Post-season Interview #2 - Tremblant Cowboys

This interviewee has been involved in the sport of paintball since he was just 9 years old. Gerry Harris Matticks knew immediately that this sport was something he wanted to invest in for more than just fun. At the age of 12, Gerry played is first 3 man GT (Golden Triangle) event. Later, he joined the CXBL playing from the get-go in the CXBL division for Laval Skorpions.

Throughout the years Harris Matticks has played for a variety of teams including: Montreal Machine (SkyBall), Laval Skorpions, Mirabel Impact, Kingsey Falls Kamikaze, Shockwave Canada, Scrub Life, and of course, Tremblant Cowboys. He has a CXBL championship under his belt which he secured in 2010 with Kamikaze and a PALS Thailand win with Shockwave Canada in 2011.

Gerry is usually seen playing midfield and back positions and plans to continue to develop his skills in this area. He is known by his competition for having a larger-than-life personality that plays out in his on-field run-throughs. Harris Mattick’s future paintball ambitions include another CXBL championship win and making it pro in the PSP. Watch out for him at NAX; his confidence in his team in unmatched!

 Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

• What is your general impression of the 2012 Elite standings? Were there any major surprises or did the season finish as expected?

 “The surprise I had was Daytona making NAX and beating out 2 really strong teams. Another thing that surprised me was when we (Cowboys) lost to N2 but they came out and played a really strong game and got the win. We still finished 1st as expected.”

• What do you feel was your team’s greatest strength this season?

 “I believe our greatest strengths were playing as a team and everyone gelling on and off the field, bringing in some other players from the states who also gelled really well with our team and bringing some experience from a higher level of paintball.”

• Cowboys is made up of many experienced CXBL players as well as several Houston Heat competitors. Did you find it easy to come together as a team or did you have to work to become comfortable on the field as one unit? Did you find that working with the Houston Heat guys was a growth opportunity for you and your Canadian counterparts? If so, in what ways were you challenged as players?

“When we brought in the Huston Heat guys we didn't know what to expect from them or how they would react with us as a team but we ending up gelling really well on and off the field. We came together a lot better than I thought we would and it shows, Taking 1st place in the CXBL regular season. Most of the guys on the team already have a lot of experience so bringing the Huston Heat guys just made us stronger and gave us a little more experience to add to the team. The biggest thing that they showed us is that coaching is a big importance to the game and we would not have done as well without it. A great coach makes a great team!”

• What are you able to take away from the 2012 season that will allow you to develop as a player and as a team throughout the off-season?

 “What we can take away from the 2012 season would be just to get better as a team on the field and off the field, to learn from our mistakes from the season and not to make them in the following season. Also, to build strength on our individual skills as well.”

• With a roster such as yours, many predicted your team for the win this season. Did you and your teammates have the same confidence in a 2012 season win?

“We came into this season with a lot of confidence but still taking every game one point at a time. Our loss to N2 shows everyone that anyone can be beat at any time but at the end of the year we will still be number 1 and NAX champions.”

• What was your highlight of the season?

 “My highlight would be at Event 2 when we beat the Raiders with only a few seconds left but the biggest highlight of the year for me will be when we win NAX.”

• Which individual on your own team do you most respect as a player and why?

 “I can’t pick just one person from my team as I respect them all but if it wasn't for Phil Guy I would have never had the chance to play with Shockwave Canada and I would have never had the learning experiences I have had. He is a veteran of the sport. He has always highlighted my mistakes as well as letting me know when I have played well.”

• This season was unusual in that not a single team went undefeated in any division of the CXBL. Your team suffered a surprising loss to Medonte and had very close matches with Raiders, Lockdown, and Thunder, winning each by only 1 point. What went through your mind after losing to Ntwo? Can you tell me about the collective mindset of the team during close match situations?

“I'm not surprised that there were no undefeated teams in the CXBL this year. The talent of paintball in Canada is rising. The loss to N2 was surprising to us as well but they came out and played a really strong game and deserved the win. During the close games the mindset in the pits for everyone is just to stay calm and focused and never give up until the clock runs out. We put the most experienced players on in situations like that and have won all our close games which shows we have what it takes to win NAX.”

• If you had to choose a team other than your own as most likely to win NAX, who would you choose and why?

 “If I had to choose another team most likely to win NAX I would have to say Thunder. They are only about seven or eight guys who play solid as a team and never lose their cool in the pits. They are a very talented team.”

• Is there anything else you would like to add?

“I would like to say thanks to the CXBL for making great events and helping to improve the sport in Canada! I would also like to wish the best of luck to all the teams who will be competing at NAX.”

   Gerry, Thanks for the interview! All the best to you and your teammates 

   at NAX! 

    Signing off,

    The Paintball Wife 

Post-Season Interview #1 - Cambridge Raiders

        With the 2012 CXBL Elite season now behind us and NAX yet to come, I thought this the perfect time to reflect and to dream about what is ahead for each team. This was certainly a season full of surprises and excitement and I wanted to get the player’s perspective on their highlights and struggles. Join me over the coming days as I hear from a member of each CXBL Elite team and be sure to post your comments and questions too! 

 

        This interviewee became involved in recreational paintball 12 years ago and more seriously began his tournament career in 2008. Derrick Weltz’ first competitive team was known as Shut Down Kids or “SDK”. Together they had hopes of playing D3 NPPL in 2009 but due to the bankruptcy of the NPPL that season, the group began to search for a CXBL team to join. After attending a variety of RXL and MXL tryouts, Derrick and 3 of his SDK teammates became part of Woodstock Defiance RXL.

 Under the direction of Travis Kropf, Nelson Fonseca, Ed Evans, and Adam Mutsaers, the 2009 Defiance squad won the RXL title meaning that they would make the bump to MXL in the 2010 season. Weltz and the majority of his Defiance teammates stayed together for the MXL season, adding only Pat Padovan and Zach Burke to the roster. Finishing the 2010 MXL season in 1^st place, Woodstock became the first central team to win the title in two divisions in consecutive years. Facing a big jump to CXBL, Derrick and his teammates faced many questions as to where all of their players would end up between Defiance and Cambridge Raiders. Because both teams existed within the same camp, the decision was made to sell the Woodstock Franchise and merge many of the Defiance players with 4 Raiders veterans under the Cambridge name. In 2011, Weltz’ first season as a CXBL competitor, Raiders finished 3^rd within the central conference earning them a spot at NAX. Not bad considering many of the players, Derrick included, had been RXL competitors only 2 years prior.

Weltz has also had many opportunities to play at PSP and NPPL events throughout his competitive paintball career including playing NPPL events with Raiders and PSP New Jersey with 3CT. While Derrick is one of few players to make the bump from RXL to CXBL in 2 seasons, his greatest paintball highlight thus far was playing with Demons Red at PALS Thailand. He reflects, “It was the hottest climate I’ve ever played paintball in. It puts 2010 PSP World Cup to shame, if anyone remembers that!” It also gave Weltz the chance to play with a team from Iran and they were very successful despite having to find ways to communicate across a significant language barrier.

Derrick, you’ve been part of my personal paintball family since the 2009 Defiance season and it has been an absolute pleasure to watch you develop as a player throughout the years. Best of luck at NAX ---try to maintain your penalty free year!

   Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

• What is your general impression of the 2012 Elite standings? Were there any major surprises or did the season finish as expected?

“To be honest everybody is in NAX that I expected, except one. I assumed Recon would have been in and Daytona would have been left at 7th place. Nothing against those guys on Daytona but the Elite division if full of talented teams.”

• What do you feel was your team’s greatest strength this season?

“Hmmm that's a tough one, I don't think we ever really relied on one strength this season. One thing that has helped us tremendously off the field is the guidance of our friends from the south, Alfred De Los Santos, G-no Benedicto, and Eric Prum.  We brought them on board, to not only add depth to our roster but to give us some leadership and to help develop us into better all -around players.”

•  What are you able to take away from the 2012 season that will allow you to develop as a player and as a team throughout the off-season?

“We were able to take away a new style of play and execution of plays from this season which will help us be successful in seasons to come. Obviously I can't reveal too much information.”

•  What was your highlight of the season?

“My personal highlight thus far is my penalty free season. Anybody that followed last year’s stats will be aware of my penalty riddled season (22 minutes, 4 majors and 1 minor).  Accomplishing this task wasn't luck; I had to alter my style of play. Before, I played almost with reckless abandonment. Although it did allow me to excel in my rookie season, in the top league it hindered my team.  This season I've taken more of a slow and methodical approach and I take the bites when I see them come available.”

• Which individual on your own team do you most respect as a player and why? 

“This is a tough question, but as a player it would have to be Gno. His ability to stay calm and relaxed in clutch situations is something I admire and respect in his playing style.”

•  Last season Raiders went into NAX seated 3^rd in the Central conference and 7^th overall. This year, with the new Elite division, the Eastern, Western and Central teams have played against one another all season and only the top six teams have a shot at the championship rings. Your team finished 6^th in the 2012 Elite season, meaning you head into NAX as the lowest ranked team. I am sure this is not the way that your team expected to finish the season. Can you tell me a little bit about how you got here and what you will do to prepare for NAX in hopes of finishing at the top? 

“Well going into this event we were ranked 2nd, and like you said we ended up 6th. That kind of speaks for itself. We just pooped the bed. Leading into this event we knew the only way we wouldn't make NAX is if we lost both our games and N2, Recon and Daytona won all of their games. So it was very slim chances as those teams all played the top teams.  Knowing that, we didn't practice or dissect the layout as well as we normally do. We had poor attendance at every practice, just because everybody wants a little summer vacation and July was a beautiful month. That is what took us off our high horse and put us where we deserved to be after not putting in the time or effort like other teams had. But be assured that will not happen again in our run for NAX.”

• It was rumoured that your team had some issues with paint during your match against Daytona. In a game such as paintball, there seems to be a variety of factors outside of player control that can affect the match. How did your team respond to this situation? What can you do as a team to continue to keep positive and still play your best when something outside of your control affects your game?

“I’m not trying to take anything away from the Daytona guys as they played great and took advantage of our downfalls. But yes we unfortunately had probably the worst batch of paint I've ever shot. I hope when the match goes up it shows our pits and how frustrated/defeated we were within the first 10 minutes of the match. We couldn't keep enough clean pods and we had a really hard time getting 5 working guns on the field. It was the first time since 09 when I started in the Raiders Camp that I've seen Raiders have an unorganized pit, and not taking anything away from other pit staff. But we do have the best pit staff in the league (Corey and Meg, hats off to you both). Luckily we were able to get new paint for our match against Vancouver the following day (hats off to Jay Steele and Eddie Ralf on helping out) but that paint wasn't enough to help us against Vancouver.”

• If you had to choose a team other than your own as most likely to win NAX, who would you choose and why? 

“I'd have to give it to Lockdown. Some players may not like this comment but I know all the Heat guys are on absolute fire this year and so are the Damage guys. But looking past those players, I'd have to say Lockdown is a stronger roster. That is if they can stay out of penalty trouble which they have been riddled with at NAX in the Semi-finals game every year for as long as I can remember.”

• Is there anything else you would like to add? 

“You are doing an amazing job at this whole internet blogging thing and I wish you the best, and for people reading please go like Outside the Mesh on Facebook! Niki, Nolan and I will also miss your home cooked healthy meals! And congrats on the new house, see you moving day, maybe.”

 “Best of luck to all teams participating at NAX!”

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Derrick. I wish you and your Raiders teammates all the best at NAX! 

Signing off,

The Paintball Wife

Meet Murdertron - A Brand for Your Lifestyle!

                It’s tough to find quality apparel these days and if you are anything like me, sometimes you want something a little more interesting than the oh-so-typical chain store repeats. There’s nothing worse than walking into store after store finding the same-old clothing except maybe taking said clothing home to discover the seams are poorly sewn and the material is cheap. Few things excite me more than finding clothes that I love that are actually made with quality materials! So when I discovered Murdertron, my feet were swept from beneath me! Not only is their apparel unique, but all of the designs are carefully thought out and created on premises by the super slick Alex Blackburn and marketed by the ever-handy Chris McKee. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a company that has their supporter’s best interests in mind? Do yourself a favour, read on to learn more about this awesome company and then head over to their site http://shop.murdertron.com/ and find yourself some sick new duds! You won’t regret it! 

 It's hard to see but that's me in the centre sporting my favourite Murdertron shirt!!!

(Timeless Burnout- Blue)

Photo Credit: Robert Lee

• How did Murdertron originate? Who founded it and why?

Alex: “ I had always wanted to get a clothing line off the ground, and Murdertron started out with custom t-shirts that I was making. I'd been designing shirt ideas for a long time, and had finally started getting a few made. Doing one of kinds was expensive, and I was originally doing them for myself, but our friends starting showing interest in them. The real push to get my own company started up was when people started stopping me in the street and asking where I bought my shirt. The looks I got were pretty funny when I said I made it myself, but the reactions were all super positive.”

“While all of this was going on, I was working at a car dealership with a long time friend, Chris, who I'd been bouncing business ideas back and forth with during our shifts. He had some really solid ideas, and with all the back and forth realized we both had always wanted to start a company that represented all the stuff we love.”

Chris: “We both had a ton of different ideas, and going over them during our breaks at work we realized that we both had the same goal: Build a lifestyle company that was involved in all the scenes that we grew up with and were proud to be a part of. Everyone we knew was of course worried that we'd end up hating each other and it would all end terribly blah blah. We both had different aspects to bring to the table and we went back to school to polish up on our respective niches; I work more on the business and marketing side, and Alex is on the creative side. It's been over 3 years, and we've managed to not kill each other. Yet...”

• How did you come up with the name Murdertron?

Alex: “You probably think it's from the fact that we were born in the 80's and we are die hard fans of the Transformers franchise from Hasbro. Well you're wrong! Although we did grow up with Transformers, (and He-Man, Ninja Turtles and G.I. Joe) the name actually came from when I was making the transition from 7man paintball to Xball. When I was first learning about Xball people were saying things like: "The coaches and sidelines are controlling the players and telling them what to do and when to do it" and "the players are like robots" so this "new" paintball format brought up this image of robot players killing each other. We played with a few names but MURDERTRON seemed to be the best fit.”

• Does Murdertron have a mission or a vision for the future of the company?

Chris: “Our mission with Murdertron is to create quality and original gear that sets itself apart from everything else out there. We want it to show how much we put into it, and have our supporters be proud to wear it.”

“Our vision is to build not just another clothing brand, but to create an image that involves everything we stand for, and that represents our supporters. Whether your skater, a baller, a boarder, have a sweet car, or just want some standout streetwear, that's us. That's who we represent. “

Alex:”Exactly, and on that note another thing we really pride ourselves on, is just to keep in touch with our supporters. We want to know what they like, what they are up to. We just like to stay involved with the people who have taken the time and put in the money to support our brand. We really think that's important and we do go out of our way just to make single individuals feel noticed. Our mission is to continue doing that.”

• Tell us a little bit about some of the products that you have to offer. What are some hot-sellers?

Alex: “Pretty much everything has been embraced with open arms. We really take the time to go over every single item. Almost every single piece we have for sale has been touched by myself; I do the embroidery, I put in the tags, I silkscreen... not to mention I do the graphic design (or at least think up and sketch the concept of the design). That doesn't mean Chris won’t add his time and input on the production side, because he does do that too. We want to make clothes that are comfortable and not just another cookie-cutter rectangle shaped t-shirt; and we want to make designs that will stand out (the company name helps out with that)”

Chris: “Right now we carry: hats (beanies, fitted caps, and snapbacks), sweaters and hoodies, long sleeve tees, tees, sunglasses... we have a little bit of everything for both men and women... And yes the long awaiting men’s tanks will soon be out!”

• Do you have any exciting plans for future designs or products that you can share with us?

Chris: “We've got a ton of stuff in the works. As far as future designs and products, we can't say too much, but it's going to reflect how we've grown in the industry.”

Alex: “We have a huge list of ideas, for designs and different apparel but as Chris says we kind of have to keep them on the hush right now till we gather the time and resources to produce them. We can tell you that we are going to continue to put the time and effort into bringing you some sweet gear, and we are looking at doing a few collaboration pieces with some other companies, I can't tell you which right now, mostly because I just don't want to jinx it. But if you want to be some of the first in the know, the best thing to do is follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Just look up "murdertron". We're also looking at starting a blog. The blog's purpose will be to give everyone more of a personal insight on ourselves and our brand, what we're up to, what we like, and won’t necessarily be apparel orientated.”

 Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Chris: “First and foremost thank you Niki, for taking the time for this interview, and of course a massive thanks to everyone who's currently supporting us and helping spread the word! It’s your support that’s helping us grow.”

Alex: “Yeah and a big thank you to Nick Slowiak, the guys on Edmonton Impact Echo, they were all a big help in getting this brand off the ground. All the guys on Scrub Life, my teammates on Kamikaze, Random Heroes, Mirabel Impact, Shawn Monk, Girl Paintballer, Todd Ancich, Marc Beaudin, Dan Healey... PKFilms! (Check them out on YouTube and Vimeo) Some of the stores that carry our clothes here in Ottawa: Fall Down Gallery, Reap & Sew, Trackwerks. Our music groups: DefineD, Prehistoric, Homebased... I hope I didn't forget anyone, We really appreciate you guys lending a helping hand and giving us a chance to showcase our brand.”

“Also if you're are a store or know a store looking to carry Murdertron e-mail the info to chris@murdertron.com”

Alex and Chris, it has been an absolute pleasure to speak to you about your company and to hear about your vision for the future. I wish you all of the best as you continue to sow into the Murdertron brand. Thank you for creating unique apparel that stands out and feels great! I see only great things ahead for you! 

Signing off (to go shopping at murdertron.com),

The Paintball Wife

Reflections on Central Event 3 - Part 4

CX4

                The central CX4 season has come to an end but all of the CX4 teams will have a shot to earn a championship spot at NAX. While Hamilton Havoc appeared to be a shoe-in for the first place 2012 season title, a rough day on Sunday allowed for Whitby Whiteout to sneak into the lead with a season finish of 211 points. Havoc’s fate was still sealed as one of the top competitors and they had a close second place finish with 208 points. Codrington Chaos rounded off the top three by maintaining their third place spot with 198 points. 

 Havoc's Mark Gawlikowski

Photo Credit: Charity Matheson

 Codrington's Michael Judd

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

                Another point of interest is that Vanier Outbreak, despite joining the league following the 1^st and 2^nd CX4 events, managed to pull ahead of Brampton Rage Kidz, who had a full season under their belts. It appears that Outbreak, Oakville Avengers, and New Sudbury Breakout garnered greater point totals than those of Rage Kidz for the final 3 CX4 events. Well done considering that all three teams joined mid-season! 

 Outbreak's Vic Placido

Photo Credit: Charity Matheson

 Avenger's Kyle Barnett

Photo Credit: Charity Matheson

                I’d like to wish all CX4 teams the best of luck as they head to Ottawa for NAX next month. Take pointers from the skilled players in the higher divisions. Many of them have been where you are and can give wise advice on bettering your skills. 

Signing off,

The Paintball Wife

Reflections on Central Event 3 - Part 3

 RXL

Most exciting game to watch –   ??????

           

            I honestly cannot pick a match to list as the most exciting. I have run-through the list of matches several times to no avail. I have two definitions of what makes an exciting match. One is the situation where the teams are well-paired in talent and it is almost difficult to know the outcome until the buzzer has sounded. The other is when a lower ranked team takes on a challenging competitor and comes out with a surprising number of points - the so-called “upsets” of the paintball world. At this event, neither of these situations played out. In fact, with the exception of the Vipers Vs. Extreme game, the closest matches had a minimum of a four point spread. Feel free to comment with your vote for the most exciting match!

    

Most surprising game –  Dundas Demolition Vs. Guelph Silence, Niagara Aces Vs. Joyceville Venom

            Dundas went into this event sitting fourth in the ranks. They were on the bubble for a NAX spot but were looking forward to some of their most challenging matches (Aces and Distortion). I had them pegged as the winners of their match against Silence because of their strong matches throughout the rest of the season and the fact that they came into Event 3 with the potential to earn a position at NAX. Demolition had something to prove but unfortunately fell short this weekend. Guelph confidently took this match winning with a score of 11-5, sealing Dundas’ fate and ending their season.

 Guelph's Alex Bondi

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

            It is no surprise at all that Aces won their match over Joyceville Venom. Instead, the surprising factor in this match was the fact that Venom showed up with only 3 players. Thanks to a little help from a friend, the three Joyceville players were partnered with two CX4 guests giving them enough team-members to actually play the match. It seems that this unlikely band of characters was no match for Niagara Aces and suffered a devastating 19-0 loss. As one can imagine, this point spread was also devastating to Mississauga Hate as it allowed Aces to pull ahead in plus/minus thus giving them the season win.

    

 

Most Impressive team at this event – It may seem like a cop out but I’ve decided that this is a three way tie. Niagara Aces, Mississauga Hate, and Essex Distortion.

 Hate's Cole Symon

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

            The top three teams in the RXL division were all deserving of their positions this season. Hate and Aces proved to be the strongest all season long but Essex came out at Event 3 and showed everyone that they too could be exceptional competitors. All three teams won every match that they played at this event by a minimum of 4 points and a maximum of 19. It will be a very exciting championship when we mix in the talent from the Eastern and Atlantic divisions. The paintball season is far from over for these three gifted teams. Best of luck to you all as you represent the Central conference at NAX!

     Niagara Aces

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Weakest team – Vaughn Vipers

            Vaughn lost every match they played this season with the exception of their match against Joyceville, their closest competitors, which they tied. As I’ve said before, the teams at the bottom of the ranks earn their spots in the same way as those at the top. I hope Vipers are able to take away some critical tips that they can work on in the “off-season” to bring them up to speed by the 2013 season.

Vipers' Jonathan Lalata

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless 

Team to watch out for at NAX and team to most surpass expectations – Essex Distortion

            Distortion is a newer team with young, less-experienced players and yet they had a very strong season, losing matches only to Mississauga and Niagara. Few expected to see this team as NAX competitors in their very first season at the RXL level but their hard work and dedication to the sport have allowed them to grow as a team, coming out stronger than ever at Event 3. I trust that they will continue to develop as players in preparation for NAX. They’ve surpassed expectations from day 1 so those of you who are doubting their ability to compete at the championship may be in for a surprise. 

 Essex Distortion

Photo Credit: Helen Grose

Signing off,

The Paintball Wife

Reflections on Central Event 3 - Part 2

MXL

Most exciting game to watch – TIE- Brooklin Fingers Vs. Woodstock Semper Fi and Waterloo Wolves Vs. Georgina Rebels

          Headed into this event, Brooklin Fingers were leading the ranks in the MXL division and Woodstock Semper Fi was facing relegation. I don’t think anyone, including the Semper Fi players, predicted this match to finish with Woodstock on the winning end. The match began with an 8 minute point which Fingers conceded, allowing Semper Fi to take the first point of the game. From here, dominance was handed back and forth between the two teams leaving the score 3-3 with 1 minute and 35 seconds remaining in the first half. Brooklin toweled a quick point to Woodstock ending the half with Semper Fi leading by 1. 

 Fingers' Jackson Thoprakan

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

The second half of this match-up was riddled with penalties. With 4 minutes remaining until the end of the match, Woodstock was leading by 1 with a score of 6-5. With such a tight game, it’s no wonder that this was precisely where both teams got into penalty trouble. Fingers suffered 2 minor penalties and Semper Fi took both a major and a minor. Despite their penalties, Semper Fi managed to take control and forced Brooklin to concede the next 3 points in very quick succession. Fingers won themselves one more flag hang before the end of the match making the final score 9-6 Woodstock. 

 Woodstock's Navy Kim

Photo Credit: The Catshack Reports

          The match between Waterloo Wolves and Georgina Rebels was another absolute upset. Both of these teams have spent a little too much time in the penalty box this season so it is no surprise that the penalty trouble carried into this match as well. That being said, it is hard to believe that a whopping 29 minutes in penalties was handed out throughout the course of this game. It seems that Rebels confidently took the first 5 points of the match with little contestation from Wolves. Waterloo came out to take the next point leaving the score 5-1 for Rebels with less than 3 minutes left on the clock. Georgina suffered a major penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct with 48 seconds remaining and all players were eliminated meaning that no point was awarded. Waterloo managed a quick flag hang with a mere 6 seconds until the buzzer rang which left Rebels leading by 3 heading into the second half. 

 Waterloo Wolves off the break

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Wolves must’ve regrouped at half and came out to make the most of Georgina’s remaining major penalty, winning the first two points of the second half. Waterloo went on to concede the next point to Rebels and then procured two more flag hangs leaving the score tied with 3 minutes remaining. Everyone knows how tied games usually play out with little time on the clock. Players begin to attempt crazy plays or try to get away with things they wouldn’t normally do. This seems to be exactly the case with this match. In the final minutes, Waterloo took two minor penalties and a major and Georgina also took a major penalty. Somewhere in the midst of all of these penalties, a point was conceded to wolves and a point was awarded to Georgina because Waterloo failed to field any players. The final point of the game was conceded to Rebels leaving the score at a surprising 8-7 with Waterloo on the losing end.

 Rebel's Daniel Cenci coming out of the box

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Most Impressive team at this event –Hespeler Hooligans

 Hooligans

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

          In all honesty, I completely expected this team to finish the season on top and they didn’t disappoint. Hooligans won all of their matches at this event by a minimum of an 8 point spread and have been NAX hopefuls from day one. Need I say more? 

Weakest team – Winnipeg 420 Army

 420 Army

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

          The relegation to RXL this season was between Winnipeg 420 Army and Woodstock Semper Fi. While I routed for Woodstock from the beginning, hoping that they would be steadfast and maintain their MXL position, I began to doubt them toward the end of the season. While Woodstock suffered an equal number of losses this season as Winnipeg, they managed to come out ahead in plus/minus meaning that it would be 420 Army who would lose their MXL franchise. The most points that this team scored throughout the season was 7 and the only match they won was against Semper Fi. The fact that they came out at the bottom of the heap is certainly no surprise and just as the top teams earned their spots, the same is true for those who lost them. 

Team to most surpass expectations- Woodstock Semper Fi

          I watched Woodstock when it was Defiance win RXL in 2009 and MXL in 2010 to merge forces with Cambridge Raiders for the 2011 season. This team was our family and my husband and I invested time into the team and the players. When the decision was made for the merge in 2011, even though the athletes who’d proudly sported Woodstock Defiance on their jerseys would now just as proudly be Cambridge Raiders, I had a difficult time with the thought of letting go of the precious Defiance name and selling our beloved Woodstock franchise. So you can imagine just how saddened I was when the new Woodstock Semper Fi lost their CXBL spot during the 2011 season and were relegated to MXL. 

 When Woodstock Defiance won their second season in a row making the jump to CXBL

Article from Action Pursuit Games

Photo credit- Jamie Photoman Holmes

         This season, I routed for them as the underdogs, hoping against all odds that they would come out strong in the 2012 season in the MXL division. When they continuously suffered devastating losses, I began to believe that the team that our paintball family had worked so hard to move up through the ranks would be relegated once again to RXL which is precisely where they started. Thankfully, against all odds, Woodstock Semper Fi pulled out a stupefying win over Brooklin Fingers which allowed the relegation decision to be left to plus/minus. This win not only saved them from relegation but it was a win over one of the top two teams, allowing  Woodstock to finish the season on a high note. Semper Fi- You have my congratulations and my thanks for proving (in the nick of time) that you deserve to keep your MXL position.

 Semper Fi's Nathan Douglas

Photo Credit: The Catshack Reports

          The 2012 season of MXL had perhaps even more surprises than the CXBL Elite. While the top three teams and NAX hopefuls were clear from the beginning, this season was filled with upsets. If I can offer any advice to the central teams heading into NAX, it would be to learn how to play a clean game. The fewer minutes you spend in the box, the more time you have to win points. This advice will come in handy for whichever team ends up earning a CXBL position. The bump from MXL to CXBL is a tough one and you won’t survive it if you are taking careless penalties.

          Congratulations to all of the MXL teams on another exciting season. Best of luck to Hooligans, Fingers, and Wolves as you prepare for NAX.

Signing off,

The Paintball Wife