Minutes with George Ocean

EGO 11 Review

2010-11-02T13:41:00.000-05:00

Paris was coming around the corner and I knew the guy at Eclipse had something left up there sleeve for the end of the year. They’ve been posting teaser pics of the Ego11 so I got in touch with Ledz and requested one for Paris. Like the great guys they are, I got an email immediately back (it was something like 9 at night for him, he must work around the clock) saying I’d have one in Europe.

Since the release of the Geo2 and the new design I know they’ve had trouble keeping them on the shelves so I was curious what had been done to the Ego11. Right as I took it out of the box I noticed two things. They used what I loved about the Geo2, the length. The grip was moved back leaving more of gap between the reg and the trigger guard thus giving it a more rifled feel. The new grip also only have two screws and sets in to the trigger frame which is really nice for people like me that lose screws all the time. The feel of the gun was also different than other Egos I’ve had, it just felt more comfortable. Excited to shoot it, I grabbed my tank and again noticed something had changed. The on/off assembly had been completely redesigned. Now all it takes to de-gas your gun is the push of a button. Once over the chrono I noticed how smooth this felt compared to my Ego10. Before getting the gun I was able to talk to Nicky T who was spouting off all this techno mumbo jumbo. What I didn’t realize is that I should’ve have listened cause whatever they changed in the gun, it’s definitely working.

As my team usually schedules us a practice or two on the millennium field before the tournament, I got to practice with this gun before actually playing any games. I usually like to get comfortable with something before I take it out there and play for the real thing. With only two hours of practice I was worried I wouldn’t get the chance to completely get use to the new gun. I was mistaken yet again. The redesigned grip made the transition from the Geo2 to the new Ego seamless. I noticed this by the second game out when we lost our complete snake side. I had to make the fill to the corner to try and save the game. With both a snake and mirror, I had to try and battle both guys to slow them down. Not only was I able to snap both of them out, I ran down the last guy on the dorrito side and shot him on the run. Since that game I couldn’t but the gun down. Once the tournament started I know I’d have to put the gun through its paces. This weekend I saw some of the best paint of the year at Paris. Literally you could drop it from your hip and more than half would break on the ground. The gun handled the paint perfectly. With my FPS at about 275-280 I never broke a ball and was able to shoot a certain lane on off the break that needed a bit more drop than being right at 300. In fact our eclipse guns shot so well that both Mykel and I would walk away with a 1^st place using the new Ego11 and Geo2. If you want to check out this gun for yourself, stop by the eclipse booth and check it out or better yet come bother me after a match and I can let you shoot a few paint bullets through it. We’ll have a morning schedule at World Cup so come support us and the new Ego11.

Another sweet video

2010-09-22T10:41:00.000-05:00

I was the mad scientist last night up late mixing and mastering this next piece, This was the Nocturnal musicfest in Rockdale, TX dominated by DUBSTEP, trance, and of course Kid Cudiiiii!

2010-08-12T23:10:00.002-05:00

Sorry for such the long hiatus. I've been mixing this video the whole time.....syke! This is my virgin attempt with iMovie with no other video editing experience. I'd like to say I had a lot of beginners luck on how well this turned out. Hope you enjoy!

GEO 2 Review

2010-06-16T16:15:00.001-05:00

This past weekend in Nebraska I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one of the new Geo 2's from Eclipse. Like usual, the gun came in the metal zipper case I've come like very much. It's the perfect size to carry everything you need and still fit inside any gear bag. The gun, the tools, lube, and the barrels, everything you need is in this little box that can take a beating.

Ok, now on to the gun. As soon as I could get it out of it's case I had it aired up and ready to go. As with any eclipse gun, the only trigger adjustment I have to do is back out the top most forward screw. I have no idea what the screw is for but I've done with all my eclipse guns since 2006 and it always make the trigger perfect. With that out of the way, I donned the .689 back, my prophecy and tank and was ready to rock. The first thing I noticed was how much more stable the gun felt in my hands. The small distance added to gap between the trigger frame and reg was perfect. I felt like I was going to battle with a rifle in my hand, not a little pistol. This small changed helped the gun stay more stable as I ripped off a few good lanes into some Nebraska corn.

Mykel in the snake

Before Greg would hell at me for shooting his beloved corn we decided to get things going and play our first match. Right off the bat I noticed I was more accurate than I had ever been before. Instead of shooting the guy with the 2nd or 3rd ball, I'd catch him with the first right away giving them no chance to flinch away and hide.

Even the GEO 2 can't save stupid moves...

The second improvement I noticed was the air efficiency. I was playing the tall cake on the dorrito side and most of the games my job was to lock off the snake side if we got a G off the break. Basically what that meant was I was shooting 4-5 pods a game easy. With my old GEO, I'd have to fill up after every game. With the new GEO 2 Bolt, I could stay out on the field and run backs to backs if need be.

The gun didn't get an easy first road either. Over the course of the weekend I shot close to 15 cases through it. We got rained on. It got tossed in the mud a few times and generally got beat up like any gun would if you played 9 matches with it. And through all this it kept firing and never missed a beat.

Overall I was very impressed with the small changes that ended up having a huge effect on performance. If you were a fan of the GEO, then the GEO 2 is a must buy. I know there's some diehard EGO fans (aka Todd Morrow) still out there but for those who like the spool valve design, the GEO 2 can't be beat right now.

Pics can be found at PennerPics

Eclipse Pro Player Poll

2010-06-14T10:35:00.000-05:00

Eclipse started a poll of sponsored players to see who the fans wanted to hear more about. Mykel and myself were entered to come support your X-factor boys!!

Eclipse Poll

Spa Racetrack and Practice

2010-06-10T22:50:00.000-05:00

So I went with one of my teammates (Geoffrey) to the infamous Spa Racetrack in the hills of Belgium. He gave us a 4-wheeler to drive around the track and check out all the turns. Here's a few pictures from pit lane, the parking lot, and the track. The noise level is unbelievable, makes you feel like a little kid again.

We also had a practice two weekends ago on the new field of dreams. Only pictures will do it justice...

TURF...in some spots.

Update from GerMoney

2010-05-19T02:31:00.000-05:00

Well this is day 6 for me here near the Germany/Belgium border. I've been staying in Belgium but after tomorrow we'll be leaving to go to Bitburg where the event will be held. With my traveling last year I qualified for American Airline's highest status getting me some trendy upgrades for this year. I used my first upgrade into business class on the way over. After being treated like a king, it'll be hard to go back to coach any other time. Free booze, choice on dinner, a seat that reclines all the way back, and no flight attendants giving you any lip (down with Iberia) can't be beat. Here's some pictures from it.

After arriving I was picked up by one of my teammates Claudio. Immediately we stopped at a petrol station and picked up some road brews to get started on the right foot. We pretty much partied all the way to saturday and I got to meet some cool Belgium people. Saturday I got to spread my knowledge and have a little clinic at our field here in Brussels. On sunday we would travel down into France to this huge indoor field to train against Ronin. This was by far the nicest paintball field I've ever been too. Regulation Millennium field, good lighting, sick turf, and some good games really let me get a good feel for the field. Too bad it's almost 4 hours away otherwise I'd want to practice there every time!

German Bridge on the way to the field

Since Sunday, I've just been hanging out at Claudio's house near Aachen. I've been treated to pizza, frites, and steak pretty much everyday. Basically an American's dream selection of food when coming to Europe. Thanks to his family for putting up with me these past few days. Haha! Today I have plans with one of my other teammates, Geoffrey, to go to the world famous Spa racetrack where he's taking out a kit car he owns. This should be real interesting getting George behind the wheel. Peace!

HK BANNED FROM THE NPPL

2010-05-11T19:17:00.003-05:00

HK BANNED FROM THE NPPL

Posted using ShareThis

New ETV

2010-05-10T13:58:00.001-05:00

As always Dan comes out with another hit. Matty belongs in every paintball video too.

From D2 to Pro....

2010-05-05T12:43:00.000-05:00

Here's a little interview from one of our new kids.

My name is Trevor Resar and I'm 19 years old. I live in Moore, OK with my Mom, Dad, and younger brother. When I'm not playing paintball, I repossess and tow cars for one of the businesses my dad owns, and in my spare time I enjoy wake boarding and snow boarding.

Questions:
1. What was your first paintball experience and who introduced you to the game? Like almost everyone, my first time to play was at a friends birthday.

2. What team do you play for now? San Antonio X-Factor

3. What teams have you played for in the past? Yakuza Kids, Tulsa Cruel, and Texas Storm

You went from D2 to pro, what's the biggest difference? The pace that the game is played at, as well as the time you have to make decisions. When something changes on the field, you have just a 1/2 second to react.

4. Who helped you become the player you are? Mike Chitwood, John Hubbard, Ryan Gray (all of which have been associated with Texas Storm), and Randall Barnes

5. Who are your favorite paintball players? I really enjoy watching Glen Takamoto and Jason Barrett play.

6. What’s your best paintball experience or memory? Winning the USPL West Coast Open in Corona.

7. What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve done in order to play paintball? I missed every one of my school Proms, and I drive 7 1/2 hours to practice, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

8. What is the single most important lesson the up and comer needs to learn? To take every practice as a learning experience and make it a point to leave the field a little better each time.

9. What makes Texas/OK unique in the world of competitive paintball? The southern region of the United States definitely has its own style of paintball, different from anywhere in the country. It's a very fast paced, in your face kind of style that makes us unique.

10. Do you (or any of your teammates) have any superstitions related to playing paintball? The only one that I have is, I always have this one headband that I wear when I play, and I don't let it touch the ground. At the end of the day, it's the first thing to go into my gearbag.

Recent practice pics

2010-04-28T16:55:00.002-05:00

Shorty

Trevor Resar

Mitch and Ross

You can find more at this link:
http://s954.photobucket.com/albums/ae23/MikeyVphoto/MikeyVphoto/Max%204-25/

Crash at the Coast

2010-04-28T16:48:00.002-05:00

I'm thinking about crashing at the coast a few days myself. Anyone else plan on going?

For details check out the facebook page...
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=117115791646312&ref=ts

HEB Commerical

2010-04-20T17:40:00.000-05:00

:Goff Testimonial from heb.com on Vimeo.

Malaga. San Miguel, Volcanos, and Stark 92

2010-04-20T17:27:00.000-05:00

Well as most of you probably already know, Spain was an absolute shit show. As much as I would like for them to change the location, I can say I wouldn't mind going back year after year regardless if we ever played paintball. Why do I say that? Well us Americans will make the best out of any opportunity and become good friends with San Miguel.....and that's exactly what we did.

Mykel and I arrived wednesday morning only to find out our Belgium teammates would be showing up 7 hours later than us. It's actually a really good thing since it means we can catch up on sleep while waiting for them to fly in. We had training schedule for the next day but that would all change once we showed up at the field.

Chocolate Waves

Snake side at Malaga

Trose Boat

So after seeing that, we quickly realized we weren't playing at all today. They reschedule practice and games all for the next day.

You're also probably wondering why the snake was in the sea too. What that also meant was the dorrito side was on the spectator side along with the pits. This made viewing games almost impossible as well. I have no idea what they were thinking when they set it up like that.

We arrived at the field the next day, only to find it in similar condition. This time they cleaned it up a bit and we got a few games in against Ryan Moorehead with Coming at Ya and Instinct. After about 45 minutes it started to pour on us so practice games were postponed for a bit. I'm glad we got the practice in because we quickly found out the snake side played very quick and you had to adjust almost instantaneously if you lost a body on that side. With this knowledge we went into our first match against Brussels Crossfire, another good team from Belgium.

This match would start off real rough for us because we were given a penalty I didn't even know existed. Our snake player recieved a 5 for 1 for "trying to wipe" a hit so the whole team was pulled plus we started the next game 4 on 5. What a swell way to start off the new year eh? We ended up battling back in a lot of close points to win 4-3. This was a really big win for us considering we've always had trouble battling from behind to win matches.

Our next match was against All Russians, a team that dominated D1 so well last year they didn't even lose a match. Not much to say about this match because it was over so quick. We won 4-0, I guess all you can say is welcome to the SPL :-)! All joking aside, this will be a VERY competitive team. They are in fact russian so they know how to practice and win so I don't see our next matchup going as smoothly as the first.

After our two matches the weather took a turn for the worse. The thunderstorms forecasted for the weekend rolled in and along with the sea devastated the fields again and would continue for the rest of the weekend. On top of all that, the EFkoaijdsfklasdfiasdlfasdlkdfjalsy glacier volcano erupted preventing teams from either coming if they booked late flights or returning home. This coupled with a French train driver strike forced most teams to either rent a car to drive home or wait it out in Malaga. We were lucky enough that Madrid still hadn't been closed so we made it back to USA safe and sound. I was unlucky enough to get food poisoning and through up most of the way back.

While we were stuck in Malage we decided to make the most of it. One of my most favorites things at these Euro-events is the US Fire sale. All us hired guns will set up in one location and try and push gear for any and all who want it. My part in the whole ordeal is to stand on top of a chair and yell at anyone who walks near. Besides that we partied til people looked at us funny and enjoy what time had left in Malaga. Our good friend San Migeul (the beer) and Pedro the donkey also made it easy on us too.

Pedro

Alex Savino aka the water buffalo at the Airport

Madrid Airport

Starkin Mountains

2010-04-12T18:22:00.002-05:00

2010-04-12T18:07:00.000-05:00

So I'm sitting here at a DFW terminal realizing that this will be my home for the next few days and on my b-day too :-( HB is over and finished. Overall it was a really successful event for the NPPL. After all ready a year of doubting and haters they put together another good event on the beach and sold out every spot.

I played this event with Rockstar Factory in D1. I had never met any of these guys before this event so I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. They also had no idea what they were getting themselves into with George. Lucky for me, they're a real cool group of guys that I got along with real well. Too bad we didn't play real well. Haha! With Chicago next and such a poor performance, I think it refocused them and we'll come out strong.

Post collision

2010-04-06T20:10:00.000-05:00

I believe derder may have captured it so expect me to be riding on the short bus...

Busy Busy Busy

2010-04-05T23:44:00.001-05:00

Ooooobama!!!

Had some fun this past weekend. Store appearance up at Intensity Sports in North Austin. If you haven't had time to check out this store it's run by a couple of cool cats so check it out if you're in the area. The next day was easter so what better way to celebrate then go play paintball with the Jews and Pagans. Brett the Threats team ended up taking the gold!

Really excited about these next two weeks. Got the NPPL HB open with Rockstar factory. Then Malaga with my good Belgium friends on Breakout Spa. While on the phone with my Rockstar liason Edwin, I was told I could not party while the tournament was going on. Little did he realize George only comes out on Sunday nights so no worries my friend!! See all my good friends soon enough!!!

STARK 92!!!!!

Get our Tall Tee's back!!!

2010-03-30T20:46:00.002-05:00

The man to bother with these requests is Tony Mineo. He's too cool to check the web so we must do it at Chicago. His reasoning behind not allowing it is because we look like thugs.....and therefore act like thugs.

SOOOOO when you approach him do it in a professional manner, unlike the scoreboard the PSP currently has :-)

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=3326156&page=4

Zonie-land

2010-03-23T14:47:00.000-05:00

Well I'm finally rested up enough after PHX to give everyone the low-down.

For those who were wondering about my health, I'm perfectly fine. After being run-over by Mykel "the train" Kovar, all it ended being was a few bruised ribs. I still have no recollection of what happened so if you have video that would be awesome. For those who didn't see it, I was running down a shock player and got shot. I immediately took a few steps to the left, right in the way of Mykel who was also running down the same guy. He ran my ass over and from I can tell I hit my gun or loader into my chest.

Now on to our performance....

Coming into this tournament expect a win would've been a little far stretched. With only 4 returning players from last year and 3 completely new guys to our system, a win would've been hard to come by. What I did expect coming into this tournament is getting these guys some experience and confidence, and that's exactly what did happen.

Our first match against XSV is what you look for in the start of the year. A solid win with a few mistakes to improve on for the next match. We executed everything we set out to do against them and it worked. Our new guys stepped up and played some real good ball against what will become a very competitive team. I think the mental aspect is the hardest part for new players to overcome. Realizing that tournament paintball against the likes of XSV and the Russians is just like practice back home. What our guys accomplished was just that. We went out there and just played good paintball, it didn't matter who was on the other side of the field, we dictated how that match was played out. Unfortunately, we didn't do that against the Russians. As easy as it is to say we got penalties, we never once had control of that match or any game in it. They make very little mistakes and if you're not able to capitalize off them, then you'll never beat them....all while not making any mistakes yourself.

I guess that leaves us with our last match against shock. As much as I hate losing, this is probably one of the best group of guys to lose too. They recently experience what X-factor has been going through, players giving up on your organization for "greener" pastures. Too bad those greener pastured ended up looking like most of Arizona this weekend for 'em. With that being said, I'll get into the nitty gritty details. David Griffin, our super coach, worked it out and realized that if we went into overtime with shock, we'd both make it through. That's a hard ticket to pass up. Jeremy also realized this and a talk between Myself, Dave, and Jeremy took place. We all agreed that doing something like this was no good for either team and the best thing to do was fight to the death.

Now I'm sure some people will think differently but that is the God honest truth. If you actually saw the match that ensued you'd agree with me. No one threw that game or manipulated it in anyway. We really did run up a 6-2 lead on shock and then blow it all the way to the overtime point. One thing about shock is they got a lot of fight, especially after losing Drew and picking up the heart and soul of the AA's (Tim M.). In the end we blew a 4 point lead and have no one else to blame but ourselves. We could've finished that game anyone of those points and there wouldn't have been this big dark cloud that now hangs over the PSP.

After shock did manage to come back those 4 points, we set up to play the OT point and play to win. As the clock was counting down the time stopped at :30. What stopped that clock was one team arguing that the rules had changed and that there was no such thing as an overtime point anymore to save their quite desperate chance at making it to Sunday. Apparently an e-mail was sent out to the teams (which we never got) suggesting a rule change be made Monday before the event. Now that the rule would actually have an effect, it was changed :30 before we played shock for the final point. Only a handful of teams had gotten this said e-mail and not even Tony knew about the rule until this point (reason for the delay). Hopefully this "lack of communication" is not a sign of things to come from the PSP. In the end, I'm quickly learning there's only a handful of good people left in this sport and I respect them tremendously for what they stand for.

With that outta the way, I'd like to say congrats to Impact and Aftershock. I find it kinda ironic that a last minute rule change let in the team that would go on to win the tournament. Guess it just gives you a clue to how this year will play out. I know speaking with Josh Davey before one of their matches that he was hesitant to play PSP this year with his job, but I'm sure we'll be seeing more of him with their recent performance. Shock also finished the highest they ever have and have shown they'll be a contender for the top spot for this next year to come.

Straight from the horse's mouth....

X-Factor T-shirts

2010-03-19T23:21:00.000-05:00

Here in PHX. Find me or Al to get your hands on one of these. $20.

Update from PHX

2010-03-19T20:33:00.000-05:00

Mykel giving a little update on PHX.

X-Factor Draws

2010-03-15T19:25:00.001-05:00

SA X-Factor:
Russians
Aftershock
XSV

SP X-Factor:
Aftermath
Entourage
Elevation

OOOOoooooooOBama!

Pictures from the HEB commercial.

2010-03-05T15:33:00.000-06:00

Here's just a few pictures from the HEB commercial. My mom has a ton on her camera but she hasn't uploaded them yet. All in all it was a super fun day. The biggest surprise for me was just how many people there were. I'd say we had anywhere from 35-40 people working on our farm Wednesday and it seemed like at least half of them were assistants to someone else. I was constantly called "the talent" all day long which was pretty cool. Haha!

My personal assistant

Before

After

$80,000 camera

The real stars of the show

That's a wrap...

2010-03-03T18:19:00.000-06:00

Just finished wrapping up on my family's HEB commercial. If all goes as planned, I will quit paintball so I can travel my wave of stardom to the top...

On a more serious note I'll have some pictures up tomorrow. This was a long day that started at 6:00am and is still not done.

Pro*File with VFTD

2010-03-01T17:41:00.000-06:00

Check out the interview I did for Baca Loco over at View from the dead box!

http://viewfromthedeadbox.blogspot.com/

The New X-Factor gun!!!

2010-02-25T11:06:00.001-06:00

Here it is fresh off the press....

(Click on it to enlarge)

In other news, We have the Vicious practice coming up quick. This will be our first chance to really gauge how well the new guys are fitting into our system and how they're working together as a team. The biggest hurdle we have to overcome before PHX is just being comfortable with each other on the field. This doesn't happen overnight, it takes time and that's something we're running short of at the moment. None-the-less, the drive each and everyone has is insane. Everyone (included us seasoned pro) wants to improve on our games because if we don't, one of these kids will be taking our spot...

New gun..

2010-02-19T13:33:00.002-06:00

Just saw a glimpse of the new X-factor EGO. Gun is in the hospital cause it's so sick!!!!!

I'll have pictures up once I'm allowed to release it!!!

Mondays with Myke

2010-02-08T10:24:00.001-06:00

BKiT: New Generation

Much has changed since I started playing this incredible sport of paintball. I have traveled the world, met interesting people from all walks of life and shared memories with my teammates that will last a lifetime. However, being from Texas offers an uphill battle for those that choose to compete at the highest level. We do not have several different pro teams to practice against, our player base is significantly lower compared to the states where paintball has flourished in times past, and god didn’t set our thermostat to 75 degrees and always sunny. Collectively, this is what makes the BKiT stand out from the rest. We take what we are given and don’t take shit from anyone. We live the dream and put in all the work at the same time. With that being said, I know we did not have such a great 2009 season, except a 3^rd place finish in the West Coast Open. I think the reason for the not so stellar overall performance was due in large part to a lack of heart, drive, and determination. Nevertheless, I do think we showed we still had what it takes to be a top-level team at that event. We don’t have a 7man field nor did we have any sort of practice on the layout, yet we went in there and handled business against some of the best teams like Blast (who won the series title), Dynasty (who are always a favorite to win any event), and other organizations whose sole focus is that style of play. Overall we let ourselves as a team slip. Drew Templeton of team VICIOUS said it best, “ You can’t lie to the grind. The grind can be your worst enemy or your best friend.” Needless to say, the grind was not our best friend last year and we certainly paid for it.

After the season, I thought a lot about what we could have done differently and how we could improve for the upcoming year. What it came down to is going back to our roots. We also lost a couple players to life (shit sucks, but it happens) and had a little fat trimming. We were left with 5 players from the original roster, 6 now that Alex “Big Poppa” Martinez is back in the game after some real life situations forced him to take the majority of the season off. This forced us to consider picking up other players. For the most part, I have been very hesitant to welcome anyone with open arms into our program. I always felt that the guys we had were capable of accomplishing our goals and we did not need any extra help, however, in times like these we must learn to adapt and shift focus. This off-season we picked up 15 kids from around the State who are going to be giving the business to people soon. I cannot tell you how excited I am to be able to play for this team, but also being apart of this family is very special to me. A couple years ago the same thing happened: a bunch of no named kids came onto the pro scene and started kicking the “old guard” right in the face. These up and coming players remind me a bunch of ourselves at that age- hungry, competitive, and always willing to do whatever it takes. I now look at these kids as the future of Texas paintball, and with just due, they will become the new generation of BKiT.

Article at Catshack Reports

2010-02-05T20:56:00.000-06:00

Check out my interview with Cat Shack Reports!

George Ocean Interview

This just in...

2010-02-05T11:49:00.001-06:00

If you've been fortunate enough to be graced with Oliver's wonderful new segments from France, then you've heard the rumor about X-Factor becoming a competitive carpenter team. I'm here to say that is 100% true. Sponsorship has seen a decrease in the past few years so your favorite team X-Factor has picked up a 2nd job to stay alive. We will be competing in the MCCL (the Mexican Carpenters Competitive League) and traveling all over Southern America. With Alex at the helm we won't settle for anything but 1st place.

One thing Oliver forgot to mention was the Ironmen have also picked up a new hobby along with the huge pick up of Dave Youngblood. The whole Ironmen organization will be competing in the world's strongest man competition along with bodybuilding competitions. Dave Youngblood will lead the bodybuilding squad while Mike Paxson will lead the strongest man squad. I wish them luck with there new endeavors as well.

Video in question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_X82ftxEtY

Philly is done!

2010-02-03T10:18:00.000-06:00

Here's a real good article by Tim Montressor. He never really made his writings too public but I've always enjoyed them because he's been in this sport and on the grind for so long. Go check it out at:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/tim-montressor/blog-10-a-new-beginning/326733901424

Show me where the woods are at!

2010-01-27T16:49:00.002-06:00

Got a 10 man tournament coming up in February. They only allow one battery per set up (meaning either the loader or gun are battery operated). Buying an SFL from Kid Arch so this should round off the set up...

Don't like our APPA rankings....

2010-01-25T15:30:00.002-06:00

...Well then show me yours!

I love how people like to talk trash behind names on the internet. If you had any sack you'd post your name with all the shit you're saying and then we may actually respect what you are saying.

Instead, I'll quickly file you as someone who failed at paintball (and most likely life) and you're jealous of the opportunity these individuals have. I honestly hope you're playing semi-pro so we know who to walk off the field. You say they'll be X-Factor's punching bag? You must be able to relate to that or you'd have no reason to say anything :-)

Please don't let our APPA fool you. Each one of these players was picked up for a reason and they will each prove it throughout this year.

Tryouts are DONE!

2010-01-24T21:32:00.000-06:00

Finally it's done. Probably the longest two weekends for me as a player seeing as how I didn't get to play....at all. Not to mention I had to crush some dreams of fellow paintballers, which is no fun to do either. On the other hand, a set of players have now been given the chance I was given about 4 years ago. When I made the team (with my good friend Ryan Brand), we were the 15th and 16th guys on the team. With no chance at a starting spot, our only option that year was to work our ass off and wait for that one opportunity. Mine came in Chicago of that year. I can't even remember why I was put in but I knew I had that one chance to play well or I'd continue to ride the pine. If I made a single mistake that one game, I'd have to wait again til the stars aligned for another chance. I can't remember the exact details but I believe me and Dixon had to pull off a big 2 on 4 against Aftermath. We would go on to win the match and I continued to play for the rest of that tournament and the rest of the year.

/rant

Enough of that, now back to the tryouts. We mainly just played games these past two days. The wind really picked up today so we weren't able to play as much as I hoped but we accomplished what we set out to do. Find a group of players I thought would be capable of one day playing pro. I don't look at our semi-pro team as just a semi-pro team, but a group of players that have the potential and the drive to one day play pro. The amount of raw talent on this team is unreal. It's now up to us veteran X-factor guys to groom them into a well oiled machine. So here's the names of ballplayers that have been added to our roster (some have already been in the system but we'll make it official)...

Arnold Haffner
Kevin Lam
Mark Johnson
Shon Saucedo
Derek Knight
Ashton Johnson
Ryan Perez
Trevor Resar
Ross Saunders
Demetri Ninios
Adam Hitchcock
Taylor Kurtz
Jeremy Zimmerman
Jamie Ezell
Mitchell (from Austin)

Congrats guys and see you in two weeks!

One of the many crazy adventures on the road

2010-01-23T21:43:00.003-06:00

Ron the Banana man was confused by the plates of food me and Oliver got....you know what I am saying?

Blackballed

2010-01-20T15:29:00.000-06:00

By far the greatest paintball movie ever and one of my favorite comedies. You can't get a cast like this anymore.

"Let's do some killing, let's get the killing done!"

Which League are you loyal to?

2010-01-18T23:21:00.001-06:00

If you follow the ProPaintball chatbox at all, you can see a drastic distinction between PSP followers and NPPL followers. Let us know what you'll be playing this year by voting in the poll above!

You can make mutliple choices too if you're playing more than one!!

Work smart, not hard!

2010-01-18T22:38:00.002-06:00

Practice vids I dug up on Youtube

2010-01-18T10:00:00.001-06:00

About my Blog

2010-01-13T15:59:00.001-06:00

As you can see I've already made two recent posts. The three that follow it are from 2007 I believe but we're published on LP pbdojo.com back then. They're still good reads though.

As for the most current post and those that will follow. I'll be keeping fans and haters up to date on X-Factor as well as my take on the industry and any late breaking news. I got a flip video camera for X-mas so I should be supplementing articles with videos and pictures too!!

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy!

PSP PHX Layout

2010-01-13T15:57:00.024-06:00

I was beginning to wonder how productive our first mandatory (and tryout) would be without an official layout from the PSP but low and behold they get it out right on time.

The first thing I noticed is the seemly new shape of the brick. It looks to me like a lay-down door we use to see in the old NPPL. It also looks like they'll be going with a smaller can this year as well as a larger cake. I'm glad they stuck with the tall mayans though. I guess this many changes is expected as how can we expect Sup'Air to make any money if they don't change the field :-)

With that long snake and the dorritos lined up, this should play really fast. I'm curious though to see how the breakout will work on the dorrito side with just pillars to play for the first few feet. I'm sure the Russians will have all the bounce shots worked out within hours of posting this.

Big S**t Poppin'

2010-01-13T15:53:00.000-06:00

Infamous and Aftermath merge? Dynasty shooting eclipse? I thought the world was gonna end in 2012, not 2010. I guess that's how's gonna be from now on out...you never know what to expect.

Regarding Mike Hinman's decision.

Although I'm really surprised he was willing to give up the (pro) aftermath name, this is a real smart move for him. We all know the paint companies are hurting and to merge with a team that will always have a deal helps him out a ton. This wasn't a one side deal at all though. Infamous has been hurting for local players that are young and hungry so this ended up being a perfect match for both of them. Infamous cuts the dead weight while aftermath picks up one of the few big sponsorships left out there. Now with all that backing and a core with a tons of talent, we may see another powerhouse team coming from SoCal.

It will be interesting to see what guns they shoot though. Hinman and Infamous have had a history with eclipse but rumors point to Bob Long picking them up. We'll have to wait to see what the big man says before anything is finalized.

Now that brings us to Dynasty shooting PE. Damn, these guys are about to make the complete circle involving gear and gun sponsorship. Look for them to go for whoever pays the most as they are still flying in guys for practice.

As we get closer to PHX, I'm sure things will really start to unfold. As for us Texans in the X-Factor camp...

We recently held tryouts and have the 2nd run coming up. My first impression was pretty stunned. Texas itself has become so divided as a state paintball wise. If you didn't play paintball in Austin, I really didn't know about you til now. Kids came from all over the state that could play ball that I had never seen before. With this new set of players, we plan on filling our pro ranks and creating a semi-pro X-Factor farm team. We will be making final cuts this weekend, so I should have a list as early as Sunday night or monday so stay tuned!!

The Battle of Rock Hill

2010-01-13T15:29:00.007-06:00

X-Factor vs. the World

I feel like ever since we entered this league we’ve taken shit for stepping up from a select group of individuals. A few have given us the respect we deserve considering this team has accomplished what most will never do in an entire lifetime. From D3 to Pro in less than 3 years is almost unheard of. This tournament hopefully showed people we belong at this level and we’re not going anywhere.

X-Factor vs. Legacy

Yet again we found ourselves in what I felt to be another stacked bracket. With recent pick-ups and one of the best coaches behind them, Legacy is always a contender in any tournament. Not to mention they would be coming hot off their win in Huntington Beach. The match would go back and forth for the most part. Lucian was doing serious work in the snake but in the 2nd half we were able to slow him down and capitalize on it. Score 12-7.

X-Factor vs. Baltimore Trauma

Going into MAO, Trauma was ranked 16th seed and in no way is this a 16th place team. Even after suffering some losses of Hamen (before world cup) and Lucian, this team is filled with talent that is hungry to win. With the seasoned players like Tyler Humphrey, Chris Lasoya, and Dave Fason mixed in with a bunch of hungry Gridlock kids; this turns into a dangerous combination especially when you’re playing in their neck of the woods, literally. The match would go back and forth with penalties haunting us the whole way. Trauma would remain in control most of the match and we had trouble mounting any offense especially with the crowd behind them. Score 7-9.

X-Factor vs. LA Ironmen

Coming fresh off their win over the Russians in the LA open, this was the team to beat. Going into Saturday they were undefeated and after losing to Trauma this put us into a must win situation to move on to Sunday. The match would again go point for point with no one really stepping out and taking the lead. With about 8 minutes to go, we received a 5-minute major for an illegal gun. Not only would we have to play 4 on 5, but one of our strongest snake players (Cody Bayless) would also receive an ejection. Down a point at 5-6, we were able to put two more points up on the board and only allow the Ironmen to score once while burning the penalty off. With less than 2 minutes to go and we were able to put one more point up on the board, take the lead, and hold them off for the remaining time. Score 8-7.

On a less serious note, Sean MacDonald head’s was not in the game due to the fact he received the wristwatch from X-Factor’s own Devin O’Dell before the match.

With us winning the match this put the #1 ranked Ironmen in a position where they could miss the Sunday cut if Trauma beat Legacy. With almost the whole Ironmen roster coaching Legacy and some penalty trouble, Trauma would have a hard time gaining any momentum. You could see a visible sigh of relief on all the Ironmen’s faces when it was certain Legacy had the match.

Sunday

X-Factor vs. LA Infamous

We knew going into Sunday that from here on out it would be a bloodbath. Infamous wouldn’t let us down at all. We practiced these guys a few weeks before the event so both team knew what the other was capable of. After receiving a major in the 4th point we would be fighting an uphill battle of the rest of the way. Keeping the match close, we tied it up with 51 seconds left on the clock. We knew going into the last point we could win it right here or just lock it up if we lost bodies early on. With a few key eliminations off the snake side early in the point, and a big run-thru down the dorito side, we were able to draw a major penalty in the closing seconds and take the match right there with no need to go into overtime. Score 8-7.

X-Factor vs. Dynasty

Our goal as a team coming into MAO was to finish top four, so that allowed us to play this match with nothing to lose. Dynasty was playing well up to this point. I’ve seen them play better considering they were struggling to close out matches against weaker teams, but they were one of the few to win all three prelim games and they convincingly beat a strong Aftershock in the quarterfinals. Despite all that, we all know that Dynasty shows up Sunday to play ball and I’m truly surprised we had such a good showing against them this early in the season. We would have a real rough start going into halftime down 0-5. What worked for us the best was taking the dorito can and locking up snake side. This would help slow down Ryan and Angel on the snake side and allow us to mount our own offense. Our backline would go on to pull off a few big points when we were down on bodies, and it gave us enough momentum through the 2nd half to take the lead and hold it. Score 10-7.

X-Factor vs. Russian Legion

What can I say? Even after losing LA to the Ironmen I knew these guys wouldn’t settle for 2nd place again. They are the strongest team in the league with virtually no weakness. And when one shows up, you better capitalize on it. These guys are in no way invincible, but the fact that most American X-ball organizations have to concentrate on 7-man half the year are really letting the Russians run away with X-ball. I thought we played all right, but a few big mistakes would cost us critical swing points. With only 3 NXL events under our belt leading into MAO, we’re still making D1 mistakes but with time and maturity, we should be able to fill those holes. They would dominate us through the 2nd half and finished us off. Some people thought we gave up and didn’t play the last 1:30 because we didn’t care. Honestly our whole S.A. crew started taking gear off right there so they could make their flight. Trust me, we wanted to play every minute of that match. Score 4-9.

Afterthought

After upsetting Dynasty and the Ironmen the day before, I can truly say I was living a dream. Or even something more. For the past 5 years I’ve been following these teams and the players and looking up to them as my own heroes. When I was given the chance to play on the same field as them, it was a dream come true. When we beat them, well words can’t even explain. I always knew we had the talent and the heart to make it this far but I didn’t think it would happen this early. To play in the finals of an NXL tournament is what any professional paintball player’s life is about. Those 40 minutes is what we all strive to play for. What we all practice for. What we all waste our lives for. And to get to play those 40 minutes means everything. I can say that in the past 2 years, only a select few teams have gotten that chance and I’m proud of my boys for being one of those teams. Can we do it again? I fucking hope so. We’ll be practicing harder than ever so we don’t fall short should we find ourselves there again.

Never bring sand to a beach

2010-01-13T15:29:00.001-06:00

So I figured this time I’d go about things a little different. As much as I hate to admit it, X-factor did send two teams. The one everyone got to hear about (S.E. X-factor) was obviously not the one I played on but I was there for all there games so I’ll do my best to cover there story.

S.A. X-factor

Let’s get the embarrassing part out of the way first. S.A. X-factor was last year’s semi-pro team. Although we usually played well through most of the weekend, we usually fell short on Sunday and missed most semi-finals cuts. Despite a rough practice the weekend before the event, we looked forward to this season and our chance to earn a pro spot. The bad practice would end up haunting us on the field. Three games into the prelims, one of our players gets a 6-game suspension for throwing his gun. From then on, walking up with 6 guys, the refs would look at us like we were crazy and then I’d go on the explain that we enjoy X-ball so much we’re playing down a guy. As much as I’d love to blame our poor performance on the fact that we played a man down the whole event, we never played like a unit during any of our games. With everyone playing individually and no team cohesion, you have no chance at performing well in a 7-man event.

With no gap between MAO and the Tampa event, getting in a solid 7-man practice will be tough but I don’t doubt the fact we’ll rebound from this and have a good showing in Tampa if we can work through the kinks in our teamwork.

S.E. X-factor

This team is basically comprised of last year’s D1 team that was unable to finish out the season due to the fact that we bumped up to NXL, and at the same time bumping our status up as well. I was able to captain these guys from Huntington Beach all the way to our win in Boston before we weren’t allowed to play D1 anymore. At that point we were tied for 1^st place in series points and after that win in Boston, I believe we would’ve gone on to win the series championship.

Although these guys would have a rough time through the prelims, when it came time to step up and win big games, they did it time and time again on Sunday. What really stood out to me was there ability to win games with there back against the wall. In the quarterfinals, Ryan Brand and Cody Bayless would go to win a huge 2 on 5 and despite not getting the pull or hang, the points from the 7 eliminations would end up giving them the extra edge to beat out Bushwackers who also had two wins. Once they secured there spot in the top four they never let off the gas. They drew Arsenal A-team, one of the most dominating teams in semi-pro last year. Ryan Cohen who had a good weekend so far would go on to single-handily destroy A-team in two games. With Aftermath beating out Elite, old D1 rivals would face off for 1^st place and the 10 g’s. Although no one really stood out in there series with aftermath, solid execution and teamwork would let them win two straight and take home the win.

Although a good 7-man team needs to function as one unit to play well, some players step up and will take control of games on there own hand. S.E. X-factor’s success this past weekend was derived from the perfect blend of superstar plays and teamwork to back it up. Congrats to my boys, oh and one more thing: “Big Mike Hinman ain’t nothing to f**k with!”

Live and Die in LA

2010-01-13T15:28:00.000-06:00

Wednesday

We fly in late afternoon because most of us flying out of Austin have school or work. This whole “miss 4 school days” every event is killing me. I‘ve been able to keep my grades right above passing but this semester looks likes it’s going to break me. Good thing college professors don’t cross-reference dead relatives because I’m beginning to lose track of how many times my grandparents have died so I could skip out on test and not get in too much trouble. It’s good to see all the guys again, but for the most part, I see them every goddamn weekend when they all come and trash my apartment. Oh and thanks Hamen, my mattress still smells like piss.

Thursday

Well this is our 3^rd NXL event but not much has changed in terms of our first match. We wake up way too early and have to play arguably the best team in the league. With the new merger, this was the first time we didn’t have any paint problems. The match was point for point until we began to pull away making it 7 – 4. Like usual, the Russians made a late 2^nd half push and led by one point with less than a minute left. K-Fed made a run-through up the middle and played on with obvious hits, this gave us the point and tied it. With penalties across the board, we pulled out the overtime point and joined the few select teams that have beaten the Russians in the past year.

Friday

Our midday game against Detroit Strange was scheduled for today. We started off real hot and built a 4 – 0 lead real quick. Too bad we let strange score 6 unanswered points in the 2^nd half. We had a chance to tie it in the last few seconds but ran out of time to hang the flag. This was a tough loss coming off our win against the Russians but Detroit is definitely one of those teams you never want to underestimate or you’ll pay for it. Somebody who really surprised me this event was Dimples. He pulled off a lot of big games for Strange on that dorrito side.

Saturday

Going into the last day of prelims with one win and one loss always means the same thing, win or go home early. Our division was wide open, whichever two teams won today would advance to the quarters. This schedule is getting all too familiar since we had to play a live or die match against the dogs in LA only a few months ago. This time we came a little more prepared and controlled the match for the most part. Colt was able to do some damage from the dorrito side but the dogs couldn’t mount much offense against us and we held them 9 – 5.

Sunday

I don’t what our problem is but we can’t seem to draw any other team than the Russians. In the 3 tournaments we’ve played, we’ve faced off against them 5 separate times. At this point, I know each of them individually, I know their favorite color, and I know how they like their Russian coffee. Soon enough I’ll know how to affectively invest in a Russian bank if we play them again. The 1^st half of the match started off like our first match with them. The score was 3 – 4 and we we’re ready to start making a 2^nd half push. At one point they had a major penalty but we continued to get minors keeping it 4 on 4 for the most part. They would go on to dominate us off the break while going on an 8 – 1 run making final score 4 -12. I got a lot of respect for these guys. They really have turned this into a profession and it shows. They rarely make mistakes and when they do you have to take advantage of it if you plan on winning. After losing, we did the usual. Watch games and gamble away any money we have on us. Thank God I don’t live in Las Vegas.