favourites, they certainly had a disastrous event and lost the first two matches by 5:2 and 5:4. They only managed a 5:0 victory over the Ducks. Infamous came in first, showing they were concentrated and had a well planned out game. Icon were second, they only lost against Infamous.
For Art Chaos, Group D couldn’t be
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Syndicate reminded
us of a pitbull that bites and never lets go.
better. Bearing in mind the lack of consistency they have been showing, many have wondered whether the Russians still have gas to keep playing at the level they’ve accustomed us. They were placed in one of this division’s easiest groups, if it’s even possible to have an easy group. Art Chaos had some difficulty beating their countrymen Polar Bears, by 4:3 and they won the remaining matches by 5:1 and 5:2, against Carnage and Vision, respectively.Carnage, who hadn’t gone past the group stage in six events, came in second place. Polar Bears did not pass
through the final stages, but they have endangered their performance in 2013, as they are having a dream performance, since they were promoted from SPL last
year.In the quarter-finals,
Syndicate continued with a fantastic performance and beat Carnage by 5:1. Impact and Infamous got the same scores, beating
easily Icon and Breakout Spa, respectively.
The big quarter-final match was between Tonton and Art Chaos; Art Chaos wouldn’t have great difficulty winning this match last year. This year, they
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had to put in a lot of effort to beat the French by 4:3. One thing is certain, you do not want the Tontons on the other side, if they are in disadvantage pointwise. It’s almost humiliating for top teams to get beaten up in split seconds. Unfortunately for this team, they were unable to beat the Russians and had to face fifth place overall. This will force them to up their efforts for the next event, if they wish to win the championship.
With only one event to decide who the champion will be, the maths are impossible, there is no ideal scenario for
this French team. One thing is sure, at the very least. They have to finish fourth, to ensure Impact don’t become European
champions.In the semifinals, Syndicate continued to shine when they faced Infamous. They didn’t finish as winners, but they forced the north-Americans to control the
match, so as not to let the Germans score more points.
The result was 4:3. Infamous continued to show a very typical game:
Calm, very controlling and with a lot of communication inside the field. Damian Ryan, living up to his mask, seems to
There’s no patience
for so many anthems!
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bring death to his adversaries. If we had to elect a MVP for this event, Damian would be amongst the top three. He has A soberb game vision, he’s capable of understanding the adversaries’ line shot as few can and he tears the opponents’ field, taking out various adversaries. Writing what we saw would be unfair to Damian, we would always fall short.
In the other semifinal match, Art Chaos wanted to silence those who still doubted them and showed they’re still here to win and by a large margin. Not every
team can boast about beating Impact by 5:1. For posterity it remains a moment of genius, within the reach of very few players. Fedorov, playing in the snake base, tries to hit one of opponents by jumping and shooting over the obstacle. After a great jump and missing the shot, he realizes that the crowd loved the move and he repeats it. This time, he hits the Impact player squarely, leading an entire stand to ecstasy, and being reciprocated by gestures of appreciation from the player. We’ve said it on
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innumerous occasions; Fedorov is probably the most creative player in the history of paintball. He can find solutions where they don’t seem to exist or where they’ve yet to be explored.
In the fight for third place, Syndicate reminded us of a pitbull that bites and never lets go. A short result of 3:2 demonstrates precisely the difficulty Impact had in overcoming the Germans, finishing third once again.
The final pitted Infamous and Art Chaos. Based on experience and
history, we’d say the Russians were the favourites, but we couldn´t have been further from the truth. The slow, calculated and meticulous match was, at times, almost boring. The first minutes of each point were to see who could eliminate one or two players of the opposing team, and only then would they dare to advance. It’s amazing to think that this is Art Chaos’ typical game, more calculated and with a lot of balls in the air, alongside Fedorov’s strokes of genius. Regarding Infamous, it´s clear
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it’s a game tailored for the adversary. In this event, the north-American team had matches where they barely stopped at their obstacles and others where they may as well have brought a stool. The problem of teams with an adapted game is that they’re always mending the damage. This means that if their opponent is more experienced and has the ability to play outsid their comfort zone, they will bring big problems to those teams. In the match in question, everything happened as Infamous would have wished. Initially, it could seem that Art Chaos were in
control of the match, but they were simply waiting for death, they never had a real opportunity. The last point
was scored by Thomas Taylor, who – alongside Damian Ryan –, was
responsible for this conquest. Taylor is far from being the player he was during his XSV time, when he was an authentic assassin playing
the snake, but he’s still at an extremely high level, within
the reach of few players. When he scored that point, Taylor couldn’t
believe this victory would be possible. He jumped, waved his arms around, knelt down and thanked God, joined his team
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Chantilly will be a nerve
wrecking event.
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and made them thank all the fans who supported them. In the end, now alone in the field, he knelt down and thanked this victory with a longer prayer.
This time, the «marginal» event was the European Champ Men, where nations fought for the title of European Champion. Despite being something all players desire to participate in, there’s some resilience in relation to these tournaments. In some way, it seems to be a way for the organization to get thousands of euros more in the accounts of the players or federations. It’s hard to understand why is there a competition in each stage of the event and what its purpose is. Players feel overloaded by the schedules at the end of the day, especially when they have to play early the following day. And honestly, there’s no patience for so many anthems. We mentioned this last year and there were improvements, but it’s still difficult to endure eight straight anthems, with the teams singing their own on a field where they won’t even play. Wouldn’t it be enough to play each nation’s anthems when they play their first match and play only the anthems of the three winners?
Despite all these adversities, there isn’t a player who doesn’t want to win wearing their nation’s colours, even if they know they aren’t one of the favourites. The perennial favourites were Russia, last year’s winners, but they always have strong adversaries, such as the United
Kingdom or France. In the preliminaries, United Kingdom
felt some difficulties overcoming their group stage, but they won the first two matches by 3:2 against Austria and Belgium. They also won 4:0 against the Greeks, who quit after their first match, supposedly due to the impossibility of acquiring more balls. All remaining teams went through without great difficulty, and there were considerably different results. In Group D, that task was also facilitated by the fact that Turkey failed to attend.
In the quarter-finals, the results went as expected; Russia beat Norway
by 4:1, France got the same result against Austria. United
Kingdom trashed Ukraine by 4:0 while Germany beat Latvia by 4:1.
In the following stage things got harder. A triage of
the best European teams was literally done to get to this stage
and each match was a possible final. In the first semifinal, Russia beat France by 4:2, although they had some difficulties in some moments of the match. In the other match, Germany forced United Kingdom into using all the time to achieve victory.
In the fight for third place, France beat Germany 4:2.
Thus the final pitted the defending champion against the 2011 champions. Everyone wanted to win this match, even in the stands the desire was noticeable. It’s still interesting to see teammates
Thomas Taylor, alone on the field, knelt down
and prayed for this victory.
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helping nations that aren’t their own, as in Marcello Margott’s case, the Nexus player was at the nets, coaching the United Kingdom team.
If we hadn’t seen the entire event and if we didn’t know it was a final, after seeing the game style on the field, you would quickly realize how important the match was. Paintball finals are increasingly becoming a real chess match, with several emotionless minutes, with ten players firing an endless amount of balls, waiting for a mistake from the opponent to take some advantage. For this reason alone can we understand how such final ended 2:1. The fair winner was Russia, thus becoming two-times European champions.
Another stage of the biggest European event has ended, but no one left the venue without eating one of the delicious ice creams from Mr. Whippy’s van, as they already are one of the biggest attractions in Basildon.
One final event remains, on a new «stage» that promises to be a blockbuster. One should recall that, for several years, there have been rumours of Millennium leaving the Disney’s grounds and that finally happened this year. Skepticism is rampant, as it’s difficult to replace an event with that location. However, the organization assures Chantilly’s palace will be a new stage in the paintball World. We’ll be there to tell you what we see! •
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Today we will focus on the importance of communication in a refereeing team.
I think it’s common knowledge, but for a matter of context, we’ll understand communication as all means a person has to use to get a certain information or message to one or more recipients.
In paintball and in a refereeing team, that message can be transmitted in several ways. The most frequently used is signaling by short and precise gestures. This statement is relatively easy to understand, considering that much of the referees’ communication occurs during the match itself and that there are several external noises, from the sound of the markers, the paint hitting the targets or even the audience interacting with the players from the outside of the fence.
In the periods when there are no games, it’s possible to use oral communication, but we all know the short amount of time available in these periods to transmit information to eight or ten referees in
a timely manner, so as not to harm the natural flow of the games. Therefore, only in case of extreme necessity will the head-marshal address one or more referees orally, to obtain more precise informations regarding a particular event that may have caused doubts to the players or even to the head marshal.
The referees are mainly interested in communicating with three groups
during a game. The players (giving basic information such as «clean», «out», «time», signaling a penalty or indicating the final 60 seconds of the game), other referees in their line of visual communication (E.g., giving accessory information, such as indicating whether a certain spot derives from the obstacle and not from the impact of an opponent that didn’t have the time to remove the stain without interfering with the natural
rules
communication and signaling
By Domingos Leitão
The referees are interested in communicating with the players, other
referees and with the head marshal.
41rules
communication and signaling
fundamental when the referees don’t speak the same language or English (in a group of referees the same base language is not spoken nor a more common language such as English). Then gestural communication becomes even more vital and needs to be adjusted before the tournament or the matches begin, thus ensuring the consistency and coherence
course of the game) and his head-marshal (keeping him aware of all situations that may affect the game, from the application of the rules within the field to security requirements of the field and the existence of holes in the nets that may endanger spectators and/or players, among others).
The communication becomes even more
42
not only of the decisions taken, but also that the signage used doesn’t provoke wrong decisions.
The signage used by the referees can be divided into conventional (all those gestures that any player or referee knows and are normal – «clean», «out», «time», among others) and unconventional (gestures that a refereeing team must stipulate before or during the tournament, to ensure that
the information gets to the head-marshal quickly and accurately, so that he may transmit it not only to his scorekeeper but also to the teams’ captains whenever appropriate).
To sum up, the language used by a referee must be clear, direct and with the minimum confusion. Only in this way it’s possible to avoid big distractions as well as to pass the most reliable message possible.•
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To move from the basic technics a bit, I decided to approach a different notion this time. This is a major concept for me. It is common to every sport and it’s also one of the most important standards to evaluate the quality of a player. Let’s talk about getting the info!
If we analyse sports, we quickly realise that winning is not only a question of technics; we talk a lot about «placement» on the field. In football, you don’t position yourself randomly. It’s the same in paintball, and positioning is especially important for us, because not all our attention is focused on the paintballs.
I imagine that everyone has already watched paintball from the ground stand, or on TV, and the reaction is obvious. We are all the best in front of our screen, and we clearly know what we would have done, if we were in the player’s place.
The choices made from the ground stand are clearly simpler than the ones on the low part of the field. You can see everything, and you have all the
information.The difference between these two
groups, the players and the spectators, is simply the quantity of information available to decide what to do on the field.
At the highest level of play, the main «war» is about getting and managing information. We try to hide what’s going on in our side from our opponents and we try to get all the information possible to
react correctly. It’s maybe a myth, but I can assure you
that the world’s top 10 teams don’t start a game trying to shoot someone, first they look for a good position in the field.
Thanks to Paintballaccess.com, we can now watch live PSP matches on the web, and this is an incredible tool. We realise games are long, calm, and fighting is only used to tuck in the opponents, to bump
project k
By Axel Gaudin
getting the info
It may be a myth, but the world’s top 10 teams don’t start a game
trying to shoot someone.
45
forward and play a second target or to get information and let the team know what’s going on.
If you really pay attention, there aren’t many G’s made from a direct gunfight. It’s more common to see a player bumping forward and making a cross shot.
That’s how the high level is; we don’t gunfight to shoot someone, but to tuck him in, to dominate him and then make a move, or to get more information to
project k
improve your position. This notion of getting information is
important at every moment: - Before the game, you must look at
the players, basically to see what they’re doing.
- Before the points, you must look at which players are on the field, and look at the placement on the start base.
- During the points, you try to have the most complete report of the situation to
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make the best decision. It seems that the less information you
have, the more you have to rely on your technics and tactics to win a game, so you risk shots from moving or gun fighting. When you have all the information you need, you can stop your gun fighting, instead of betting in a luck game for the next gun fight.
I cannot emphasise enough how you should play with your head instead of your marker. Take the example of the best players in the world in other sports and you will see that all of them need
information to play:- Messi is not looking at his feet when
he is dribbling; his opponents are. - Federer looks at where his opponent
is, before he shoots the ball, he’s not looking for the killer shot but for the perfect technical shot to be directed to the worst place for the opponent.
- In the champion’s league finale, Zidane looked at where the goal keeper was, before he framed him with his famous kick.
Let’s work hard and pay close attention to our opponents! •
project k
OTHER TIPS:Project K – Axel GaudinFacebook – Axel Gaudin
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48 interview
Talking with Bear is like taking three energy drinks one after the other. A very small question is always the subject to have a great time with him. Please meet Mr. World Wide.Text: André Garrido
Bear D’Egidio
«I’m perfect for paintball.»
49interview
GRIP: In your Millennium profile, your nationality and name are clearly Italian, but you were born in the USA. Where does the connection come from?Bear D’Egidio: My family was born in Italy and around… (Stop to think) not sure what year, they came to America; My dad
was born in the US. I’m trying to get the Italian National citizenship, so I can try the National team. I want to Help Italy a little bit, because I go to Italy a lot for the events. I’m 100% Italian, my mom is from Sicily. We eat pasta and pizza on Sundays.
GRIP: You father is one of the biggest names of the paintball industry in the world. How did this influence you to become a paintball player?Bear D’Egidio: Since I was little, my dad has taken me to the fields. I grew up playing at SC Village, with all the biggest pro teams: the old school Iron Man, the old school Aftershock, the old school Avalanche. I was real little when Chris Lasoya was just getting started, you know? So I’ve been around the game my whole life; I´ve always known all the players, I’ve seen different players come and go and I just have been brought up in paintball. In the last couple of years, I’ve helped to run the parks, through marketing or events and we own Giantz Sports. We do a lot for paintball. It’s because of all this I’ve just said that I’ve always been connected to paintball. I did a little bit of wrestling, some MMA, but my focus has always been paintball, since I was little. So now I travel around the World to play paintball.
GRIP: You’re probably the player who’s started playing the youngest, with only eight years old. How does a boy of such young age start playing this game?Bear D’Egidio: At eight years old, I
Bear D’Egidio
«I’m perfect for paintball.»
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actually played on the Bob Long 1on1 Championship at SC Village. It was 1999 and I played with guys like Oliver (Lang), David Williamson, Billy Ceranski, Bob Long… some of the biggest names that have ever played the game, and I was like eight. Didn’t win one game but it was really funny. From then on I always stayed
in paintball; I played every weekend and because I was younger and played with more teams, I started travelling more throughout the World. Now I play during the week, because I work on a paintball
park. So I get to teach little kids and I get to do the clinics. On
weekends, I always have practice or I travel around the World playing.
GRIP: Currently you play with Philadelphia Energy, a young and promising team. However the results haven´t been the best. What is happening?Bear: Basically it is a team comprised of a guy from Dynasty, Ian Trainer, I played in some of the best teams in the World, Russian Legion, Dynasty, Entourage. From that we took two kids from Dynasty and we put this team together and it has very young talents. I’m probably the oldest guy on the team, maybe there is one guy older than me… I’m 22, I’m still young and there is one guy with 24, he is the oldest. We know how to play good paintball, but as a team, putting it together in the field can be frustrating sometimes. Or maybe sometimes it doesn’t click because we lack experience in pro level, but we do have a great team. At practices we always do well. I mean we have a lot, a lot of great talent. If we stay together, we could be one of the best teams in the World. There’s no doubt in my mind. But it’s going to take time of playing together as a unit. At NPPL, we always come down to 2:1, 3:2, games are very tight, but it’s the
interview
«I’m 100% Italian. I eat
pasta and pizza on Sundays.»
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extra experience that wins those games and that’s what we were missing. But we are clicking and by the end of the year, I hope to be top4 with these kids.
GRIP: You are playing in Europe too. How did this chance appear?Bear: I started playing in Europe two years ago. I jumped into the Italian Idols last year for the CPS; we were top3 every event and we won the series. I started playing Millennium with them too. On the last event we were fifth, and on the event before the same. I go to Italy once a month and I do a clinic, or play with the
Italians and from there I transfer it over to playing the CPS, playing the Italian Paintball Championship. I try to play in as many European events as I can and I try to always play them with Italian Idols, because it’s my team in Europe.
GRIP: You play Millennium and CPS, the most important European circuits. Besides the huge structure of Millennium, what differences do you find between them?Bear: The Millennium has a bigger structure that enables teams to practice there and that allows for all the
« I was eight and played with guys like Oliver, David Williamson, Billy
Ceranski, Bob Long… Didn’t win one game it but was real fun.»
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talented to go over. Millennium has a great ranking system, ID system, and the referees. It’s just a division above CPS. They do have everything CPS does and CPS kind of does everything Millennium does, but Millennium does it better, because they have been around for so long. So they have a little bit more experience in putting a bigger event together. There are more vendors and more media.
GRIP: You play with Italian Idols and you are the major responsible for the
interview
«We could be one of the best teamsin the World. Not a doubt in my mind.»
excellent results of this team. What do you try to teach when you play with them?Bear: The biggest thing with Italian Idols is experience. At the end of the game, they don’t have what it takes to close a two on two. So my job on this team and the reason why I think I play such a big role is I stay alive. , I don’t care if I’m in the fifty dorito, the fifty snake or the back center. I need to stay alive in every point; I need to do the talking; then we have great kids on the team, like Andrea,
53interview
or Enrico; these kids play really good paintball, but they need guidance. They are learning and now they are starting to do on their own. So my role on this team is to stay alive and be kind of the voice on the team. Keep the team moving forward and putting the game plans together for them. So the best thing I can teach them, while I’m out there is: «You guys have to talk, you have got to communicate and, as a team, you need to work together to close the game. Don’t try to be a superstar, because teams win tournaments, not superstars.»
GRIP: How is you training and practice schedule with this team?Bear: I come to Italy probably once a month to play with Italian Idols. I usually teach a clinic in Italy or in Europe. So we practice, then we play in the morning and at night at the All Star Paintball Park, in Padova. From there on we try to focus on drills. I like to fine tune the players; we set up the layout and try to go over it. We teach them the layout and focus on what we want to accomplish, what we’re going to work on, what side we want to push. That’s what I like to do, when I come to Italy and I come to Italy a lot. The parties are fun, the girls are great, paintball is even better.
GRIP: Why do you play with a Div.2 team and not with a SPL or CPL team?Bear: I have been playing pro my whole life and whether is on a top rank team, a middle or bottom rank team I always
«Millennium is a division above CPS. Millennium
does it much better, because they have been
around for so long.»
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tried to play pro. I have been playing pro since I was little. I was playing «Ten Man Pro» at 14 years old, most people doesn’t even know what that is today. Now I feel that I’m a paintball ambassador to the World, I run paintball parks. I kind of
understand where the industry is going, so I like to take myself out of that position of playing in a pro team and I want to actually help building paintball around the world. That has been my focus for these last two years. Yes, I can go and jump on a CPL team but that’s not my focus. My focus is going to these countries, to help these kids’ growth, playing on these teams, building up these countries… In Italy, they started with one park and now they have like 50. We are building the talent, we come here and we do it well so that makes Italian paintball look professional. Now they go to events and people fear them, people think they are good paintball players. So we help to develop paintball worldwide. That’s the focus!
GRIP: For you, what are the major differences between the European and American events?Bear: American events are a little bit more intense. When I say intense, I mean in Europe I feel everybody is always having fun, the events are everybody coming together to play paintball. The Millennium Series is a great series, they do a great job in putting on a great event. I think PSP and NPPL do it better, the rivalries between teams makes it more intense. There is more camaraderie in and out of the field, but there is more competition, because in the US we all know each other. I’m out with these guys every weekend. We party from Monday to Friday, we are on the gym Monday to
interview
«I was playing «Ten Man Pro»
at 14 years old; most people
don’t even know what that is
today.»
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«In Italy parties are fun, girls are great, paintball is even better.»
Friday and on the weekend we play. So when we go to a tournament, there is nothing different except they are staying in a different hotel room. So my job is to make sure we go out there and we win, because I don’t want to go home and spend the next two months listening to him picking on me because they beat me! So the intensity is a lot different and competition level is a lot different too. These teams are money driven, there are big people funding these teams and they want to see them winning. It is a little bit more a professional sport in US. In Europe they do a great job in bringing out great teams and having a lot of teams, but maybe they are not that driven by
«Hey we are a pro team, we are being paid to play. We need to win, we need to go to the gym». I think these are the differences.
GRIP: You are a stout guy, known for spending a lot of time in the gym. Do you think that nowadays it’s possible for a pro player to play at his top without being physically prepared?Bear: I don’t! If you want to be a professional paintball player, if you want to take your game to the next level, to go out there and be able to play 20 points in a row, and to be able to win, and to run as fast as you can, then you have to go to the gym. You have to get stamina; you
interview
56
have to treat it like a professional sport. I think next year, the guys that are a little bit bigger, out of shape, that don’t focus too much on the gym, they won’t be able to compete at the same level, because paintball is turning into a professional sport, like football or baseball. You need to fine tune your body, you have to be ready, and you have to eat properly. Going to an event and ordering McDonalds for dinner is something from the past. You need to pack your own food or eat healthy, because you are going to need that energy. It’s all about getting the atmosphere of the gym. The gym plays a huge part in paintball!
GRIP: Don’t you think you are too big for paintball?
Bear: No! I think I’m perfect for paintball. I’m big enough, so if I’m in an airport by myself, I can take three or four people down. I don’t worry much about nothing when I travel. I’m Mr. World Wide, baby! Wooooow (laughs)
GRIP: Will we see you in Europe next year?Bear: I already told Italian Idols that if they come to Millennium, I will play with them again. Hopefully we will win a Div.1 spot and I will help them moving all the way up. If not, I have been offered some CPL and SPL teams to come play with already next year. Either way I have options, but I’m always looking around. I don’t really do this for the money; I do this because I love the sport. •
«I don’t want go home and listen for two months how they just beat me.»
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Photos: RSH Media Design: Handy Tims
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IPBSGood infrastructures and some good teams created
one of the newest paintball tournaments. Italy is definitely growing in terms of paintball.
Text: Juan Nevado Photos: Tommaso Meneghin
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We have to say that in Italy paintball is already a respected sport for more than a year. A country with 60 million people, almost like France, but having half the territory, nice weather and good structures is called to be one of the main «actors» of paintball in Europe.
A group of distributors decided to create an organization, the IPBS, which is able to offer support to the Italian paintball federation by organizing the events of the National League. They offer experience, excellent media coverage and anything the players need.
IPBS was born to support the league
with the nicest fields in Italy. They organised four events: 7th April in Rome, 19th May in Milan, 23rd June in Padova and the next one will be on the 8th September in Naples.
The last event took place at the Bloom Padova All Stars paintball field. The field was located in a summer village with pizzeria, restaurant, swimming pool and nightclub.
That location allowed for the event to have spectators not related to the paintball or its players, who were surprised about this new sport and shocked by the reality of it having an
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Italian league in front of their eyes.On Saturday night, the players were
enjoying a nice pizza all together and suddenly there was a girls’ wet t-shirt contest!
The two division games started early in the morning, with no clouds in the horizon and a nice swimming pool as a background. Also the teams had a nice chill out white tent as the players’ area.
The day started with seven teams in the first division – Serie A – and six in the second division – Serie B –, two teams announced two days before the event they were not going to be able to attend.
The teams missing were the Black Sharks - Torino, ranked 4th overall and the
Polybus Effect - Rome.The Black Sharks were having a great
season, with a new DYE sponsorship and they included one Spanish player, Francisco Rios and a Venezuelan experienced old fox – Derwin Casado in their rooster. These two players were
providing consistency to the way of the team and, at the same time, they improved the level of the players by teaching them. That is because the owner of Black Sharks, Luis, is involved in making paintball growing in his area, being also
The field was located in a summer village with pizzeria, restaurant,
swimming pool and nightclub.
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a member of the federation.In Padova after a few games, the
organization decided to change to two groups in each division, having then a final for the first place. That decision was made after some teams realized the expenses were going to be very high and they were going to run out of paint.
In fact, Scorpions Milano´s second team, placed third in the classification after two events, decided to leave the tournament, as they ran out of paint. The organization, along with the other brands’ distributor, offered them various possibilities of using other paint brands, but they rejected and finally they left.
That decision will make the team throw away any possibility of winning the championship and probably they will not go to the final event in Naples, which is the furthest from their city.
In division two the same happened with the second team of Scorpions; they weren´t placed very well in the ranking and they still have a lot to learn.
After the second event in Milano, there was a discussion between the IPBS and the Italian Federation, that resulted in a separation between both organizations.
The direct effect of that was the EuroRefs’ organization was no longer involved in the tournament as before. They were supporting IPBS as a member of the federation and from this moment on, they did not send any of their experienced marshals to the tournament as head ref, like they did before.
However, we have to say the referees did a great job headed by the Italian Head Marshall Alessandra Berretta and a team of Croatian refs who carried out an active and smart reffing under a hard sun. They even took the time to explain and teach the teams of division two.
The second division, Serie B, started with a very nice match because of the rivalry between Extreme Neapolis 2 and Scorpions Kids. The latter were not able to dominate the game, losing the game by 3:0 for the Neapolis boys. In this second division, there were two teams showing a great level of playing and they are for sure the revelation of the tournament: Riddlers Padova and Alchemists. This last team was
hit hard by the first team’s rooster, which were more experienced. After, Hallucinate was able to win over Oblivion, a new team in the league.
After the launch break, again, due to the lack of organization of the Scorpions, their second team announced they were leaving the tournament because they had finished the paint.
The finals started after the break and Extreme 2 won against Oblivion and Hallucinate Grosseto won against Alchemist. Riddlers were in the finals as the Scorpions Kids.
Even if Hallucinate are a strong team, they lost their game and finished 4th. The final was between Extreme Neapolis 2,
• Referees did a great job, led by the Italian Euro Ref Alessandra Berretta.
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that were dominating the games, and the Riddlers. The 3:0 victory of the Extreme boys confirmed them as the strongest team of the day and of the general classification although there was still one event to come. They were on the top of the podium for the second time. This shows that after their poor results in the Milano´s event, they have been traing
hard to improve and to be more complete as a team.
For the last event, in Napoles, home of the IPBS president Paolo Russo, the organization is getting a venue all Europe should have an eye on: a chill-out resort in the beach, with two swimming pools, restaurant, disco.
A great end of the season! •
Next event will be held in Neapolis.
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GRIP: You started playing paintball in New York. How were times when you were at that little paintball shop next to your place?Nicky Cuba: I was ten years old when I started playing but I hang out in the shop probably from eight years old. It was just fun, it caught my attention. I just wanted to be around the sport because my older brother had actually started playing and kids around the neighbourhood too so it interested me. It was just a different kind of sport. Running with our gun, shooting people, having fun but not killing people, we are just playing a big game attack.
GRIP: Do you think that shop got some kids out of the street, far from bad
interview
« I went there to win.We want to be number one!»
Nicky Cubacompanies and bad ways?NC: 100%. It definitely kept me out of trouble. I surrounded myself with good people in the sport. I met so many good people that have enlightened me and showed me the world. I have been on fifteen different countries and it has just
Text: André Garrido
Hours before Infamous’ conquest of the first title of Millennium, we talked with Nicky Cuba, famous by his fierce, beard and by his «big mouth». Get the chance to know everything about one of the legends of our sport.
81interview
« I went there to win.We want to be number one!»
Nicky Cubabeen a life turning experience.
GRIP: You are now 32. More than 20 years have passed. How much more time do you think you will continue as a pro player?NC: I haven’t really given that much
thought to it. Time and life will tell. I have a family now so that’s my priority but I love the sport more than anything. I think I can play at least ten or twelve years more but will I? I don’t know but I will be involved with the sport one way or another.
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GRIP: Is being a professional player your only profession?NC: Well, I work for Kee Action Sports. I’m one of the guys who represents JT Splat Master, our new product. We built and geared it towards bringing in the younger generation, because our sport is not like any other sport. It’s very intimidating to moms, dads and kids. If they come out and play at our level – where a ball can reach 300 feet per second – and they get bunkered or shoot real close, they might never play the game again. But now we have made this product – JT Splat Master –; it’s geared towards the kids having fun, having the experience of paintball and
really just loving it like I do.GRIP: What obligations do you have with the brands that sponsor you?NC: Every brand that has ever sponsored
me, I only represent them because they take care of me. Right now, Empire, Kee
Action and JT Splat Master: they have been the best companies taking care
of me. They are the top; they are great for the players, for building
the sport and really geared towards bringing the sport out
in the world. Se we can be recognized as a real sport
rather than just a novelty.
GRIP: You talked about your family. You are married and have a
beautiful daughter. How do you
manage to spend so many weekends away from the family?NC: It’s hard! Very hard! I miss them more than anything, but luckily enough
on this day and age we have Skype and Facetime, so I’m still able to talk and see them. That really helps me to deal with being away from them for so long because I love them so much. It’s definitely hard being away because we have practices and tournaments, then we have events for JT Splat Master or I have clinics… I was
interview
«I’m from New York, what do you expect?»
83
gone every weekend from January to the end of May. Then I had one weekend off in May. June started up with practices for Chicago, then I went to Chicago and now I’m here. It’s non-stop!
GRIP: Some time ago you posted a picture of your daughter, when she was very little, with a JT Splat Master in her hands. Would you like if she became a paintball player?NC: She doesn’t necessarily have to be a paintball player but if she wants to shoot the guns and have fun because she knows that is what I love, that’s cool! But if she wants to try it out and become someone
in the sport, she can. She has many opportunities coming towards her and she can do whatever she wants. Whatever makes her happy!GRIP: Matt Marshall said that you are as quick with your mouth as you are with your moves. What do you say about this?
NC: (Laughs a lot) He is one of my best friends. I’m from New York, what do you expect? (Laughs)
GRIP: Even yesterday you were picking
«Vanquish is the Rolls Royce, the top dog.»
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on Marcello Margott from Nexus all the time…NC: He is like my little brother. I have been playing with him since he is 15 years old. I play with him and against him now. That is just me and him. If he shoots me, he will slag me and he doesn’t do that with many people, though most people would avenge themselves given the chance. (Laughs)
GRIP: In many videos and interviews your love for the little kids in the clinics is visible and, at the same time, you are connected with some social causes, like fundraising for the victims of Sandy Hurricane. This attitude is not very common in paintball players. What drives you to be involved in these causes?NC: It was something that happened. It was a natural disaster in my neighbourhood, right around the corner. Lots of people were affected in Long Island, where I’m from. Lots of people from New York, New Jersey and a little up the coast in Connecticut. I just felt if I had the opportunity to help out and give back, I should do that. I shouldn’t just be thinking about myself, I had to think about other people. I need to think of ways to use my name, what I get in the sport. And that was one of the ways. Just keep on doing stuff like that because you got to be a good person.
GRIP: Some years ago you said
players should go to schools to share experiences with the kids, to promote the sport and seek for younger players. Have you done this already?NC: I tried to go to my High School and Junior High and stuff where I grew up… and it’s definitely very hard to break the barrier, because all they see is a gun to what we call a paintball marker. It’s a tough avenue to break but we are slowly breaking that. We are playing in colleges now and hopefully we will tear down into High School and maybe even in Junior High, because we designed the JT Splat Master now. It won’t be as
intimidating when they see a plastic piece of equipment, rather than a metal piece looking like a gun. It’s up to the players to really let everyone know about it and bring the knowledge and safety is first, that’s what everyone has to realize. We are safe when we are here. We have goggles on, we use the barrel condoms and stuff like that and when we are out, people do get black and blues but every sport does that.
GRIP: Going back to the past: You were one of the players on the first X-Ball game ever made. How do you remember that day?NC: I believe that was one of my greatest achievements, because that was for team USA. I was surrounded by all the people
«We have been promised tons of money and we haven’t received any.»
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I look up to. Bob Long was the coach and he hand-picked the team, so to be chosen by him was an honour and to be playing alongside John Richardson, Chris Lasoya, one of my best friends Oliver Lang, Alex Fraige, Rich Telford, my buddy Mooner… a lot of people don’t know who he is but he
is one of the best players ever. It was just awesome to be surrounded by all these great people.
GRIP: Did It occur to you that that would be the day to change the sport?NC: I have seen it! I was praying and
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hoping that it would! Hoping that it was the thing that catapulted us into ESPN, to be televised and welcomed around the world. In many countries, it is very hard to go and teach and even bring the sport up because there are so many laws that are against it. It is something that we are still working on, but we have been on ESPN many times. , we are still televised now for the National College Paintball Championship, on national TV. We are being more and more recognized and we just need to keep unplugging away and keep on showing people what the sport is and how much everyone cares about it, so we get people who never played it to try it and realize that it is such a great sport.
GRIP: You got to be known by your fierce in Ground Zero. After some time, you moved to AfterShock, a team that had your style of play, but things didn’t run very well. What happened?NC: I was with them for a season. It was the first year of X-Ball. It was a great team, I was surrounded by, once again, awesome players like Todd Adamson, who was one of the greatest back players ever and Billy Ceransky, one of the greatest mid players ever. We also had Mike Bruno and Richie Maliszewesk who made run-throughs what they are. I was playing with some of the best guys in the World and things didn’t pan out. We had to call it quit and move on.
GRIP: Then you went to XSV. Have you ever thought that XSV would become
that big?NC: When I was deciding what to do, when I was moving out to California, I sat out with Matty Marshall and we had a conversation on what I should do. He was on his path of organizing a new team with Rich Telford, Thomas Taylor, Neil Eberlie, but right before that I had told Matty that I was going play with Dynasty. He was like: «Do you want to go the best team or do you want to beat the best team?». I love taking someone down. They are all my good friends on that team, but it was definitely a though road we battled
through, to get where we did. We became one of the hottest teams out there. We were finally winning tournaments, after a rough first season. The first tournament was like a 16th place, a horrible show. And then we slowly started to get in the semi and the finals and then we were in second place, second place… (pauses) second place. It was constant. Just being the bride’s maid for Dynasty, sort of speak. We kept on training harder, we got personal trainers, and we put in extra time during the week. On the weekends we went up to Richie’s field and grinded all day, Saturday and Sunday. And when I got home I would go to local fields in San Diego, with some people or by myself and run drills. Just go out there and play
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and try to perfect my craft so I can be top player in the World.
GRIP: XSV became huge media craziness everywhere. Did you ever think that would be possible?NC: In my idea that’s why I went there! I went there to win. I went there to take the long line of victories from Dynasty. We wanted to be number one. Everyone on that team wanted to be the most talked about team and be the best players. So, yeah, I was expecting that!
GRIP: Out of the blue, all of you became Worldwide famous. How did you manage this exposure?NC: I mean… It’s awesome! I just want to thank everyone who made it possible: my mom, my family, my fiancé and daughter that support me. (Start mumbling) It’s just like, I can’t believe it! It doesn’t mean anything if you don’t do anything with it. That’s why I try to teach kids and try to bring up kids and build the sport, because without the sport I wouldn’t be where I am.
GRIP: On your last year in XSV, the team had some money issues and you jumped to Ironmen. At that time, you justified yourself a lot, that you had to take care of your family and of yourself. Do you think people don’t see it in a good way when a player changes because of money?NC: Yeah because people are ignorant. People don’t think about the great
scheme of things. They just think that they love that team or that player and he should play on that team forever because they love that team. They don’t realize
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the back story; don’t realize that we have lives outside of it. We want to be something; we want to have a family, a house and a car and do cool things like
take vacations and stuff like that. XSV wasn’t working out, he had been promised tons of money we didn’t get. At that time my mom was getting sick, she needed help; I have to do what is best for my family.
GRIP: In Ironmen you played with Oliver Lang, one of your best friends, and a bunch of legendary players. Was it easy to manage all the egos?NC: Yeah because we all shared a common goal, we wanted to win, we wanted to take people down. That’s another thing, when I was making the decision of going to Ironmen, once again I thought about going to Dynasty. Then Oliver and Mr U call me up and we had a talk and I met with David Youngblood. It was the right fit, at the right time and they had the right direction. They had the right backing from Dave; he was all about the team, like he always is. He actually purchased a ranch and put a field on it, so we were practicing non-stop. We had a lot of young players, Brandon Short, Marcello Margott, Alex Goldman and then Mr. U, Paxson, Oliver. We won our first event in our first event, we won it! I made the right decision and this team is going to be a force to be reckoned with.
GRIP: It seems that you had plenty of opportunities to go to Dynasty. At the same time, it appears to be the only team lacking in you curriculum. Do you think it’s possible we’ll see you in Dynasty in the future?
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NC: Right now I’m thinking on building Infamous up. I have a bunch of hungry young players that are in their twenty and mid twenty and they are focused, putting in the time and the effort. That’s what I’m doing, putting in the time and effort with them and I want to bring the best out of them.
GRIP: Why did you change from Ironmen to Infamous?NC: It was a great thing with Ironmen. Dave Youngblood was very good to me,
took care of me and once again it was a time of recession around the world. Everybody was getting hit and things didn’t work out.
GRIP: From your point of view how have been these years with Infamous?NC: Crazy! (Laughs) We have been through a bunch of different players on this team, we have gone through the roster every year with new players and every year there were the same core players like myself, Travis, Bobby, Kevin Rudolph and from there it was pretty much it. Those are the guys, they have been around. I hope I’m not forgetting anyone, I’m sorry if I am. And we had a good coach –, Todd (Martinez) was coaching us. It’s the same thing, hungry individuals who want to win. We have been fully supported by our sponsors, like Empire, Evil paint; they have been backing up and promoting us to the fullest. We got such a good talented group of individuals and I’m very
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excited to see what we can do this year.
GRIP: At the same time, it seems there is always a little step missing to be the number one team. What is missing?NC: Mental focus. This season we had the win in a bag in the semi-finals against Dynasty and we let them come back on, with a minute and twenty seconds and score three points. I still think that some people run around with hits. It is what it is. But we still have the drive and the passion to keep on playing and you can see it when you go out there. We just need that little hick up to not take the weaker teams lightly. We have to stop going in there confident, thinking we are going to smash them and then end up losing those games. And then we go against Damage or Ironmen and we beat them. That’s just on us!
GRIP: Infamous has changed from LA to Chicago. How does this affect life on the team?NC: The change was for the better because all our core new guys: Damian Ryan, Drew Templeton, Chris Sosine, Brad Mc Curley, Zack Patient- all these players live there and Travis (Lemanski) moved back to Detroit, it’s only a three hour drive. I was in New York and it was an hour and half flight, so it was the smart move, because we can go all grind right there at CPX Paintball. It was just how it worked out. Worked out good!
GRIP: One though question. Last year your good friend Todd Martinez…NC: Yes, a very good friend!
GRIP: He quitted Infamous as coach. Was he to blame for the bad results at that time?
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NC: No! It wasn’t about the results of our team. He wanted to fulfill the dream of improving his company – Raza – and, at the same, he got offered some stuff to go to Vicious. He did what was right for him. But that goes back to one of those questions that you asked me about, how people judge you.
GRIP: Socialpaintball.com says a bad and slow field helps the game of infamous. Do you agree?NC: Bad? They call it bad? Maybe they don’t know what they are talking about.
It’s just a field. Infamous style is fast and in-your-face. People think we only have one speed; we don’t, we have many speeds, we can adapt, we are like Chameleons. This team has such talent with Damian Ryan, Bobby Aviles and all the other guys… We can play a slow game, like Damage and sit there and just shoot lanes, but if we have the opportunity, we are coming to get you.
GRIP: Infamous quitted NPPL this year. What was the reason?NC: we just wanted to focus on PSP, winning X-Ball, and then we would be coming over to Millennium, so it was going to be a lot in our plate. NPPL isn’t what it was. It’s not the same and all the best players in the World play at PSP. They might say differently, but everyone who’s a real professional knows, and the
real guys, they know.
GRIP: In all ends of season there are rumours about NPPL ending or merging with PSP. What do you think about this?NC: Those rumours have been there for many years. They are just rumours. PSP is just the best league out there!GRIP: How did the opportunity to come to Millennium appear?NC: We wanted to come out here and promote and show off our equipment. We all love the travel. Millennium is fun. I’ve been coming over here since I’m sixteen
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years old. It’s exciting, especially if you are a first timer and if you never travel outside the US to come to see the world. It just gave us the opportunity to show the kids on our team a different side of the World and different styles of paintball. Millennium always does a good job, always has exciting fans. It’s awesome!
GRIP: You talked about a different style of play. American teams usually have some difficulty to adapt to the European style. How has your adaption been? CN: Really? I don’t think there is much of a difference, because when we came
over when Millennium first started, we were just smashing teams down and they were not good at all (smiles). It would always be USA teams in the finals and semi-finals. It would be the four top USA teams winning it. That’s how it was for many years. Oliver, Mr U, David Williamson, myself, we travelled over
here and teach clinics. The Russians were teaching clinics and they were trying to adapt the US style, so I think the Europeans have taken our style rather than us taken theirs. We didn’t
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have to adapt to anything, Europeans adapted to us.
GRIP: And how about the reffings? Many American players complain that Eurorefs are very, very strict…NC: All refs are strict. A ref is a ref, a zebra is a zebra! They are going to make the calls, some people might not get the call they want. They are only human, people make
mistakes. Lots of people say it’s because they don’t like Americans or something like that. You got that everywhere and you got that in every sport. They got to make the call, either they make the right call or the wrong one, it’s still the call on the field. It might make you win or lose the
tournament, but you just got to deal with it.
GRIP: Why do you have Portuguese nationality on
your Millennium profile?NC: They messed it
up! (Laughs) I think that’s because I
played with Benfica from Portugal, back
in the day, with a bunch of friends of mine and with
Hugo and Tiago. They just had it on the records and they never
changed it.
GRIP: What differences do you find between the beginning of Millennium and nowadays?
NC: There are more teams, there are more
shows going on. They have the trailers, tents and trade
shows, like we do in the US. A lot of Europeans are very happy to see
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they lose, they are still there having fun and going crazy in the stands. They still want to meet us, because we are not over here all the time. It’s fun, I love it over here!
GRIP: You have been in most of the best teams in the World. If you had to choose only one, which would it be?NC: That’s a tough question! (Laughs) My favourite team that I have played on? I still have to go back… There are so many good things about all my teams, everyone has a special place in my heart. I can´t really say which team I would have played if I could turn back
time. It will be all of them. (Laughs)
GRIP: And if you have to choose one moment in your career?NC: Wooww! It has to be the first World Cup and the Championship with Ironmen, winning it two years in a row. That is
just too sweet! That was one of the best moments, because the world cup has so many teams, everyone wants to win it and so many players have played for so many years and have never won one of them. To win a World Cup and a Championship in
«The paintball store next to my house kept me out of trouble.»
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the same day, that was awesome!
GRIP: How do you see the biggest taboo of paintball, that is wiping a shoot?NC: What is so taboo about it? (Laughs) That’s like in every other sport; there is this little thing you do in every sport. In soccer, in what you call football, people get away with tripping. In American football, people get away with holding. That is why we have refs. People play the grey line and if you get caught, you cheated. If you didn’t, it was not a hit! (Laughs)
GRIP: In Infamous you play with the new Vanquish. Without the usual
sponsored player speech, what do you think about this new
marker?NC: Everyone is going to think it is the
usual speech. It’s the best gun on the market. I’ve used all guns, played for all the companies. It’s the Rolls Royce. It’s the top dog. We have taken the gun to another level.
GRIP: Some years ago, in Ironmen, you were injured. What were your thoughts in that particular moment that you were injured? NC: Hoooo! The worst thoughts… You immediately think if you will be able to play at the level you were. Are you going to play again? Luckily enough, I just ripped and torned all the ligaments and tendons of my ankle. With the right doctors and the right mind set, training and waiting to
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get back on top and putting the time on the gym, it was all it took. To be focused on wanting to be the best. GRIP: You have a paintball school – Nuskool. How is the project going?NC: Yeah! The Nuskool Paintball Academy. It’s going well and it’s me going around and teaching clinics. I get kids from any age to adults of any age. We´ve started a long time ago, I was probably 21 years old, with Oliver, Mr. U, travelling around teaching clinics. It is awesome. I love teaching people the sport. I love giving them the knowledge that I have acquired over so many years of playing this great sport. It’s very fulfilling to be able to teach someone
who comes to your clinic; they don’t know anything or maybe they know, but they are doing it totally the wrong way. Then you get them doing it the right way, by the end of the clinic and they have adapted to your style and they have taken everything you taught them and they put it to use.
It’s another great moment, every time!
GRIP: Is your beard a matter of branding?NC: (Laughs) No! Ever since I was little, I just wanted a beard (Laughs). I like it. I was finally able to grow it. •
«If the kids get bunkered, they might never play the game again.»
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In May, we decide to visit the longest game in Europe. GRIP tells you all about it.
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The EuroBigGame (EBG) is a very well-known event that takes place in the north of Germany for four consecutive days of paintball… for sure, the longest event in Europe!
It all started in 1996 in Bockange, France, with only a handful of players. After outgrowing Bockange and Veckring in France, the EuroBigGame moved to Mahlwinkel, in Germany, a small village a few kilometers north of Magdeburg. This former military site was turned into an adrenaline paradise with the end of the cold war.
The audience goes from the scenario players, recball and tournament players, with quite a number of female players. It takes place twice a year, on four consecutive days. During these eight days, the borderline that divides paintball into Airball and Woodsball does not exist. Here they all get along fine; they all play and party together! The result is a unique atmosphere, just like a massive open-air festival. There are more players there than at a Millennium Series event!
To achieve this, five people have to plan for three months, and 30 others have to prepare the site for three days. We have to thank them for setting up such a great venue. Here the players can touch, try and buy the newest paintball gadgets, get some food, German beer or listened to a band! This place is always buzzing with activity. There were also two screens showing on- and off-field action recorded during the event.
By Thursday morning, the crew had
grown to 150, including reff’s, security and many others. Everything was ready to go, the paintball action starts, the players have 32 hours of paintball ahead and games end around 9pm!!!
As for improvements, EBG changed the field a bit, including two new buildings, dug out new bunkers, set up new obstacles and the size has been increased to some 40 hectares! This results in a large variety of fields including forest, houses and bunkers, speedball areas and lots of sneaky places.
We cannot forget the roads, and the kings of the roads: two tanks regularly patrolled the site and often helped the weaker team. It’s a challenge trying to disable those tanks, when a player has to
jump to the back and shoot or press the hit plate that disables the vehicle. But life in such a tank is not easy either, when the windows get covered with a thick layer of paint and it’s hard to see anything out there.
The EuroBigGame is intense, on and off the field. There was a Sup’Air tournament free of charge, a scenario element called SEG in one of the buildings, and other attractions as live-bands or a strip show. There was a fundraising for a children’s hospice that collected over 6700 Euros in cash. Players willingly donated for sick children and made it once more one of the highlights of the nightlife in the EBG
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event. As is common in most events there
was a great atmosphere in the camping area, with the reunion of players from all over Europe. To keep the comfort high, there are showers and porcelain toilets frequently cleaned. There is also electricity available and many tents run their own fridge or coffee machine.
The EuroBigGame offered variety, size, quality and a proper organization. Even with a bit of rain, 1500 players from at least 12 countries were there. The next EuroBigGame will take place in September 5th-8th 2013 and the players can expect some serious action, as it will be as intense and big as it ever was! •
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Tippmann Challenge UK
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One change of scenario at the very last minute meant everything needed to be adjusted in record time to support a game with over 300 players. As usual, GRIP keeps you in the loop and lets you know all about it!
Text: André Faria
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The fourth and final edition of the Tippmann Challenge UK was played throughout three days, on the weekend of the 19th to 21st of July 2013 and it was organised by Shoreline.
The event was to be held at the Sennybridge Military Urban Training complex in South Wales, but a last minute cancellation by the M.O.D, – due to a major military exercise –, made the organization set up a new venue and games, two weeks before the date it was. A true nightmare that put the Shoreline staff to the test.
When buying the tickets, the players had to accept the venue is an active military training venue and so there was
a risk the event could be rescheduled or relocated in short notice.
Shoreline had consulted the Faction Leaders and team captains of major teams. The feedback was unanimous. They all preferred the event to be relocated and run on the same dates at a new
venue, as opposed to being rescheduled for Sennybridge. All team captains said their players would struggle to attend a re-arranged event, because they had
The score table was wild during the nine games held, in a total of ten hours of pure Paintball.
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already bought their plane tickets, booked ferries and had taken time off work that would be difficult to reschedule in short notice.
Therefore, the 2013 TCUK was relocated to the Holmbush Paintball Centre, an outstanding paintball facility and home of TCUK for the first two years. About 300 players from all over the world gathered there for 3 days of gun fighting and partying, in one of the most wanted euro games of the year.
The gathering of old and new friends started on Thursday, at the campsite located about 15 minutes from the game venue. There you could see the field divided in the eight faction areas, where
the players would live and party together. Flags and banners, barbecues and festivities gave colour to that previously dull space.
The games itself were diverse; the factions did not know who would they play with and against. There were several objectives scoring for the separate factions or the group of factions (four blue factions vs. four red factions). No tactical plans could be premade, the difference would be made in the field, depending on how the factions faced the many challenges.
The usage of pyro was widely appreciated by the players, either with smoke grenades or flashbangs,
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complemented sometimes by the own organization pyro effects. The war ambiance was setup, for the joy of the knights.
The eight factions were led by well known euro teams: Sons of the Lion Heard - Bad Moji (UK), The Holy Order of Ni - SPS (UK), The Knights Templar - Team UNIT (France), The Knights Hospitaller - KAOS Malta (Malta), The Teutonic Order - Team Tactics (Germany), The Reconquista Brotherhood – C.E.P. Paintugal (Portugal), Papal Thunder - Commonwealth Expeditionary Force (CEF - Global) and The Swords of Christ - Madball Legionaires (Holland).
Points were awarded by completing group or solo faction objectives, and the score table was wild during the nine games held, in a total of ten hours of pure Paintball. In the end game, a fabulous pyro show pushed the adrenaline to the peaks, and with faction solo objectives worth many more points than in the previous games, everyone gave their best!
The victory smiled to The Knights Hospitaller, after 3 very challenging days, in all aspects! •
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We were challenged to test the new Drom by someone who spends most of his time with a pair of runners, on the field – one of Millennium’s best referees.Text: Pedro Batista Photos: DROM
DROM
Before travelling to London for the Millennium Series’ third event, I saw on Facebook that my French friends were promoting new shoes, designed especially for paintball practice. When I arrived, I saw them live, since many players, particularly French, were already using them. But I also saw them on the feet of some players from the states, and I liked their aspect. So, I challenged GRIP’s director and the Drom’s representative: I wanted to use them during the weekend on the CPL field where I refereed. The challenge was accepted, even though the shoes were designed for players and not for referees, as they’ve got different requirements.
At first sight, Drom 1.0 look a bit plastic, due to the materials used, and they also look comfortable because of the wider
shape. When I put them on, I immediately felt that their format was ample; I was the same size number of my daily shoes, so the Drom were a bit loose – which won’t make a difference with sports socks players use. The comfort is outstanding, the spongy material and the insole/outsole set are remarkable; you can´t even feel the cleats’ support, as it happens in other brands´ shoes.
Regarding this outsole, it’s presented with small adherence cleats dispersed throughout the shoe, reinforced with ten screwed-on cleats.
Despite knowing that one should never use new shoes on a competition, much less christen them on a 12 hours day of refereeing, I took a chance. During the day, I confirmed their comfort and found them slightly warm, but nothing unusual,
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We were challenged to test the new Drom by someone who spends most of his time with a pair of runners, on the field – one of Millennium’s best referees.
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considering the high temperatures during the tournament. The important is that I got through the day without swollen feet or blisters.
Their adherence proved to be quite high; my feet never skid during those starts and stops so specific of our sport. At the end of the first day, I looked at the shoes and drew several conclusions:
• Cleaning: Very easy. With a damp cloth you can easily make them look as new.
• White laces: They’re very beautiful in the collection of the shoes’ colours, but after five minutes on the field, they get that grimy look that will not come off.
• Outsole: Haven’t lost any of the cleats, but lost the teeth in almost all of them, particularly in the heel zone. Took a lot of grass home.
This fact, regarding the sole, was mentioned to the brand’s representative right on Sunday morning. He noted the same had happened to everyone who has used them. The brand had foreseen this, as they already are in the process of manufacturing three more cleats types, in addition to the ones that come in the basic offer: ones in spike, ones similar to the football shoes, for natural grass; ones similar to the standard ones, but much
more durable, suitable for synthetic turf; and some covers to simply cover the screw hole, for those who don’t want to use additional cleats.
On Sunday, despite having fewer teeth to grip the ground, I didn´t feel any adherence problem.
Overall, the shoes appear to be the most well produced shoes in our sport. They effectively protect the foot, whilst being quite comfortable. Although the adherence is not a problem, the new cleats will bring bigger durability to the shoe. The price is high, a little above one hundred euros, the average for this type of shoe.
The bar has been raised in professional paintball footwear! •
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While some rushed to show off the novelty, we at GRIP waited, played, played and played until we finished this game. Greg Hastings remains the best paintball game ever!Text: André Garrido Photos: GRIP
GREG HASTINGS PAINTBALL
The name Greg Hastings is no longer indifferent to anyone. There are several products that come from the hands of this great player, but undoubtedly the product that has had more success and has done more for paintball at a world level is his videogames series dedicated to our sport.
After releasing several titles for consoles, this time in a stroke of genius, he decided to take advantage of the new features of mobile devices such as cellphones and tablets. I say it’s a stroke of genius, because increasingly more people are abandoning consoles in favour of these gadgets. Even though they lag behind in terms of processing and graphics, they offer the possibility of playing anywhere, from the bedroom to the bathroom, or when in a long waiting
line in the doctor’s office.I’ll be very sincere, so that you´re
warned. It’s difficult for someone like me, a self-confessed paintball addict, to make a complete unbiased analysis and to have the necessary distance to see if the theme is interesting for the majority of people who have downloaded this game. However GRIP is a paintball magazine, so how many of you are as addicted to this sport as I am or even more?
The game’s first advantage is that the download is free. And unlike many games, typical of these gadgets, there is no pressure or need to buy extra items to keep playing. Obviously if anyone wants to spend a few extra euros, they will progress faster and be able to seriously improve their game style.
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GREG HASTINGS PAINTBALL
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GREG HASTINGS PAINTBALL
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Fields of BattleFields of BattleGREG HASTINGS PAINTBALL
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Within the game there are two types of coins. The silver ones, the most used, intended to buy the entrances for the games; and the gold ones, that you can only get if you spend some precious euros. I can tell you I spent a little over 500 gold coins, about eight euros, only because I wanted to reach the top as quickly as possible, in order to write this review. The entire process of acquiring items, paying entrance to the game and purchasing balls can only be done with silver coins, with some exceptions. Basically, those who are patient and thrifty can play this game forever, without spending a single euro.
Regarding the gameplay, Greg Hastings Paintball – Fields of Battle is probably one of the best games I’ve ever played. I confess I was left in awe both with how we interact with the tablet, and with how the game reacts to our movements. I’m old school and for me there’s nothing better than having a good controller in my hands, without vibration, without any unnecessary buttons or touch screens. When I started to play, I felt a bit like an idiot twisting my body around in the living room, or tilting the tablet to be able to hit someone. I had a feeling
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that it wouldn’t be long before a 500€ expense would be flying out the window. What is certain is that at the end of the day, not only was I used to it, but I also felt the whole way of playing made sense. It’s even possible to imitate some movements we do in real life. On the bottom left side is the steering virtual stick, while on the right side, in an intelligent manner, we can zoom in with only a touch, launch grenades, or shoot. When we’re in stressful situations, the right side is a bit «short» for large hands, and there goes a grenade flying. But in normal situations, everything is very well thought out.
Also at gameplay level, sometimes there are obstacles so low we cannot visualize them and they lock our movements. It’s particularly annoying when we’re trying to flee to avoid being hit.
At graphic level, it couldn’t be a masterpiece of art, due to the platform for which the game was developed, but it is notable the concern for things to run smoothly without jumps or flaws.
The major innovation lies with the fact that this game is completely online. It’s an entrance requirement, disappointing some players who would love to be able
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to play anywhere, even without internet. However, fighting to stay at the top of the score board against players from the other side of the World is worth every moment we play. I consider it to be the game’s best attraction. It’s a shame the ranking is only by game instead of a real world leaderboard.
Another strong point of the game is the level of scenarios. They are real
scenarios, the majority of the fields in the United States of America, divided between competition and recreation. In these scenarios we play against bots, while many other players do the same. They aren’t all available at the same time and
once in a while new fields appear, or other field where the ball is offered. At the end, the best three players receive silver coins as a reward. Regarding the bots, they aren’t very bright, but that doesn’t mean victory is guaranteed or that it’s easy to eliminate them.
The Android version will come out in September, which will make the game reach new
heights, while promoting our sport.Ever since I installed this game on the
tablet, I haven’t played any other game. It can combine short plays that turn into an afternoon of digital paintball, with a lot of fun. Sometimes it feels as if we’re in a real paintball match, where we apply all we know on that small rectangle. It’s undoubtedly the game of the year for any paintball player, while showing everyone else why we love this sport so much. •
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1Bottle liner made of high quality stainless steel. Super safe!
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Russion Legion plays with MacDev Clone GTI but will that be synonymous of quality? It could be an important factor but the marker has enough quality to speak for itself. The brand has been around for some time and became famous for its air regulators. The next step was the creation of a line of markers that had even greater success.
Recently, the Clone GTI – an upgrade of the Clone – was launched.
The marker was well received and showed to be an excellent option, very smooth, precise and of easy use. Clone’s evolution follows the principles that «if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it» and all innovations introduced, although minimal, are well-thought and welcomed.
We rely on a multi-colour oled board; the same board that contains information helping us to better understand how to handle the marker and how to set it up.
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The championship, in terms of beauty, has already been won. But will this marker be wort hthe money? We have no doubts!
Text: Duarte Gomes Photos: MAXS
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We can also realise what the marker’s internal pressure level is, as it possesses a sensor allowing us to know if we have too much or too little pressure, so we no longer need the old pressure gauge. The board has a USB connector for future upgrades and will allow a Bluetooth module for wireless connection.
The bolt system had a slight improvement to have a smoother marker functioning and increased autonomy.
It’s something insignificant, but it’s still an improvement. The handle is more ergonomic and of a softer material, which is always welcomed in the improvement of comfort and manner of holding the marker. This has been a concern the brand has had from the beginning. It’s undoubtedly one of the most ergonomics markers we’ve felt. It adapts very well to our hands, no matter how we hold it.
The barrel is pretty good, quite
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precise and functional; technically it’s composed by two pieces, but some like to say it’s a three piece barrel, as the insert – in addition to being longer than normal –, screws in the back and the front. This detail albeit small is once again very important, because the ease to remove the barrel is greater and the gain of a few more centimetres allows for better precision.
All this excellent functioning has a cost, something brands have been trying to reduce. We talk about the quantity of o-rings used, as Clone GTI’s bolt system has maybe too many o-rings. It’s difficult, or even impossible, to achieve perfection
and there’s always a downside, but its excellent functioning makes up for this detail, although it doesn’t appear to affect the marker’s complexity. The bolt can easily be removed without tools – only a small pull of the cap and it seamlessly comes out. While in use, as it is under pressure, there’s no danger of it coming out.
Once again we can count on a marker of excellent quality and very well designed. It’s undoubtedly one of the most beautiful markers on the market, with several options available in terms of colours. Its functioning is quite accurate. Overall it’s a very well assembled machine. •
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PROS· Oled board with pressure gauge
· Barrel
CONS· Quantity of o-rings
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ANDY KENNEDYGeneral Manager
1 –My job is to bring all the equipment, set it up, run the tournament, clean it all, pack it up and take it on to the next event.
2 – The weather! The sun doesn’t bother us but the wind… Hooo dear, the wind causes a lot of
1 – What is your function?
2 – What are the main difficulties of your job?
3 – Tell us an amazing story that you have experienced in Millennium.
backstageWe were in Basildon and wanted to meet some of the people responsible for this event. We were received with warmth, professionalism and a little concern regarding the weather.
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problems. If we could get rid of the wind, we could have a much better time.
3 – Malaga, I think it was our second year there. We had a flush flood in the mountains, all the water came down. In one point, we had 52 meters of shore and within two hours we only had 25 meters. All the bunkers were floating away!
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WENDY AUTONTeams manager
1 – My role is to welcome the teams to the Millennium. They come to me to obtain schedules, draws and of course, regarding the new teams, I’m responsible for introducing them to the Millennium paintball… because it’s so exciting. And I love it, it´s the
best job in the Millennium and I have a wonderful team that makes it
easier for me.
2 – Hauuuhgff… The weather! Truthfully! It’s
always the weather.
3 – Oh my god! It was an event in Fuengirola,
when the weather was so bad and lightning
and thunder were coming down. The roof of tent of the
organizations lifted up; I know it doesn´t sound funny but all players
were coming to me, because Ulrich (at this point Wendy said: «Sorry Ulrich») was telling the players they had to go to the field and they were screaming and begging me: «There is lightning! He wants us to run around in the field with our guns, we are going to get killed! What are we going to do?». And I was like: «Go to the field!» (laughing)
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JEAN SEBASTIAN Series Manager
1 –I work on the setup and the functioning of the crew for the event.
2 – To work with the weather! It’s strange, but it’s hard to work and enjoy the job when it’s very hot or when it’s too cold or rainy. We need to manage the weather and the location every time. It’s not easy!
3 – It’s when you have to be on site at 6am with -3ºC and in the afternoon you have 25 degrees. It’s incredible to have this difference. You start the day with lots of clothes on and end it only in a shirt.
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THANKS
Guilherme PiresJoão Ramos
Pedro BatistaRicardo Catarino
Rui Pereira
Thank you!
/GripPaintball
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139www.maxs-sport.com
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Features:
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new Tool Set Vanadium Coated Steel
new Clone GTi OLeD Board
new Soft Touch wrap Around Grip
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