Thursday, March 14, 2013

Toronto Force - Texas Prep.



     With the PSP pro division beginning at PSP Dallas TODAY, and the other divisions beginning tomorrow, it’s time for another interview with some Canadian favourites. Ryan Dowling of Toronto Force join’s me for an interview this morning. Read on for his take on Force’s journey to Dallas. 

 Photo Credit: Helen Grose

·         There have been some roster changes since Toronto Force's debut at World Cup in October. Can you comment on these changes? How is the new roster working out?

“Yeah, Force has picked up Drew "sippy cup" Guppy, Sam "Jagermeister" Noddle, Andre Gravelle, and Brandon Armstrong. Drew and Sam have been at the top level of Ontario paintball for quite a few years now, and have played a fair amount of National Events. Drew played D1 NPPL with Synergy/PSP with Defcon D2, and Sam played NPPL with Chop Shop D1/PSP with Shockwave D2. I can't wait to see the damage we will cause now, both are great additions to the team. Andre is a new face to the tournament scene, catching coach Ron's eye, getting him the opportunity to gain some experience by learning and playing with Force. Brandon has played on a previous team under Ron's coaching in the CXBL, seeing potential, Ron brought him onto the roster a month ago to suit up and prepare for Dallas.”

·         Has Toronto Force made any other changes since World Cup?

“Not Really.”

·          How are you personally preparing for the 2013 PSP season?

“I'm preparing by staying focused on what i need to do to compete in Dallas. I've also started working on my cardio, knowing that we'll have a short roster.”

·         What is the Toronto Force family doing to ensure they are at their best for PSP Dallas this weekend?

“Toronto Force has taken a few trips down to Flint Michigan for a couple of two day practices. The first trip down we played against CRU Paintball, and this past weekend we had a good back and forth practice with Chicago Infamous D1. The practices benefited our team a lot…on and off the field. Team bonding is so important, and this team gets along great.”

·         What are your goals for the team for this first event?

“I expect nothing less than first for Force at Dallas. We've prepared, we have the talent, and we're all hungry.”

·         What will be most challenging aspect of PSP Dallas for Force?

“With a short roster, it may be difficult to quickly pod up and get back out on the field with a level head. However, I feel that we can overcome this problem by staying hydrated, and just staying calm in the pits.”

·         What are you most looking forward to this PSP season?

“I'm most looking forward to winning some tournaments, and having fun with the boys....and to see Andre slam Guppy to the ground when they finally fight.”

·         Is there anything else you would like to share?

“Just that I’m gonna be sweeping the leg all year, and I love mama.”


Thanks for the Interview Ryan! I wish you, and Force, every success at this event! I look forward to watching Force bring home some games this weekend!

 Force at a recent practice in Michigan.

Signing off,
The Paintball Wife

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Alliance Camp: Working Together to Create Amazing Paintball Experiences




            With PSP Dallas rapidly approaching, and more and more Canadian players digging in to American Paintball, what better time than now to take a closer look at a few of the teams heading to the USA this week! Perhaps you are already familiar with the new and growing Alliance Camp with rosters filled with players from all across the CXBL divisions joining together to fight it out in PSP this season. If not, this is your chance to learn all about this awesome camp and their plans for 2013! Derrick Weltz joins me for an interview, today! 




·         Alliance Camp opened up in the fall of 2012 but they are still quite new to PSP. Can you tell me a little bit about how Alliance came to be? 

“My understanding is that Eddie Ralf and Ryan Chantler had the first talks of starting this team/camp on the drive back from PSP MAO last year. I wasn't brought into the picture until late September, from there Hamish McCall, Ryan Chantler and I started working on plans for 2013. At that point they had already established the D3 team to play at PSP world cup.”

·         What is the vision behind this camp?

“Our goal is to offer players an opportunity to travel while playing paintball. One of the best things about paintball is the time spent travelling with your friends which essentially turn into a second family for most players. Sure we could have just played select tournaments and been a "throw together" team, but we wanted this organization to be something people were proud to be a part of and to feel like their home.”


 Photo Credit: Helen Grose

·         Alliance had a D3 debut at World Cup in October, and your D3 team will be playing at Dallas. What did they learn in the fall that has helped them to prepare for the 2013 PSP season?

“Yes we took a group of players that we were interested in having as a part of our group this year to World Cup last year to test the waters with them. We were very happy with how they performed. Although they didn't place that well, the lessons they learned were valuable. The main thing that the guys took away from World Cup was how much of a team sport paintball is and that little errors will easily cost you an event. In the race-to format everybody has to be on the same page as a team and everybody has a specific role to fulfill. There is no room for selfish players.”

·         Alongside the D3 team, Alliance has a D1 team making their debut in Dallas next weekend. Who can we expect to see on the roster?

“Well APPA has our roster on their website but I will give a quick lowdown. Myself, Ryan Chantler, Will Scheffel, Mark Steinke, Rob Martin, Brian Robertson, Tim Danchuk, Dan Zavaros, Andrew Urquhart and Ben Kanester are making up the D1 team for Dallas. We were planning on having a D2 team for the entire season but have decided for Dallas just to run D3 and D1 teams to help keep cost down for the following event which is a month after Dallas. We also have a couple players that will be on the D1 roster that are not able to play Dallas because of schooling and personal life. So there will be many roster movements in Alliance Camp from event to event judging on performance.”

·         What have the Alliance Camp teams done to prepare for PSP Dallas?

“We have had numerous practices at our indoor facility which is Flagswipe paintball located in London, Ontario. We have had focused practices to help with specific parts of our game. Both our teams (D3 and D1) have players that are new to the PSP and even paintball but with the dimension changes and added bunkers this year you can expect to see a faster game and with that you will need lots of speed and legs.”

·         How are you preparing as an individual to be at the top of your game for Dallas?

“Personally I've been preparing myself physically in case the situation arises where I have to play every point. We're all aware that if players have good or bad events, other players have to step up and fill different roles. But at the same time I've been working on my mental game, people that have played on my teams in the past will agree that I am the first person to pull myself from the game if I am not performing. But at the same time I have been known to be a ‘hot head’- I can lose my cool over a bad call. So I've been working on controlling my emotions and not letting them get the best of me.”

·         What do you think will be the Alliance Camp's greatest challenge for PSP Dallas? What do you think is your greatest strength?

“Well like stated before we have lots of new players to the PSP scene, so sometimes the hardest part is keeping people focused on playing, and not worrying about the little things in the Trade show (Yeah I am talking to you lil Ben). In paintball the one thing many great teams lack is support. We have nearly 30 people coming down to Dallas so we will have the organization and numbers to offer support to both of our teams. We just need to make sure everybody has a role and we don't hear too many voices on the sidelines.”

·         What specific goals do you and the Alliance family have for PSP Dallas and throughout the 2013 season?

“First and foremost paintball should always be fun. As soon as people aren't having fun I think you have to take a step back and reevaluate the situation. My personal goal with Alliance is to give everybody a year they won't forget. Alliance management has already got a surprise for all of the players and staff members that are coming to Dallas with us! I personally cannot wait to surprise everybody! Make sure to like our page on Facebook and follow us all year, to keep up with everything going on!”

·         Does Alliance have any sponsors or supporters whom you would like to mention?

“Why yes we do, we have amazing support from numerous companies this year! For starters as mentioned earlier, we have an amazing home at Flagswipe paintball and we will be shooting RPS paintball's all year! We will be shooting the DLX luxe, with the Virtue Spire, Exalt will be supplying us with their awesome pants, tank covers, micro fibres, and barrel maids. Also we have Ntensity Customs making all the soft goods we could ever need!”

·         Is there anything else you would like to add?

“I would just like to thank all the players that are involved with Alliance as we are new to running an entire camp and there will be hiccups along the way but they trust us to do our best and this wouldn't be possible without them!”

“Thanks Niki for keeping an awesome blog, and please no more rapping video's!”


Derrick, thank you so much for taking the time to share about Alliance Camp and your many exciting plans for the season ahead! I wish you all the best at PSP Dallas! I look forward to seeing you grind it out on Texas soil! As for the rapping, it’s sort of like vomiting…no matter how badly you want to keep it in, sometimes it can’t help but escape! I guess this means I shouldn’t include that rap I wrote about Alliance, eh? 

Signing off, 

The Paintball Wife