This
interviewee has been around the paintball scene for a whopping 17 years! He is
no stranger to the sacrifices that are required to play this sport and has had
the opportunity to learn from and play with some of the best players that the
central CXBL has bred. Ryan Chantler played recreational paintball for the
first time in 1996 and the first organized tournament he played in 1999 was a
two man headshot only tournament. While it must have been a frightening start
to his tournament career, his enthusiasm for the sport was just beginning.
Chantler went on to work as an employee for Flagswipe Paintball and was one of the original Express Kids in 2001. Express Kids went on to become one of the dominant teams in the Novice scene for the next few years. In 2004, Ryan thought that he had seen the last of his competitive days when he took a year off from ball to finish college, only playing the occasional tournament for fun. However, in 2005 he was asked by friends to join a tournament team that they had set up- Adrenaline All-stars. After playing with them for two years, he made the return to his paintball roots and played for London Express in the CXBL and TOC open division. Chantler continued playing with Express until 2010 when he decided a change was needed. Last season was a split season for Ryan, beginning the year with Hespeler Hooligans and then making the jump back to CXBL to finish the season with the Cambridge Raiders.
Because of Chantler’s long paintball career, he has had the opportunity to play for both dominant and struggling teams. As a result, he is known for his determination and for his ability to mentally prepare for matches. Ryan has had to make sacrifices along the way but in regard to the amount of money he has spent on the sport, he says, “I can always make more money!” and in regard to the many injuries he has suffered he says, “my body will heal!” Chantler’s most difficult sacrifice has been time with his wife and little boy that he knows he can never get back but he acknowledges that their support has allowed him to form bonds with people he may have otherwise never met.
Chantler went on to work as an employee for Flagswipe Paintball and was one of the original Express Kids in 2001. Express Kids went on to become one of the dominant teams in the Novice scene for the next few years. In 2004, Ryan thought that he had seen the last of his competitive days when he took a year off from ball to finish college, only playing the occasional tournament for fun. However, in 2005 he was asked by friends to join a tournament team that they had set up- Adrenaline All-stars. After playing with them for two years, he made the return to his paintball roots and played for London Express in the CXBL and TOC open division. Chantler continued playing with Express until 2010 when he decided a change was needed. Last season was a split season for Ryan, beginning the year with Hespeler Hooligans and then making the jump back to CXBL to finish the season with the Cambridge Raiders.
Because of Chantler’s long paintball career, he has had the opportunity to play for both dominant and struggling teams. As a result, he is known for his determination and for his ability to mentally prepare for matches. Ryan has had to make sacrifices along the way but in regard to the amount of money he has spent on the sport, he says, “I can always make more money!” and in regard to the many injuries he has suffered he says, “my body will heal!” Chantler’s most difficult sacrifice has been time with his wife and little boy that he knows he can never get back but he acknowledges that their support has allowed him to form bonds with people he may have otherwise never met.
The
paintball community is lucky to have you Ryan and your experience is sure to be
invaluable to your team. We look forward to seeing you in action with the
Cambridge Raiders again this year!
- What has Raiders been doing as a team during the off-season to prepare for the 2012 CXBL season?
"Cambridge
Raiders has continued our grind in the off season practicing bi-weekly at our
indoor facility at Flag Raiders in Kitchener. As well as maintaining post
practice chicken pad thai meals at Pho-Dau-Bo."
- What have you been doing as an individual to prepare for the coming season?
"I have been hitting the gym, working on improving my
eating habits, and playing paintball on our off weekends."
- What do you feel is your team’s greatest strength headed into this season?
- Which team do you feel will be your greatest competition this season and why?
"Our greatest competition will be Tremblant
Cowboys. They have the most impressive roster.......on paper."
- Which team do you feel will be the weakest this season and why?
"I don’t like the idea of singling out
a specific team on being the "weakest". This is the CXBL and all the
teams and players are at this level because they know how to compete. No team
can be taken lightly and anyone can beat anyone else."
- Which player on your own team do you most respect as a player and why?
"Hmmmm........ Zach Burke. He is
level-headed, experienced, and still gets grimey in the snake and makes all you
kids pay for trying to go head to head with him."
- Were there any changes this off-season that surprised you? For example, roster changes or league changes.
"I was surprised the West division got shut down, and the merger on the
CXBL division."
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
"If you are going to do something....
Do it Right."
Ryan-Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my
questions. I really appreciate it! You are a veteran player with so much
experience in Canadian paintball and I know that will serve the Raiders well.
Signing off,
The Paintball Wife
P.S. Please leave comments! If I have no feedback, I have no idea what you guys like and what I can improve on. Thanks for reading!
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