This interviewee
has been playing competitive paintball for 12 years and has experience playing
for some amazing national and international teams. He is also one of the faces
of BuyPBL and has been for the entire time he’s been involved in the sport.
Phil Guy has had the opportunity to play on some great international teams
including Shockwave Canada in the PSP and Edmonton Impact in the NPPL.
During his time with Shockwave, the team had several top four finishes in PSP’s division 2 and was known for being one of the only teams representing Canada at a higher level in an American series at that time. Guy played with Edmonton Impact in the semi-pro division of the NPPL where they also performed quite well. Phil’s most recent international venture involved a trip to Thailand to play in the PALS series. His team brought back the Shockwave name and proceeded to win the 1st leg of PALS. Guy’s international experience has been marked with success and that success continues within the CXBL.
Phil began playing in the CXBL when it was first created in 2005 and has since won 2 championships, once with Montreal Shock and once with Kamikaze. He was also the captain of the Eastern CXBL All-stars team in 2008 when the Central and Eastern All-stars game finished in a tie. Phil returns to the CXBL this season with the 2012 Tremblant Cowboys under the umbrella of the new CXBL Elite division. He is known for being a front snake player but is confidant in his versatility. Afterall, Guy has been a captain and a coach for the past 6 years! Phil says, “I am known to be a little tough on players but I believe I am tough but fair. All I want is to bring out the best in every player. I want to win at all times no matter what I am doing in life.”
Guy's competitive spirit has led to many successes thus far and his experience in many different paintball series has taught him to be adaptable on the field. We can expect Phil and his Cowboys counterparts to push hard this season and they have already been recognized by their competition as the most challenging roster (on paper at least). Guy, like many of the other interviewees, says, “I have had the honour of meeting some of the greatest people and have made friends for life because of paintball.” To me, this just reinforces the idea that paintball is a lifestyle. And as anyone living the life of a paintballer knows, your team is family and winning is always the goal. As Phil says, “I am a competitor! I hate to lose more than I like to win!”
During his time with Shockwave, the team had several top four finishes in PSP’s division 2 and was known for being one of the only teams representing Canada at a higher level in an American series at that time. Guy played with Edmonton Impact in the semi-pro division of the NPPL where they also performed quite well. Phil’s most recent international venture involved a trip to Thailand to play in the PALS series. His team brought back the Shockwave name and proceeded to win the 1st leg of PALS. Guy’s international experience has been marked with success and that success continues within the CXBL.
Phil began playing in the CXBL when it was first created in 2005 and has since won 2 championships, once with Montreal Shock and once with Kamikaze. He was also the captain of the Eastern CXBL All-stars team in 2008 when the Central and Eastern All-stars game finished in a tie. Phil returns to the CXBL this season with the 2012 Tremblant Cowboys under the umbrella of the new CXBL Elite division. He is known for being a front snake player but is confidant in his versatility. Afterall, Guy has been a captain and a coach for the past 6 years! Phil says, “I am known to be a little tough on players but I believe I am tough but fair. All I want is to bring out the best in every player. I want to win at all times no matter what I am doing in life.”
Guy's competitive spirit has led to many successes thus far and his experience in many different paintball series has taught him to be adaptable on the field. We can expect Phil and his Cowboys counterparts to push hard this season and they have already been recognized by their competition as the most challenging roster (on paper at least). Guy, like many of the other interviewees, says, “I have had the honour of meeting some of the greatest people and have made friends for life because of paintball.” To me, this just reinforces the idea that paintball is a lifestyle. And as anyone living the life of a paintballer knows, your team is family and winning is always the goal. As Phil says, “I am a competitor! I hate to lose more than I like to win!”
Phil-You
are undoubtedly one of the most experienced players in Canadian paintball. Many in the CXBL community share your
competitive spirit but few have tasted success as much as you and this make you
an excellent role model for the younger players!
Photo Credit: Dez Residentevilchef Foo
- What have you been doing as a team during the off-season to prepare for the 2012 CXBL season?
“This off-season has
been a little more difficult than the past ones for myself as my wife gave
birth to our first child. The difficulty is trying to balance my time between a
child that needs and deserves so much attention and the game I truly love.”
- What have you been doing as a team during the off-season to prepare for the 2012 CXBL season?
“The team has continued
to play ball during the off-season which is what you need to do to be
successful. We won the first leg of the PALS series in Thailand as well as we
are playing other leagues in order to get more game time.”
- What do you feel is your team’s greatest strength headed into this season?
“Our teams greatest
strength is that we know how to win the big games when it really counts. We
definitely have the experience on our side as every single player on the team
has not only won the CXBL championship but has won other major events.”
- Which team do you feel will be your greatest competition this season and why?
“This is a difficult
question to answer as players love to jump from team to team for some reason
looking out for themselves and not the bigger picture. Saying this I will
probably have to go with Thunder as they were a contender in last year's
Richmond Cup and seem to have a similar roster in 2012.”
- Which team do you feel will be the weakest this season and why?
“I hate to say it but I
really do believe an eastern team will fall to MXL this year. The teams here
have some talent but lack experience and depth on their roster. Before they can
win in the CXBL they really need to figure out what they really want... to play
for fun or to take this seriously and build a contending team.”
- Which player on your own team do you most respect as a player and why?
“I am not able to answer
this question. I truly believe that no matter what happens we win and lose as a
team. I respect all my players and what they bring to the table.”
- Were there any changes this off-season that surprised you? For example, roster changes or league changes.
“There is nothing that
really surprises me. I am excited that the league has brought the NAX finals
back to Canada and added the MXL, RXL and CX4. This will be an unbelievable
experience for them and I am glad to see it happen.”
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
“Thank you to everybody
behind the scenes that nobody gets to see. We only see the final product when
we arrive to the field to play but there is a lot a work that goes on to make
sure the show is perfect. Let's appreciate all the hard work they do and
respect them for that. Thank you Niki for taking time from your personal life
to make this happen. Job well done!”
Thank you, Phil! It's interviewing players like you that makes this blog so much fun to write! Best of luck to you and to your Tremblant Cowboys teammates in the 2012 CXBL Elite season! I won't be surprised to see you at NAX.
Signing off,
The Paintball Wife
No comments:
Post a Comment