Vancouver Thunder are the new guys
around the CXBL, having only joined the league last season. They are also the
only Western Conference team taking part in the new CXBL Elite division. That
being said, their great showing at Elite event 1 suggests that being new to the
league will not slow them down. They had only 7 players present on June 9th
and 10th at Flag Raiders and still managed to pull off four big Ws.
I have said in a previous post that, in my eyes, they are THE team to beat this
season. I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Thunder’s Alex Borromeo
about his take on Elite event 1. Read on, my friends.
Thunder's Alex Borromeo
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless
- What is it like being the only remaining Western CXBL team? Has it been difficult to enter the CXBL Elite division where you face unfamiliar teams?
“It's unfortunate that no other teams from the Western
Conference could be a part of the CXBL Elite Division so it is a privilege to
represent the Western Conference. It really has not been that difficult
entering the elite division. Last year was our first year in the CXBL so every
team we face is unfamiliar to us.”
- Having had the chance to see all of the Elite teams play (with the exception of Tremblant Cowboys), which team(s) were you most impressed by?
“I
think Cambridge Raiders and Windsor Lockdown were the two teams that impressed
me the most this event. They both play a great game and both teams have great
players. I look forward to playing Cambridge Raiders at Event 3 and hopefully
getting the chance to take on Windsor Lockdown at NAX.”
- Your team successfully won all of your matches by a sizable margin. Which of your matches proved most challenging and why?
“The
most challenging match for us was against Kitchener Recon. We ended up with
quite a few penalties which we are not used to getting. We had a bunch of
points where Recon had the upper hand on bodies but we stayed calm and grinded
out each point pulling out the victory. Thomas Taylor and Frank Connell are
definitely shaping that team into a top contender for NAX this year and I look
forward to playing them in the future.”
- Your team managed to pull off four big wins with only 7 players. Were you expecting to be so successful with so few players? Why were you so short-handed for this event?
“We most definitely went into this event expecting to be
successful regardless of how many players we had. We knew for awhile that we
were going to be short-handed so the entire team prepared mentally and
physically for the event. We all knew that we needed to have the endurance to
run point after point and this weekend we proved that our training helped out.
A few of the players that were supposed to show up for this event either did
not have the proper funds to afford it or had prior engagements. Sometimes
that's how things work with how tight money is nowadays but you just have to
work with what you got and I'm happy to say that E1 was still successful with
only 7 players.”
- What do you feel your team most excelled at during this event?
“I
think our team most excelled at organization this event. With the help of our
AMAZING pit crew and each of the players understanding our roles the entire
weekend ran smoothly with no problems whatsoever.”
- Will you have more players at Event 3 when you face some of the more challenging competitors?
“We
plan on having a few more players at Event 3, the ones that could not make it
for Event 1 will be there this time around.”
- Which of your teammates do you most respect as a player? Why?
“I
can't say I respect any player on my team more than the other. We have all been
playing together for so long now that we are a family and I respect each and
every player on the team equally.”
- Do you also play in PSP? If so, how are you working your PSP practice schedule around Event 3?
“I play PSP in Division 1 with Fuzion, with so many events
happening at the same time it definitely is a struggle to get a good practice
schedule set up. Fortunately I am able to utilize Doodlebug Sportz indoor
facility in Everett, WA to practice once a week. Everyone on Thunder attends
mandatory Monday practices. We also try to get in scrimmages over at our owners
field up in Tsawwassen, BC at Tsawwassen Paintball. He recently got the new
2012 CXBL field to help us prepare for all the events."
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
“I would like to thank Matthew Jantzi for supporting the team
and providing an excellent facility for us to practice at (Tsawwassen
Paintball). I also would like to thank Doodlebug Sportz for also providing an
excellent indoor facility in Everett, WA for us to practice at year round. Last
but not least I would like to thank Caro Burden and the amazing pit crew we had
for Event 1, we could not have done as well as we did without your help.”
Thunder's Danny Cort and Nate Schroeder
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless
Thank you, Alex! Interviewing players is my favourite part of
writing this blog. It is so nice to see players with so much talent manage to
keep a level-headed approach to the sport. All the best to you and your Fuzion
teammates as you head into PSP’s Chicago Open this coming weekend! We look
forward to seeing Thunder again at Event 3.
Signing off,
The Paintball Wife
P.S. Don't forget to vote for some of these guys to play in the NPPL All Star game!
P.S. Don't forget to vote for some of these guys to play in the NPPL All Star game!
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