Wraping it up...

Final portion of guest blogger Steve Davidson - 68Caliber

68Caliber strives to maintain fairness. Two companies having a private squabble may be news - but is the situation helped any by informing the partisan players and having the web forums explode with pages and pages of hater-flame-war BS? Very often, I think not. I'd much rather print the story of how the two companies resolved their differences and are now moving forward, instead of printing stuff that might just complicate the matter.

Sticking to the above sense of balanced reporting is another reason why you might not see a story on 68Caliber. 68Caliber is duty-bound to get both sides of a story and that might not always be possible. We've been talking to person A (who is quite eager to get their slant on the story out in public), but we can't get person B to talk to us.

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Mass appeal and journalistic integrity

More from guest poster Steve Davidson - Editor of 68Caliber

I'm going to go off on an aside here, so please bear with me.

Not too long ago, there was a video rental store on nearly every main street in. It is now a well-known fact that the vast majority of those businesses made their profit not from renting Disney flicks or the latest action-adventure blockbuster, but from renting X-rated films out of the little room in the back - the one behind the curtain with the sign over it that said Adults Only.

This was a fact of the business and any independent video store that wasn't renting porn quickly found themselves out of business.

In some respects, paintball operates (or should operate) in a similar fashion. Those successful video stores did NOT put posters of Debbie Does Dallas or Jenna Jamison in their front windows.,They'd have been run out of town if they did (and probably prosecuted and jailed). What did they do? They put posters for Disney movies in their front windows.

Because Disney promotions are appealing, attractive and appropriate for the WIDEST possible audience. Dad can always come back later to visit the little room in the back. In the meantime, he can bring the kids in the front door.

What paintball should be doing is approaching the more intense, serious forms of play - the involvements with the game that require spending lots of money, committing lots of time - as our version of the X-Rated film. It's where we make most of our profit (sponsorship issues not-withstanding) - but it isn't the Disney poster that is going to get the family in the front door. (Dad can always come back later.) Family play, rec play, slower versions of the game, less shooting versions of the game are our equivalent of Disney movies.

Put bluntly (I'm supposedly famous for my bluntness): you will get more business if your customer's kids didn't spend all that much money and didn't come home covered with welts and complaining about being out-gunned from their first outing. If the first words out of your new customer's mouths are not "I had a great time!" you are doing something wrong. And maybe, just maybe, what you are doing wrong is making them play against tournament-wannabe paint slingers toting twelve hundred dollar guns and two thousand dollars worth of other necessary equipment. Who spend a hundred bucks or more on paint every outing. And who tell the newbies that if they want to really be a PLAYA, they are going to need to play every weekend, buy expensive gear and shoot lots of paint. Which just ain't so.

I'm almost done.

I can hear you: but there aren't enough players to make for a good game if the newbies don't play against the regulars. In most cases you're right. But saying that - even if you are correct - is not a solution. All you've done is state the problem. What you now need to do is shut up and figure out a solution. Maybe, just maybe, you can turn to your regular customers and explain to them that making sure the newbies have a good time is - the only way you can guarantee THEM good games in the future. (After all, these are the players that you give breaks to, cut deals with, the ones you spend money on.)

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Journalistic integrity and family values...

More from guest poster Steve Davidson - Editor of 68Caliber

When I first came on board with 68Caliber there were two things that I wanted to do: first, I wanted to make the company profitable through its advertising program. This was accomplished inside of my first year; the site went from 0 advertising revenue to a pretty decent amount. That has varied over the years depending on the industry climate, but the company has remained profitable over the years.

The second thing I wanted to do was to introduce strict guidelines for the type(s) of materials that the website published.

I didn't mention it earlier, but I have a degree in English Literature and spent quite a good number of years working on newspapers in high school and in college. In later years, I worked as an editor for Paintball News; I'd also written a large number of reviews (product and events) for the various magazines (Paintball Sports, PaintCheck, Paintball News, APG, Paintball, PGI).

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Benedicte Rønneberg and Team Poison Ivy

To continue with my series on The Girls of Paintball I scored a great interview with Benedicte Rønneberg, Captain of the all girl team, "Poison Ivy." Benedicte and her crew just returned to Norway after competing in The World Cup in Florida and was gracious enough to take time out from her busy schedule.

How did you all get started in paintball and how did you get together as a team?

August 2005 my brother asked me if I had some friends who wanted to help out at a tournament in Norway. We needed some extra cash and was more then willing to help out.

At the end of the weekend some of us were asked if we could step in on a team in 3rd division (which was the lowest division on this tournament) and my brother convinced us to do it. My brother had been playing for some time and was always nagging on me to try. After we played, Kim from SniperPaintball came over to us and asked all of us if we wanted to start a girl team. And we did, and here we are!

We started out with 11 girls practicing 3-4 times a week! Some girls fell off, maybe because they didn’t fall in love with the game like we did. We are four girls left from that original group (Silje, Linn, Pia and myself), during these four years we have had some other girls on the team that have either quit or gone to other teams. The youngest on Poison Ivy, Marit is the little sister of a friend of ours and Marie started playing for us at the Malaga event in 2009. And we will have some new girl’s on the team for the next season.

What's the best part about playing for Poison Ivy?

Well there is so much! But I love the fact that we have so much fun, no matter where we are in the world!

Do you have a home field? Tell us about it.

Our home field is at SniperPaintball. Both inside and outside. During the winter there is soooo much snow in Norway so we have to practice inside with reball. And in the summer we have this great place 45 min from where we live. It’s really great to have the possibility to practice all year. And SniperPaintball really helps us out with everything!

Where are some of the other places you and the team have played?

We play the Millennium Series in Europe so we have been around, England, France, Germany, Spain. And we play in different parts of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. This year we went to World Cup in Orlando, which was great! So we are really hoping to go back there next year.

Is there anything you might want to say to young women thinking about playing paintball?

Do it!! Yes, it hurts sometimes, but that’s nothing compared to how much fun it is! And a big plus is that we only play against boy’s/men and that is a good enough reason for me! Hehe..

I asked the last person I interviewed, "What should I ask the next person I interview?" Taylor Cormier asks, "You should ask your next interview victim if, when they got their start playing, if they were socially accepted, and/or supported by their friends and families. And if that effected playing progress."

Well, for Taylor’s question;

When we started playing we didn’t get a lot of support, not from our friends or families. I don’t think they believed us. They didn’t think that this was something that would last. I believe most of our friends thought it was a joke. My parents didn’t approve of it and they still don’t like that I play paintball. But I think that made us want it even more! And we practiced almost every day of the week to begin with. We wanted to prove to everyone that we could do this and that Poison Ivy was here to stay.

We got a lot of support from different people within the paintball community. And we had some great trainers, Christopher and Lars who have played for Drammen Solid and Oslo Menace and one amazing guy that really got us started with this, Mads. We love you! Thank you for making Poison Ivy possible.

What would you like me to ask the next person I interview?

I would like to ask this person, assuming this is a girl, what they feel is the biggest challenge about being a girl team in paintball, and how they deal with it ?

Thank you, Benedicte.  And hey, everyone needs to stop by Poison Ivy's Facebook page and check out the pictures of some of the great places this team has been.

*Eighteenth Law of Paintball

I'd rather see a THOUSAND LOUSY players with GOOD attitudes,
than see ONE GOOD player with a LOUSY attitude.

Be sure to share this Paintblog with a friend.

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The Girls of Paintball - Taylor Cormier

A while ago I started a series of blog interviews aimed at bringing more females into the great sport of paintball. I haven't done one in awhile but I'm sure you will agree, this one makes up for the long wait. Meet Taylor Cormier - a 21 year old sports medicine student from North Reading Massachusetts, and a paintball player.

What got you started playing?

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My 15 minutes of fame...

Everything you ever wanted to know about me! Check it out! And leave a comment. I dare you!!

Thanks, Reiner.

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The Girls of Paintball - Kelli

The Girls of Paintball have allot of good things to say about this male dominated sport. If you missed it you might want to go back and check out what Audrey Eckroth, Alicia Turner and the SCV Girls had to say. This time up it's Kelli, 22, who works and plays out at "Profesor Lumpys" in Ohio when she's not snow boarding in California.

How did you get involved in paintball?

A few friends took me to a local field for a birthday party, after that I was hooked!

Do you still play tournament ball?

Yes when I have the time and money. Its not easy going to college and playing paintball.

What position do you like to play?

I love the snake but I actually play where ever I'm needed.

I hear you do more than play paintball.

Actually I work at "Professor Lumpys" in Ohio. It's Blackcat Paintball's main field. We're always trying to get more people to our scenario games there. Blackcatpaintball. com, check it out if u wanna. We have a 5man scenario challenge coming up this year and will be adding more games to our events list with a different type of scenario format. It's kinda cool, I think it's posted up in our forums on the website.

Where is your favorite field (other than Lumpys)?

For x-ball its All American Paintball Park in Greensburgh Pa. For Scenario games it is Professor Lumpys in Smithfield Ohio.
Do you plan to play in any tournaments or scenarios this year?

I bring my Scenario Team to most of the Blackcat Paintball Scenarios in my area. The one I am most looking forward to is the 48hr game in Ohio this year. As for tournaments I will probably end up having to ref the ones at our local field.

Is there anything you might want to say to young women thinking about playing paintball?

There are always gonna be those males out there that think women should not play, but the amount of males that treat you as an equal should
out weight them. You can still be your girly self and be treated just as another player. My guys see me as just another team mate.

What question would you ask the next person I interview?

Do you think more women have joined the sport since you started playing and how has the field you play at changed with the number of women? Hope this is ok.

Better than ok, Kelli. Thanks.






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The Girls of Paintball - The SCV Girls...

Here is another in a series of interviews I've been doing with the "Ladies" of paintball. Awhile back I had Audrey Eckroth tell me about playing with the Femmes Fatale and before that it was Alicia Turner (London Notorious) from across the pond. Now it's a group of gals that call themselves the SCV Girls. The chat centered around what it was like working at one of the largest paintball fields in the world - SC Village.

The basic question first – How did you each get involved with SC Village?

Most of us got started at SCV because our friends worked there, we all knew someone working or playing there prior to our working there.

Describe some of the different jobs you are all involved in.

Our jobs include working the ticket booths selling admissions and rentals, pro-shop selling paintball products, the PA station where we make all of the calls for the players to get to the fields, and the rental building where we rent out our equipment.

What’s the best thing about working at SC Village?

Best thing about working at SC is the atmosphere, its positive and friendly, the customers are fun and so are the employees that work there, we try to have fun with our job.

What’s the toughest thing?

When its busy, as you know we reach large numbers of customers, and it can get pretty hectic around there getting everyone what they need.

Do any of you get a chance to play?

The ones that choose too definitely! lol We've all tried at least once.

What would you say to girls who might be thinking about playing paintball or working at a field?

Its a really fun sport, upbeat and energetic, I recommend getting started by playing the sport, you'll have a blast!

And what would you like me to ask the next person I interview?

Not sure, these were great, thanks!



So, playing or working. Come on out gals and give paintball a try!









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The Girls of Paintball - Alicia Turner of London Notorious...

Do girls play paintball? They sure do. And many of them play for some of the best teams in the world. Alicia Turner is a young 21 year old who lives across the pond and competes in the Millennium Series with the Division 1 team London Notorious (also known as the Notorious Kidz). This is the second in a series (The first can be seen here) covering The Girls of Paintball interviews.

Hi Alicia. The basic question first - How and when did you get started in paintball?

I started playing rec ball with my brother when I was about 17.

You live in the United Kingdom. Have you been to the states to play? If so is there a noticeable difference between players and style?

I've never played in the states, but we have allot of American players in the Millennium series. There is a difference in style of play, you guys play more aggressive but I think we're going to be up there with you this season.

Tell us about your team.

My team is called London Notorious, and we play in the SPL league of the Millennium Series, we practice at Dartford Sevens. www. d7s. co. uk.

What position do you play on the team?

Anywhere, usually T-bag side. (At this point I had to write back and ask Alicia what a T-Bag is. Anyone want to take a guess? Keep it clean!)

Do you get any time for rec ball?

Unfortunately, I don't really have time for it anymore because of practice.

What would you say to girls who might be thinking about playing paintball?

Uh, I'd say, just go for it, dive around, get dirty, get covered in bruises and cuts. It'll only make you a better player. Also, ask the boys for help. I think it's better to play the way a guy plays, you get more respect.

I always ask the last person I interview what they would like to ask the next person I interview. Audrey Eckroth of the Femmes Fatale asks, “Who did you get coaching from?”

Our owner, Dave, is also our coach. He gets us doing fitness and drills etc every weekend. If not Dave, then we have Nexus or Shock (CPL teams) helping us out at practices.
And what would you like me to ask the next person I interview?

How easy did they find it coming through the ranks of a male orientated sport?

Thank you Alicia.


Bunker'd!: Tournament Paintball Complete

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The Girls of Paintball - Audrey Eckroth

So, I'm asked from time to time why girls don't play paintball. And the answer is, "They do!" Here's a quick interview with Audrey Eckroth who plays for a team you might have heard of - The Femmes Fatale:

How did you get involved in paintball?

I started back in July 06. I didn’t know anything about paintball till my uncle told me a paintball field just open up in town. I went one weekend and I fell in love with it. Kept on going back every weekend then got a job there and was always there. It was like my second home.

I hear you might want to hit the pro ranks.

I’m hoping I will get there in 09 or 10. I’ve been trying so hard but its not easy to get pros to consider a girl. Its hard to get the guys respect till they play against you.

What’s the best part of playing for The Femmes Fatale?

The best is it’s a no drama team. I don’t like hanging out with girls at all but if you play paintball then you're good in my book. I love Dye (their sponsor) so it’s like the best team to be on. They work hard to choose the best girls in paintball to play with them. When I was new in 06 I heard about them, wanted to play with them for so long and now I am.

Now you have taken your paintball life one more step. Tell us about Paintball Babe Clothing.

I’m designing the website now and its gonna be in x3 mag so I’m pretty excited. Gonna expose in PSP Phoenix with some of my models. It’s gonna go well. I know for sure it will be the best.

Is there anything you might want to say to young women thinking about playing paintball?

They should try it and see if they like it. If they don’t then they wont stick to it. You have to love the sport to play it and succeed in it and stick with it.

What question would you ask the next person I interview?

Who did u get coaching from?




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