The SYposium.. the ramblings

[Big SY]

My thought on NZ paintball
We have reached a crossroad in NZ..It appears that having large National tournies ( teams from around nz attending) are a thing of the past ..
And we may have to visit the regional event to try and keep this going ..
Maybe having 1 tournie at the end of the year , for all teams to attend .
Now this is not a reflection of the sport as a whole , as Im aware that more people are entryn it and playin milsim , Rec ball etc , they just arnt entering the mainstream for whatever reasons ... maybe they dont know its on !!
I do not believe that a 3 man series will help , if anything it may cause long term damage .. maybe ( remember these are my thoughts)
When I started , Back when the Automag and cocker were King , NZ stepped up from 5 man , being played semi bush , speed ball to 7 man and supair , ok the timelines alittle off ..
We then dropped to 5 man .
There are series running thru out NZ , Auckland has 5 man hopper ball , which for a number of years had served its purpose of introducing players to 5 man and tournie style , Auckland also has Own gun day which varied in format from month to month .. initially introducing full XBALL to NZ , then 5 man now to 3 man ,sometimes 7-10 man bush
Wellington has the 5s as well .. sorry if I miss the other provinces ,im aware of 3s played here and there ie Hamilton and Hawkes Bay .
These all serve the purpose of introducing player to the Game .. (We arnt a sport .. Yet.) and giving the HArdcore a place to go and play every couple of weeks ..
What im gettin at (yes its takin awhile ) is why is the tournie side of things dying ? why is there a steady decline of people attending events .. Yes cost is a factor but is there a more underlying fact?
A few years ago a number of Capts got together and descused what as players we wanted at an event , well after a few teathing problems we have what we wanted , but still numbers are declining .
I do know there is a lot of pettyness in this game , with spitefully remakes flying all the time ( no Jarrod it is not aimed at you ..) teams folding , being rebuilt , new players coming in and then leaving
a small number of people try to keep them in the game, but people tire easily in this day and age ..
From all posts of read lately .. 'What format do you like" people are posting Xball because its for young people to run around etc , have a look next time when your playin and look at the age groups of people playin you might be surprised ..
I do believe the fun has dissapeared ,the excitment of tournies due to the lack of teams ..
But thats me and im recently married (hehe) I do lov this game and always will .
I suppose Im asking how to fix it ?

[Big SY]

Now to all you rec and bush ball players , I havnt forgotten about you , its quite funny is the majority of older ballers all started in the bush , in camos
Maybe we Tournie ballers take it to seriously , hell we spend the money on gear like we do (hehe)
Its intresting to see that in the U.s of A that big bush games are coming back into vogue , yes I know that big scenerio games have been played for years , I to use to get APG .
I mean bush tournies ,10 man 1 hour games time
Yes it was mentioned in other posts have a duel game, Herb does with his big game
Do some of the quiet posters that play there little games now and then ,Step up a little or do we step down and play with them ..???
Is there an issue between the players ? tournie , BUsh player ?
LOok im rambling . its been in my mind for a while and im killing time before the Warriors match ..
Peoples opinions are welcomed ..
Go the mighty Vodafone Warrieors
Only cause the knocked out my team The Eastern Suburbs Roosters

[Vijil]

GO WARRIORS

I've been thinking along the same lines Sy... I'm trying to figure out why places like Wanganui get more teams at their fives than the rest of us get at national events

[Wheelz]

Well, speaking for BioHazard, it's purely cost and nothing else.
I'm not saying it's overpriced at all. I know it costs to put on these events in both time, effort and money with risks taken.
Heck, I'd love to mix more with everyone else.
I guess that level of PB is just too expensive for us. We manage to keep up appearances at our local tourney series cos there's no travel, no accom, minimal fees (due to minimal costs), so it really only costs us the paint for the day.

There's always powerball tonight.... no there's not. I don't have a ticket.

[Frodo]

Fields MUST support the Teams in ALL regions, Its the fields that create growth. Tourney Ball was the obvious step for those that didnt find rec/bush ball adrenalin filled enough.

Yes there are series around the place, but are they run by the fields? or are they run by individuals doing all the work for no apparent gain. These series dont grow paintball, they just try and sustain it.

I've heard that way down south the tourney scene is doin well, B2 I have no doubt has something to do with that as he has always been a very dedicated man to paintball growth.

Wanganui is a very friendly place to play, they get new guys goin out there all the time, they really make an effort for the new kids too, to teach them and encourage them. Thats why they will be growing where other regions are not.

[B2]

I read your post Sy and you know for almost a moment I felt happy..Why you say..
Well for years I have been posting and saying these things...But most ppl kept dissing the ol Bman and telling me to "get with the programme"..and you know I/we did..That is why Sth is ball is in the growth mode.
We dontt have over inflated ego's (not gun) and didnt demand Supair or cheap paint..
We just played ball for what it is/was ...a game and fun...and still do.
99% of all my guys play bushball then of course we go play Tournies when required.
We have neevr tried to be like our cousins in OZ or Stateside..we just play how we like want...no crap no bs.
Having one Major event a year to me would be counter productive...
Its a bit like a Big fish in a small pond..all good until you jump the fence into the ocean..Then its to overpowering for some ppl to comprehend how a Major event is.
I hate saying this but Paintball if its ever going to become a sport in NZ then the players must treat it accordingly and not just some little boys thing that if dads got the money I can play sorta thing..
When I read "oh if it was cheaper crap" My thoughts are...Get out of my sport then..
As i know ther same ppl dont give one rats ass about blowing money on a new pc, car. clothes whatever..But oh no come Pball its way too expensive..
I have stated many moons ago on the other site and all the nobjockeys came out and told me how wrong I am about cost and tourneys...Well its about time all NZ Ballers stepped back and just looked in the mirror..Cos you have created this...This is for most part is directed at the oldschoolers..Not new guys..they are just born dumb..We werent

So as I see Ball grow in Dunedin and get ready for the Springs event..I look fwd to what Next year will bring and forever hopeful better things..
In Typical Kiw style (not mine remember) if it aint broken why try and fix it..cos we do..we just cant help it..
I could get cranked up on Paint suppliers and how they started the down fall but yall know why and how...We were just greedy..and couldnt think past the cheap ass box of paint..

[Pumpin'Piggy]

Coming from an age where Mags and Cockers were king, I have to agree with B2 above. We certainly have an unusual demograph here in NZ, and I don't think we have too much to gain by aping USA and Australia, because we just don't have the numbers or mainstrean acceptance yet.

Fun is why we all joined surely, and I suspect that fields where it still is fun, may weather the storm better than regions that emphasise tournament play right from the get go. Thumbs up to Wanganui for encouraging new players, and encouraging those players along the way to whatever format they wish to play. I'm certainly not anti-tourney, I would sorely love to see a healthy tourny scene in NZ. It's simply that I feel that if clubs and fields can grow a regular player base because people enjoy playing regularly, then a proportion of those players will graduate to tournament play. Others, may be happy to play locally in this great game of ours. Either way, paintball will benefit.

A friendly club scene is certainly what we are trying to foster in HB, and all are welcome!

[Icharus 461]

I remember the "good old days" where marbz was $125 - $140 a case and the Cocker and Mag where the shiz. I also remember that Nationals could bost 2 dozen 7 man teams from all over the country. And like most people I want thoes days back. I can only look at things from an Auckland POV and here are my thoughts.

Auckland Paintball is fading because of 2 things.
Old blood retiring too early.
Out of the retired teams and players I asked they felt there was a lack of respect and or a lack of fun.
Auckland has lost for one reason or another that sense of community we once had back in the day. Where what happened on the field stayed on the field. Now people for the most part are too quick to take it all off the field with them and let it sit and fester, where they either lash out or up and leave. I was saying the other day that in 1997-2002 mofo on field = my brother off it. Then from 2002 mofo on field = mofo 24/7. No one wants to spend a whole day surrounded by such a negative atmosphere.
I don't think it's a money thing for the most part, while the cost of paintball has never been better, sure the cost of living has gone through the roof! Where you spend what small amount of your spare cash, is a matter of priority. If you enojoy playing ball and you know that the next event comming up is going to be worth your while you can happilly bounce the water and power bill to play. The money situation is just an excause. I should know I'm guilty of using it :p .

It's all fine saying "I play for the fun of it" but why then does it feel so bad when you loose? It's because we all like to compete. Auckland has become so caught up in compettion that we have forgotten what it means to play fun paintball. We now see everyone as an enemy and not as a fellow baller and that does not bode well for a game where the guy you have no respect / trust, can rip your back open at 20+ bps.

One of the reasons I started organising X-lite at Actions was to get more out of the people on the fence. Eat up less of the day, give everyone more games, more chances to win points and develope skills. With the dwindling population in Auckland it makes sense to play a format like X-lite. Where reguarless of turn out you can be sure you are going to get a lot more game time in where you might win even the smallest of battles on the field. Plus it takes away the the whole money excause as it was the cheapest day of tourny play you could get. The last thing I wanted in place but would have to admit to reaching (as we just don't have the numbers) was grades.
If you look at the teams that have left the sceene it's mostly the div 2 teams. Which where always the larger group. Come gameday their major concern was what other Div 2 teams where there. Thoes are the games they have the best chance of winning or at least getting close. As fewer Div 2 teams began to show the whole day became an exercise to get blasted by the better teams. Add that to the lack of respect and you have an exodus. If Auckalnd keeps it's compedative side then teams need to go into the day with at least the hope of winning something no matter how small.
X-lite gave teams like Team Glen (who I still maintain as one of the biggest sucesses to come out of the X-lite experiment) a chance to do that.
It is for thoes reasons why I believe it is the best format for Paintball in Auckland.

So to sum up my rant and I'm only 1/3 the way through my thoughts :) For Auckland to float it's sinking ship where the veterans are concerned we need to blend our new compedative nature with respect for our opposition.

Sorry fot the typos ;)

[Icharus 461]

Part 2.
The other reason why Auckland Paintball is fading:
There is not enough new blood being added.
After 5 years of "real life" getting in the way of Ball. The first thing that struck me as a warning sign was all the old faces and SFA of new ones. The only thing to have changed with the vets was the unifroms that went along with the team names.
Sy is so right. More people now are playing Paintball then EVER before, but why are then not playing "our" paintball?
In short it comes from a lack of knowledge.
Thoes that do know of the bright coloured jerseys, inflatable bunkers and shiny fast guns believe that to suck = lots of pain. For the most part we are monsters and to step onto our pitch means a world of hurt.
For thoes that don't know about "our game" we don't exactly advertise that fact that it exists.
It's the simpler of the two problems affecting Auckland Paintball. Now this is going to get me in hot water but what the hell. This problem falls on ALL of us. Not just the field owners, not the just the players and not just the suppliers.

The fields:
Like what Frodo was saying: For growth in touny ball here the fields need to have a hand in it. To right! They have the resources to host even prmote events. But at the same time why? The fields I know of are happilly making there money off the rec baller and johnny walk on. With times being tuff it's not the time or the place to take a risk in a flagging smaller market. Looking overseas the money is with the rec baller and milsim player just like it is here. The thing is overseas the tourny crowd is to big to be ingnored. Not so here, and that needes to be changed in Auckland. The fiels could advertise and make a drive to add more tourny players but they don't need to do it to survive. Now that is not the same for all fields and field owners (I know of one owner who intentionally took a loss on a tourny just to get his feet wet). But field owners have to make a living they have to make money to eat, pay bills and make a living. If they take too bigger chance and it doesn't pay off... what then?
So who can help them out?
Us.
If they scratch our back shouldn't we scratch theirs?

The player:
As stated above there is alot of negative press about us, yet tourny ballers don't really seam to be doing anything to dispell thoes myths. We need to be more public and approachable. After a day of rec ball I make it a mission of mine to hand over my gat and let some of the young kids let fly at the target range, I've given out about as many pods of paint as what I've fired in a day, I've always limited how I play, and I've always been quick to give praise to the kid that blasted me (the whole jump up and "good shot!" thing is a habit of this sorry). Just to try and undo some of this damage. I know others do it too, but we still need to rub shoulders with these guys and girls with more of us and more often. We can do that by reffing, coaching, holding clinics, playing some ball with them and holding special days just for new players.

We need to advertise our sport. That would go along way to getting us not mainstreme but on the fringe of the public eye. Now that doesn't mean paying out huge wads of cash. We just need to be seen. That could be done through helping out at the fields, charity drives, leaflet drops ect... It could also be done through sucess like winning in Oz, taking Intercontental Cup, winning something that is BIG and hard to ignore (I know it costs money but we'd be playing paintball while premoting). As kiwis we pride ourselves on kicking the pants off the rest of the world, not so with paintball. If we had shows on like Vodaphone X-air like we once did we could have done a small instalment on that and it's free, get Mike to go on Sports Cafe again :) maybe Youtube serials. We don't have to do a Nicole Begg, but she got the publics attention and a tv spot for her sport for very little effort.

The distributors:
Most are doing a fantastic job but I mean the Sports stores and the like. Which sell paintball gear to people that just go and play in there back yard. A back yard where 1. We can't expose them to the game and 2. where if something goes wrong it just means even more bad press for us. Or kit that was never legal spec to begin with. Nothing scares off new players faster then the sound of an electro going full auto.

In short while we have so few people taking up this sport in Auckland, it's not beyond redemption. It will take a sustained effort from all parties to fix it. With an emphasis on better ties between fields and teams where both have to share the work load, aiming to get more flesh blood into the game through better public understanding.

I've spent way too long on this and it's probably nothing more then the idalistic ramblings of a baller on a Jerry Maguire complex, but thats the way I see it. Third and final part to come tomorrow.
C'ya.

[B2]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz oooops I did read it all I promise;)
I always enjoy reading about how it used to be...Because those that "were" there..well we just know the greatness of it all...
I go to great pains to regale stories of my early days and you know I will never stop.
Its true if you wanna play you will find the $$..its called passion.
Yes the cost is as good as it should be..
I dont like ppl who tell me that fields or tourneys are a rip off...These ppl dont belong in my game/sport.
Back in the cocka/mag days we played to win..yes we had fun doing it but yall know the pain of losing...But man did we enjoy it.
Players can stil do it too...
The issue I see is ..Once players become seperate from teh fields ..Its lost..
When the paying public turn up to play at my field...the see botyh types of Paintball Magazines on teh table...Bush and tourney...
The get an opportunity to even see the occasional "tourney' marker.
But what they do get is the feeling from all my guys that Paintball rules...both codes.
there is no discrimination at my field and that is the key to growth...
You can feel the Love/Passion of your Game/Sport..That is what is paramount.

[Frodo]

Truth B2.

I like your style.

[Icharus 461]

Chapter 3.
Third and final.
There is no magic bullet that will solve Auckland Tournyball's problems.
I don't think the problem is the format, but it could use tweaking so that players that are on the fence would be more inclined to play. You can't use the money excuse if it's the best value in town. But I am strongly behind the 3 man format. It's easier to form grades and teams of the new players with so few needed.
A change in attitude towards other ballers and the early retired could see one group stay and might get back a few of the other.
But what would help us out the most would be initiatives to get more people trying out speed ball. If the fields are not going to run it then it's up to the players to take over or work closer with the field owners to make it happen. Things like Sup-air days and clinics. If the players have to take more of a hand in it, it should improve our image and some of those players might just stick around long enough to form new teams. Win for everyone I'd think.