Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Pre-season Interview #9 - Toronto Rockstar

I apologize for the lack of a post over the last few days. I am a teacher and this just happens to be a very busy time for me as I write report cards, go on field trips, and try to tie up loose ends before the school year is over. So far, I have made the effort to do a post a day but unfortunately, this has not been an option the past few days. That being said, I am back today with the ninth pre-season interview! 



     This interviewee is a brand new face at the CXBL level of the sport but he has been playing paintball competitively for several years and has worked his way up through the divisions. Tommy Nguyen began his paintball journey playing at the RXL level with Hespeler Hooligans. After playing two seasons with Hespeler, he made the bump to MXL rosetered with Kawartha Confusion. Nguyen made a roster switch again in the 2011 season to play with Brooklin Fingers in the MXL division. 
    This season will mark Tommy’s debut as a CXBL player on the newly franchised Toronto Rockstar CXBL Elite team. This new team seems to be a mix of CXBL and MXL caliber players from many different 2011 teams. As of now, their current roster shows no sign of added talent from the States but it will be interesting to see if that changes before the rosters lock on Monday. While they may be a new blend, they have undoubtedly been practicing hard to come together as a team and it will be exciting to see how Tommy and his Rockstar counterparts mesh on the field.  
    Nguyen was known for being a midfield and snake player in his RXL and MXL days, however, he says, “this off season I’ve worked hard on playing both Dorito side and snake.” So we may seem him switching things up in the 2012 matches. Tommy added, “speed and laning is what I feel I bring best to the field. Hopefully this proves true during the season.” If there is anything I am certain of, it’s that agility and laning will be much needed skills in the highly competitive CXBL Elite division. 


Tommy- It’s good for the lower division players to see that it’s possible to work your way up to become a CXBL caliber player. You will have a lot of eyes on you this season to see how you do. Best of luck to you and your teammates in the season ahead!

Photo Credit: paintballphotography.com


  • What have you been doing as a team during the off-season to prepare for the 2012 CXBL season? 
  “Practice, practice, practice! Ever since the first 2012 CXBL layout was released we have spent our weekends practicing. Some of the team has also remained active in international events such as PALS Thailand while others have gone down to the United States to play the NPPL.”

  • What have you been doing as an individual to prepare for the coming season?
 “I usually start off my day with paintball in mind. This gives me the motivation to go to the gym at least three times a week(Mon, Weds and Fri). And off days at the gym usually means that i'll run 2.5 km before settling down in the evening to watch Behind the bunker if it’s on. And of course practicing every chance I get.”
  • What do you feel is your team’s greatest strength headed into this season?
 “If there was one strength Rockstar has headed into the season it would the experience on the team. We have players who have won CXBL and are back for more. Their guidance, skill, and ability make us who we are.”
  • Which team do you feel will be your greatest competition this season and why?
“I can't say for sure because every team in CXBL elite this year is strong but us being a Toronto team it will be exciting to see who wins the battle of the GTA. In which case it'd be Scarborough Hustle.”
  • Which team do you feel will be the weakest this season and why?
 “Refer to last question ;) the first part”
  • Which player on your own team do you most respect as a player and why?
“It would be a tie between Jeff and Steve. Both have tasted victory (with Windsor) in the CXBL and both have been excellent in developing the team.”
  • Were there any changes this off-season that surprised you? For example, roster changes or league changes.
 “A lot more American interest on certain teams.”

Thanks for the interview Tommy. All the best to Rockstar in the 2012 season!

Signing off, 
The Paintball Wife

2 comments:

BoomII said...

Would you not consider your roster one of inexperience in comparison to others in the division. Sure you have players who have "tasted victory", but how large a role did they actually play in that victory on a team loaded with professional talent?

petrolia14 said...

whenever u ask them who the weakest team is everyone says everyone's strong....it be nice to see them say what their actual thoughts are....jesse benoit from lockdown did the best interview yet!!!!!!!!