PAINTBALL NERD LFG!

I am delighted to host the Paintball Nerd Podcast on our program, where he provided insightful perspectives on the trajectory of paintball. It was a distinct privilege to feature him, as his contributions have significantly influenced my development within the sport.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Talking about and really singing nothing just the push the button I got a good like the fifty button fit the fastest kill the fastest I talked to fastest the first and nastest I killed the forest last kill them off the mixties I kill the flick What up what up it's your boy did it hurt coming to you live right now.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

I got a great content for you. I got painball nerd in the house, and we just gonna talk some great painball, you know, and I just want to thank everybody for supporting my comeback. I should be coming back in April. Um, and I look forward to playing dub C. I look forward to playing uh World Cup. I look forward to playing a couple of CPLs this year, and uh I'm gonna put my foot on the gas. I'm not gonna stop, you know. Um shout out to all the ballers out there giving back to the sport. This sport can't grow unless we all grow the sport together. It just, you know, sometimes I feel like the pros don't contribute enough in growing the sport because they have other things going on. But for you know, players like myself, you know, and and and you know, like d4 players, d three players, you know, if you got that extra gear, you know, bless somebody. Don't you don't have to be sell, you know, for sale all the time, just bless somebody. It comes a long way and it creates champions. So uh let's get into it. Paintball nerd in the house. I said I'm a little nervous because you know, this is big for me, you know what I mean? And I I I highly respect you, brother. I I really, really respect you and your work and your podcast has brought me uh at a level as well, as far as playing, you know what I mean, listening to other people's stories and how they uh prepare themselves for the tournaments and etc. You know, so for uh for my younger fans, um, tell us your story. Tell us what got you in the paintball.

SPEAKER_03 2:08

Sure, Paul. Um, and by the way, man, it's a pleasure to be on your show. Pleasure to meet you as well. So I'm excited to be here. Um, but so how I got into paintball, so um uh I was in fifth grade, and uh I was going to uh a Christian school, and so they had all kinds of like uh outings and stuff like that that did that they would do. And one day the the older kids came back and they had welts on them. And I was like, what is like what is that? And then so they ex they had explained to me what paintball is, and I'd never heard of it before, but I just thought the concept, because I like I was a kid, you know, I loved playing guns, like pretend guns and stuff, and you know, my sister and I we'd throw like dirt clods at each other, like dirt claw wars, like in the backyard. So, bro, when I learned there was this game where you could shoot a ball filled with paint and it would hit someone, I was just like instantly, I was like obsessed with it. I hadn't even played, but so as soon as I learned about it, I was obsessed with it. You know, every time we're at the grocery store, I'd buy every single paintball magazine. Like my mom would go shopping, and I would just sit there next to the magazines and I'd look through every single one, and then I'd beg her to buy them. Please, mom, please, mom, buy this. So that was fifth grade, and then I was just obsessed with it, bro. But I never got an opportunity to play it. Like it's an expensive sport, you know? So I was still like buying magazines, everything, like just consuming it any way that I could. And then finally, in eighth grade, so three years later, one of my friends had a birthday party, and they were gonna go play paintball, and their their parents were gonna pay for everyone to play. And it so like it created the opportunity because my my you know, my mom and like my dad, they couldn't afford it, right? So um, so I go to this birthday party with my friend. We had uh Titman uh Tipman Pro Lines or Pro Light, one of the two Tippman Pro something. Oh yeah, and uh, you know, like you know, the the crappy mask that like fogs up, like single pane lens just fogging, like scratched all up. But dude, I had an absolute blast, like time of my life. And from that weekend on, I just found a way. Like I would go around the neighborhood, like, hey, you need you need uh your your leaves raked, you need your fence painted. Right, right. You mean to mow your lawn? Whatever you need, I'll do it. You know, I just need I need to come over 50 bucks so I can you know pay for entry and some paintballs for the for that weekend.

unknown 4:47

Right.

SPEAKER_03 4:47

So I hustled, dude. Every single week after school, I'd find a way to pay for playing paintball, and my mom would drive me to the paintball field.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Yeah. Wow, wow. Um, I don't know if you're familiar with my story. Um I was coming home from the gym and I was telling my wife I didn't like the gym, and I saw Antioch paintball, and I went in there, got uh the guy said, uh, just give me 20 bucks. I give you a you know uh a mask, some paintballs filled, you know, in the gun hopper and everything. I went out there, got blasted up, came home with all kinds of stuff on me. You know, my wife was like, she was like, What happened? Why you got all these bruises? And I told her I was playing paintball. She she looked at me, she said, You love it, huh? I said, Yeah, and I never stopped since. I started at 43. I think I started at age 43 playing paintball.

SPEAKER_03 5:38

Bro, you found the game at 43? That's crazy. Did you did you know about it before then or no?

SPEAKER_01 5:43

I never knew about paintball. Um shout out to um um behind the um behind the net lines. Uh I got I'm gonna get their podcast right uh later, but um, they had me on the show and explained how you know how my life was. You know, I was gang banging, I was you know in the streets tough. Uh you know, just doing street stuff. And you know, when you're in the streets, you miss opportunities to grow, you miss opportunities in um uh seeing things that you know that can change your your your life, you know. And I told uh you know, shout out to my boy Hatch and them. I told them that um, you know, had I known about 20 uh paintball when I was in my 20s, I would have gave up game banging. As much as I love it now, I would have gave up uh game banging for that. And um believe me, man, um it's it's it's kind of like regretting, you know, that I missed that opportunity to uh to be able to play. And I I I you know as me, the way I play, um the way I play, I can just I can see myself being pro by now, a retired pro. You know, and uh again, if you want to hear my story, you can go to uh from the sidelines and it it has my complete story in there or you know what I was doing in the streets or whatever, but I missed out uh and starting out at 44, 43, 44 years old actually was a good great benefit to my health. So, you know, I don't know if you ever see me my videos or me playing, but I'm wicked.

SPEAKER_03 7:21

I dude, I follow you. I follow you on TikTok and on uh on Instagram. So I've seen it. But Paul, I mean, I think I like you know, yes, there could have been some benefits to your life if you found it easier, but I also believe that you know everything happens for a reason.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

Of course.

SPEAKER_03 7:37

And you know, this this could be, you know, you finding it late and understanding how it impacted your life, that could also be your testimony for maybe someone younger that is actually presently in you know getting pressured by joining gangs and stuff like that. And because you had that experience of actually living that life, you can be like, nah, that's not the way. Yep, that's not the way. And I know because I've been there, you should listen to me because I've been there, I lived through it.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

You know, yeah. I I I actually got a couple of kids that um from Richmond, California are playing paintball right now, and uh, you know, they had the gold teeth going and everything. They met me one day and saw what I do. They saw my uh Sacramento DMG gear, and they were like, uh, what does DMG stand for? And I explained it to them. Next thing you know, they're in San Jose playing paintball, and I think they're they're they're playing CPL now. So, you know what I mean? But I you know, the thing is is that you know, your story can go so far in somebody, so many, so many people's lives, you know. I've been shot, stabbed, burned, all the above, 80% of my body, you know. Had I played paintball, I probably would have avoided all of that, you know what I mean. But like you said, my wife said the same thing, you know, uh things happen for a reason, it was just wasn't my time. But now that I'm playing, I'm so I'm always sold in in paintball. And and that goes to a question I was gonna ask later, but um uh with your knowledge of uh of the game, at what age do you feel a player is considered not in their prime? Because in our great sport, 45 is still prime.

SPEAKER_03 9:15

Yeah, dude. I think it does that's that's that's a tough one because there's a physical prime and there's a mental prime, and they're two different things.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

True.

SPEAKER_03 9:30

Um, so let's use the example of guys that are at that are playing at the highest level right now that are are considered older.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

So Shane Howe, Ryan Greenspan, Yosh, like y'all like Alex Frage, right?

SPEAKER_03 9:48

Uh like you know, these guys are their body is breaking down, right? But I guarantee you they have more wisdom than they did when their body was at their prime. So physically, they were more capable back in those days, right? Uh had more longevity, more had more stamina, especially a game like X-Ball, like that stamina is required. Like if you talk to Ryan, you know, after a full tournament, bro is gonna be icing his knees and all this, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:22

Same here.

SPEAKER_03 10:23

Yeah, but like, you know, back in the day, you probably won't even see you don't even see him stretching before a tournament. So so there's like there's a physical prime, which is a real thing, you know, that's like a young man's game. Like X Ball, I think, is a young man's game because like the stamina that you need, right? Um, but then there's like the also the mental aspect of it where you just it's that that age is like a fine wine. Like you always get more mentally sharp, like you understand different nuances of the game, and you start to be able to break things down a lot faster. But the question always is is can your body keep up with the information that you're aware of? It's like, oh, I see an opening, but uh now my knees are cracking, I can't make the move.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Yeah, I got you. I know those, I know those moments.

SPEAKER_03 11:10

And that Paul, that's why I like Ten, bro, because Ten Men, uh, you know, you know, older guys play it. I'm 41, you know, uh, and most of the people on my team are, you know, older. Um so uh so I like Ten Man because it's a slower game, and uh I leave the X Ball stuff as fun as fun as it is, I leave that to the young men. Even though there are anomalies, you know, like Ryan Moorhead and Ryan Greenspan and Algus Frazier and Yoshin Shane, all those guys.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

Yeah, I I'm it's funny you said that because I'm struggling with that. Um you know, I love X-Ball with all my entire heart, man. And it's going to be hard for me to actually stop playing. And and you know, but I but my body is getting to the point where you know, like, bro, you need to you need to chill. You know what I mean? You can't you can't keep going snake off the break, you know, like you know, like you were in your 40s. I mean uh even at 53, I'm going snake off the break, but it's it's breaking my body down. Now I'm playing smart. Now I'm now I'm at the point where I'm playing smart. You know, I want to I'm I'm at the point where I'm calling out more. I'm at the point where I'm visualizing the field more so I can make the appropriate moves. I don't even do hip slides anymore. You know what I mean? So um, I mean, I do it, I do the hip slot, but if I don't have to do it while I'm getting to a bunker, I just don't do it. Because you know, some people they just do it just to get that little style in while they get into the bunker. You know what I mean? But me, nah, if I'm able to just run, slow down, and get into that bunker without getting hit, then I'll do so. But um I feel that your prime is in coming to an end when you're around 55. I I that's where I believe it. It um because you're at 53 and 54, your body is starting to feel it, and at 55, that's when you're gonna kind of like you know, say, you know, second guess yourself, like, damn, should I play a tournament this year? Should I do, you know, because like this year I'm not playing the whole CPL, and I'm only doing World Cup this year, maybe Texas. You know, but um, yeah, I I I don't know, man. I mean Shane is in good shape. You know, you know, me and him and the same. How old is Shane? The same age as me.

unknown 13:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Yep. Yeah, we we talk shit at each other on the phone every year, calling each other old man. I'm like, dude, I was born, I was born a month before you, so you respect your elders.

SPEAKER_03 13:53

So okay, I I agree with you. 55, I'll give you that. But I would say that not everyone has a prime that lasts that long. Like, I think for a lot of dudes, it happens a lot sooner that they lose the they lose their prime. You know, their body starts to break down, you know.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

I think uh let me ask that, excuse me. I can explain why that happened. When you're a younger player, and I see this all the time, when you're a younger player and you're drinking, you're smoking, blah blah blah, you know you gotta practice the day before, or you know you got a tournament the day before, you're drinking, you're smoking, blah blah blah, then you go out there and you play hard. You're using up all your youthful attributes so fast that by the time you get 35, you you don't have anything left. Yeah, you're struggling to find that youthful kick to be able to do what you need to do on the field. That's why I try to tell players all the time, and they never listen to me. Some do, some don't, some don't. But I tell them all the time if you got a tournament the day before, or you got practice the day before, and this is a mandatory practice, bro, you need to lock in. Go to bed early. Yeah, don't go to bed early, don't be smoking and drinking. But no, you got people, you know. I I ain't got nothing against marijuana, but you got people who just can't live without it. They can't go certain hours without it. You got to get the proper sleep because when you do these things, you you're forcing your body, you're inside of your body, and then on top of that, you're adding rock star in there, uh, in your body, and you you know, uh, you know, transfusion, all this other stuff to keep your mind going, you know, and all this stuff. And I think I thank God that the whole time I've been playing, I've never used any of that stuff. Rockstar, transfusions, essentials, any drugs just to keep me to play to play. I've never used any of that shit. It's always been uh working out, hitting the sauna and ice baths. That's why I was able to, I'm able, not was, that's why I am able to keep playing. But when you don't do these things in your youthful attributes, that contributes to when you get to a certain age like in your 30s, now you're starting to feel the pain because you didn't you didn't use all your useful resources. And I don't I'll never understand why players don't see that.

SPEAKER_03 16:26

Well, because they don't they don't treat it like a like a real sport, they don't treat it like uh like a priority. Like if you treat pro paintball as you are a professional athlete and you conduct yourself accordingly, no, you you you're not gonna be drinking and smoking before practice because it's that important. But I think you know, for some people, paintball is not so serious, it's more of like an outlet, like a hobby, like a you know, just this thing. And so, you know, if their lifestyle is a kind of like a party lifestyle with the drinking and and the smoking, then um they're not gonna stop that for their hobby, you know, this game that they play. So I think the mindset on how they approach the sport, you know.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

But yeah, but then you get mad and you want to quit because you keep losing. So you can't blame nobody but yourself, you know? It's exactly you know what's the point of getting mad at and and yelling at the refs and getting mad at this and and all of this other stuff, but you the one that's out there on the field puking.

SPEAKER_03 17:32

I wish it wasn't I wish that wasn't as uh as true as it is. We see a lot of it, you know, there's a lot of it in paintball, but each their own, you know. I ain't trying to judge.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

Yeah, I I'm not trying to judge either, but it's just that you know when I have players all the time ask me, you know, how am I able to still play at this age? And you know, players ask me all the time, how do I prepare? And I'm talking about when I when I say players, I'm talking about like D6 and D5 players, you know, beginner players, and I just tell them, take care of your body. If you smoke and drink, by all means do you. But when it's come to mandatory practice and tournament day, cut that shit out for a night.

SPEAKER_03 18:12

Yep. Lock in.

SPEAKER_01 18:14

You know what I mean? Yeah, lock in, bro. Lock in. Um what is the most what is the biggest and the most important block when it comes to growing sport?

SPEAKER_03 18:27

Shoot. Uh say that again, Paul. You're your uh my connection cut out a little bit and now you're frozen. Can you hear me? Yeah, I can hear you. Oh, there you go. Okay, shoot me again with that.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Okay, okay. What is the biggest and the most important change you would like to see made when I'm still growing our great sport?

SPEAKER_03 18:50

I think the the biggest and most important change is not within the control of the paintball community, unfortunately. The biggest and most important change, Paul, I'll tell you exactly what it is. It's parents getting their kids playing outside and off screens. You know, you see kids, you go out in public to dinner, you see kids like this.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 19:14

With the iPad and the phone, and and then they go home and they play Xbox. You you go around your street. You know, just think about when you were a kid. When I was a kid, you see it, you you know, you know whose house to go to because there's a ton of bikes out front. Yep. And so you so you drive by on your way home and they're like, oh shoot, Billy has six bikes outside. I'm gonna head as soon as I get home, I'm gonna bike over there. Boom, gone. We're just playing, we were playing outside more, you know? And I don't see that at all anymore. I don't see kids playing. If I see a kid in public, they're buried in it, their faces buried in an electronic device. So the thought of them going out outside, they're already not interested in going outside in the first place. So, this game where you get dirty with paintballs and you're running around sliding and all this, they're not attracted to it. It's like, yo, let me play Minecraft, let me play this, let me whatever it is, you know. So there's been a fundamental shift in the way that children play. And as a result of that, paintball has taken a big hit from it. It's because kids aren't playing outside, and if they're not playing outside, they're not gonna be interested in something like that.

SPEAKER_01 20:33

Yeah, that's that's how uh me and my daughter are actually talking right now about my grandson not having TV time. See what I'm saying? Because, you know, it is it's not helping him use his imagination. See, where we when we were kids, we were able, we didn't have none of that. You know, we were able to use our imaginations, you know, ride around with our friends, hang out at the sand park all day. You know, I remember hanging out in the sandpark all day, and my mother used to have to go in the bathroom, open the window, call my name, just to come in the house.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

Yeah, you know, and then my mom had a special whistle. I heard that whistle from like three blocks away. You know, so I knew I knew like I was supposed to come home when the street, when you see the streetlights come on, you gotta get home. Yeah, yeah. I heard the whistle, and then I gotta get home.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Yeah, remember the Goonies? Remember the Goonies? Yeah, yeah. You know, like the Goonies when we were growing up, you know? And you're right, these kids don't don't don't have that. Um, even the generation, um, let me see. This is um, we're Gen Z. So even after Gen Z, that generation when cell phones started coming in, it just took away so much. Social media has just killed so much. And and um it I I I agree with you that it is hurting paintball because a lot of people at my job is just like I didn't know paintball was a professional sport. Or I would like to get the mothers be like, oh, I would like. Get my kid into something like that. And then when the kid shows up, he all like he's too cool to play paintball or whatever the case may be. Then when they finally pull that trigger, they be like, Oh, this is what I've been missing. You know, just like me. I'm I started at 43, 44 years old. When I pulled that trigger and saw fools running up the field sliding, diving, I was like, where have I been?

SPEAKER_03 22:27

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

You know? So it is what it is, man. I I just I just think that um I think Tom is doing the best that he can to grow the sport.

SPEAKER_02 22:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

Um, he did kick out an idea on the Greenspan, um, Greenspan and speaker show about having paintball being shown at from like 7 to 10 p.m. You see what I'm saying? So again, so people I think I've I don't want to quote him wrong, but it I think it you know, being televised on YouTube or and etc. You know what I mean? Or somewhere, yeah. So that way more people can see the sport, more people who don't know about paintball and don't play paintball can be able to see what the sport really is.

SPEAKER_03 23:10

Paul, that's the one of the things like the the challenges that I had with the whole ESPN thing. It's like I don't have cable, no one in my family has cable, none of my friends have cable. So it's like people even watch TV differently. You know, they're watching, they're streaming everywhere, it's all Netflix, Hulu, etc. So it's like we we gotta get when I say we, I mean the paintball industry. I gotcha. We have to find a way to get paintball in front of people in a way that they're already consuming media. So putting it on YouTube, great idea. Like you know, I think a lot of the the creators are doing a great job of creating reels on TikTok and reels on Instagram that look you know look captivating. Um but it's I mean we got an uphill battle when it comes to growing the sport for sure, because it's not it's not uh all of paintball's fault, the decline. There's been a complete shift in the way that people and children play, you know.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

But I mean, you got pillow fighting on national TV.

SPEAKER_03 24:23

Dude, what does that tell you? They'll put pillow fighting over paintball. What does that tell you, man?

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Man, I I told somebody the other day, I said paintball has top 10 plays better than a top 10 LeBron James dunk. Damn near better than a Michael Jordan dunk.

SPEAKER_03 24:40

You watch paintball in slow motion, it looks like just like poetry, bro. It's like beautiful. Especially watch someone good in slow motion, you're like, damn, you know, especially when Verb, like he got that that that that way where he has the ball coming out and his direct hit.

SPEAKER_01 25:00

He's like the way the way Verb does that, you know what I mean? Like, it's just that it's it I just will never understand how I and I think sometimes too, we shoot our own selves in the foot, how we conduct ourselves at events. Like we can't we can't go back to Vegas. You see what I'm saying? And and you know, you got fights breaking out, blah blah blah, you know. I mean, I will never understand players uh arguing in uh in front of arguing with reps. I just don't understand that. That's that's not helping the sport. And then when you got parents who see their kid play a tournament for the first time, or let alone come to try out for the first time, or it's a practice, and then you got fools in there cussing, arguing, smoking weed in the establishment, the whole shit, you know, it's like it's like it's is is um what what a guy say? He said, You guys are a bunch of skateboarders. That's exactly what the guy told me. I was like, I said, Don't say that, bro. He's like, no. He said skateboarders are cool people, but you guys are a bunch of skateboarders. You do exactly what they're doing, but some for somehow, some reason they're bigger than you, so there's something that you guys are doing wrong. And when he said that to me, I yeah, he's right.

SPEAKER_03 26:18

I mean, paint like because it like culturally, because I used to skateboard too, like culturally, like it attracts like the same type of person, right? The thing about skateboarding is it's it's a low barrier to entry as far as cost, and then once you once you get over that barrier, meaning you buy a skateboard, you can do it anywhere. You can go right, you can go in your garage, you can go in your driveway, you can go wherever you can skateboard immediately. Paintball, you need a a place to do it, right? A specified place to do it. Uh, and the barrier to entry is a lot higher. You know, not only you gotta buy your gear, but you you know, if you don't buy your gear, you gotta rent your gear, you gotta pay pay for paintballs. Paintballs aren't cheap. So it's just, you know. I don't know if paintball will ever be as big as you know you and I dream it could be. Yes. It might always be like this niche special thing. Yeah, I just hope it doesn't go away. That's what I hope.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

I I don't think so. I think I think the European League is helping out a lot. Um, because when I tell people that you know you we we can play overseas, they'd be like, no way. I said, Yeah, we uh we have tournaments in Paris, France, you know, places like that. You know, there's like no way, you know. I even had one guy at my job, he actually researched it and he really wants his son to play. But he said he don't want to force his son to play because when you force a child to do something you want them to do, their heart is not in it.

SPEAKER_03 27:48

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 27:49

See what I'm saying? Because his son wants to be uh uh a painter, or I forgot how there's another word for it, but it's basically painting. That's where his passion is. But he wants his son to get out of the damn house, do something, and all he kept saying to his dad was, I don't want to play football, I don't want to play basketball, I don't want to do that. And he brought up paintball, took him, he liked it, but it's just his art is not in it. So we gotta find some way to make it more appealing to kids, you know. I oh perfect example when COVID happened. Um, Marky Mark was kind enough. Shout out to Mark from HK, was kind enough to send me a whole box of masks. I put on my DMG uniform and I went to my job and I was passing out masks, and people were asking me about my uniform. You know, some people was looking at me like I'm weird as fuck, but a lot of people got information about paintball, even got to see videos about paintball, even got to see who sent me these masks to help you guys out. So it so people could see what kind of community we are. My point in case of saying all of that is that we need to do more ourselves as players to promote paintball, and a lot of players are not doing it, you know. I feel I feel like pro players are not doing enough themselves. Some of them are not, won't even do it unless there's coming some in uh um revenue coming in their pocket.

SPEAKER_03 29:21

Oh that's not even there's not even there's not enough money in paintball, like for yeah, like you just you gotta love the sport and you gotta tell people about what you love, and that's all you can hope for. Hopefully, like your passion for it inspires someone to want to try it. Um, but like I like I want to get my son into the game, you know. I I desperately want to. In fact, one of my biggest dreams before I even had a son is that when I have a son, I want to play paintball with him. Yeah, so I'm like try not to be too thirsty around him, like hey, like try this Nerf gun, try this jelly ball, like you know, like get him, get him up the up the grading. He's only five years old. Um trying to plant seeds, you know, I get him interested in in stuff like that. So uh so he does want to play with me when he's when he's old enough. And then do you do you put like a mask on?

SPEAKER_01 30:16

Do you put like a mask on and just go around the house, you know, playing with him a little bit?

SPEAKER_03 30:21

Yeah, we put the he puts on the mask, uh, we do the Nerf guns, and we've tried the jelly ball. Like he's been to the paintball field before. So, you know, and I'm trying to keep him off the off the screens.

SPEAKER_01 30:37

Yeah, there you go. There you go.

SPEAKER_03 30:38

So right now he's passionate about basketball, so what am I gonna do? Like, I just gotta let him do whatever he wants, you know.

SPEAKER_01 30:44

Yeah, yeah, and and um a quick story. Uh, a friend of mine's uh son is like six foot seven, and um, you know, healthy, built like a brick the whole nine. And the father wanted him to play football. And he didn't, he his father wanted him to play defensive line. Because I mean, as lean as he was, as you know, whatever, the problem was he didn't want to play defensive line, he wanted to play offensive line. Because in his heart, he felt that offensive linemen don't get enough credit. This is what comes out of his mouth. Offensive linemen doesn't get enough credit for protecting the greatest quarterbacks in the world, and he wants to make a difference by being the best at it and then speaking out on it. You know his father didn't, you know, his father got pissed off about that. Why? You gotta let him, you gotta let him do it. And and he gave up, he gave up football as a whole. So I'm working on him now to uh try to get him to come play foot uh paintball. He's his issue is that I'm too tall. I'm like, dude, we gotta. I told him about Tom Guess. I'm like, that dude is a fucking tower. And I said, with your athleticism, and and I even told him about uh um what's the name that play in uh CFL? You know, I told him we got some really big, tall dudes that play, you know, and I said you wouldn't you wouldn't be any different. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 32:22

That's a beautiful that's another beautiful thing about paintball. You could be like, you can be tall, short, fat, small, whatever. Like, you know, they're all kinds of different body types. Look, like, look at paintball fit, for example. Like, they got every type of body type on that team. And then they got these dudes that are built like linebackers. Yeah, and then they got Colt. You know, he's a big boy. Colt is dude, he he's been moving everything, like he and he's a lot smaller than he used to be. When they were AC Dallas years ago when they were playing pro, he he was a lot bigger and he was still moving up the center. Yeah. Um, so like it's not like you know, football and basketball where it does help, don't get me wrong. Like, there's there, like, you know, being small and fast does help, but also being tall is a benefit you could see over those stand-ups, you know. So anyone can play.

SPEAKER_01 33:23

I had I had an issue at World Cup because they they wanted me to play at home because I was tall. And can you hear me? Yeah. Okay, so I was tall. Now in the in the World Cup layout, I don't know if you you, I'm sure you knew, but the snake was very hard. The shoot the snake runner was very hard to do. And the only person who may have advantage was somebody tall. So I decided to use my uh my LV1.1 because I wanted to drop shot on it, right? And as tall as it, I mean, I was on even on my tippy toes, I still couldn't get them. My whole point of saying it is it was so fun and challenging to have that task at that height, you know what I mean? And I didn't have a problem with the coach telling me, hey, I just want you to to play the home. I need you to get that snake runner off the break. And then some of the teams that we played at world, they would come to me and say, bro, you was this close. You know what I mean? So uh, you know, I'm trying to get him to I'm trying to get him to play, man. And and he's like, Uncle Paul, he called me Uncle Paul. He's like, Uncle Paul, I'm thinking about it. I'm thinking about it. I said, You got them, please just sit in there, bro. Put them to work.

SPEAKER_03 34:30

Yeah, just try it.

SPEAKER_01 34:32

Yeah, I'm even trying to offer him to come to the World Cup. So, you know what I mean? I told him I'll I'll have you, I'll pay for your paint ticket or your dad paid for it, I'll cover room and board and food for you, and then uh we'll take it from there, you know.

SPEAKER_03 34:45

So I think that's the way to do it, Paul. It's like paintball can have these little moments of microgrowth, you know, where it's like you're you're you're talking with your sphere of influence, you know, and getting people interested. I think the probably I mean, I don't I'm not trying to put negativity out there, but I think probably the explosive growth days might be over, but there's still ways that we can have microgrowth, you know.

SPEAKER_01 35:15

Yeah, yeah. I I just I don't know, man. I I'm I'm I'm heartbroken that we're not doing enough. It shouldn't just be the pros, and it shouldn't be just Tom, it shouldn't be just uh uh the cameramen, you know, just putting out content, you know. Um, and then I have another problem with with players, they always put out the good stuff, but they never put out the bad stuff, when I mean like the bad moves, and then explain it. Like, I don't know if you've been on my Instagram. On my Instagram, I always put stuff that me getting shot up, and I explain what happened and why I got shot up so the next player can see, oh, you know what, I'm not gonna make that move. You know what I mean? And you know, and like I said, when when you got players that talk back to the coach and and you know, just just hey, why you know, and you got beginners' parents out there watching this, you know. I've seen it many times. Parents is like, we're not coming back. I feel like I wasted my money. Yeah, you know what I mean. So I don't know, man. It's it's tough. I love this word with all my heart. Um, I I will continue to give back like I've been doing, and and I never ask for money. I just give people gear and and if they need it, and I just give them the best that I can, you know. But other than that, I love that's all you can do, you know. It's just I just feel that more players need to contribute. It shouldn't just be guys like me who's in the background with no name doing it. It should be pro players out there, you know, walking up, asking kids, you know, even if they're if they're off the field, you know, hey, what see a gang of kids just walking, you know? Hey, what you guys doing up here? Y'all just chilling, yeah. We just chilling. Have y'all heard of uh NXL paintball? No, no. Open up your phones, Bubba. I do it when I'm driving my bus. You know, kids get on, they be like, hey, what's up, OG? You know what I mean? And I'll be like, What's up? And they be seeing my uh my paintball hat, they'd be like, What's that? I ain't never seen that before. And I'll be I I break it down to them. Yeah, I tell them to go on their YouTube and look it up. You see, so that's that's that's that's just how it should be done.

SPEAKER_03 37:23

You know, we need more of that, bro, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 37:26

Uh, who inspires you the most in in this in the paintball world?

SPEAKER_03 37:33

Um I have different levels of inspiration. Uh playing wise, it's always been uh Yosh, Yosh Rao. Um uh Alex Frasi is also in there, Ryan and Oliver. I call them the four horsemen. Um just because they've had the biggest impact on me, like playing wise. I try and emulate them. Like the way that they move, the way that they talk, like all these things. And then from a leadership perspective, Todd Adamson, uh he's just one of the he's just the most phenomenal leader that I've ever encountered. Um Shane Pestana's up there as well. Um so there's yeah, there's quite a few guys. You know, when I look at today's players, um, you know, guys that are considered legends today, you know, when I was in in in my prime, they were just like the new kids on the block. Like they were just like, you know, starting out. So um, but I got mad respect for guys like Marcelo and Tyler. Um, you know, when I met Marcello, he was literally a child, like literally he was 10 years old, and scared to get shot and all this, you know. So I watched I watched him become what he is today. So that's it's hard to look at that look at that journey that he's gone through and not just be in awe of what he accomplished and also feel a little bit of pride in being involved in in it in some small way, you know.

SPEAKER_01 39:16

That's crazy because I I look up to Marcello, man, and you know, when people was giving him shit in his ordeal and whatever, I'm like, y'all need to chill out. Y'all on the outside looking in. You know, Tyler uh is the first person who ever trained me. So I have history with Tyler. Uh when I first started on the field, you know. I even got to shoot the field force one before even before he even went into production, you know. And uh, you know, so I I have you know, mad respect, but the person who inspires me the most is Shane Howe, you know, by him telling me, because you know, people were were down at me talking about uh I'm of age, I can't do this, I can't do that, and I'm playing a kid's game, and I'm embarrassing myself. And Shane was just like, screw them, man. Yeah, go out there and do you, man. And ever since then, I've been been playing ball like that, man. And it's it's crazy, it's crazy. So you can only pick one, though they both go together, but you can only pick one.

SPEAKER_02 40:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 40:17

Loyalty or respect.

SPEAKER_03 40:24

And I would like to give or receive.

SPEAKER_01 40:30

Uh just either one, loyalty or respect. Even though they both go hand in hand. You know. It's a tough one.

SPEAKER_03 40:42

As a man, I gotta say respect.

SPEAKER_01 40:47

Yeah, I've always been uh I th I for me it's been loyalty because respect comes with it. You know? Um, I think when you when you show people loyalty, either they're gonna rock with you or they not. And then you get to see who's real and who's not. You see what I'm saying? So yeah. What is what's what's your uh what's been your favorite marker in Tin Man?

SPEAKER_03 41:12

Uh definitely the Planet Eclipse uh CS3 with a mech frame.

SPEAKER_01 41:18

Oh, I thought you were using an older gun.

SPEAKER_03 41:22

No, uh, so I play for Aftershock. We're sponsored by Planet Eclipse.

SPEAKER_01 41:26

Oh shit. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 41:27

So um which your boy Shane Howe is actually on the team. So I play with him as well. But um, yeah, so in the tame man, it's it's got it like the M170s are tight too. Like any any mech gun that Planet Eclipse makes is just beautiful. Um, you know, back back when I started playing paintball, the the mechs that we had were autocockers and auto mags, and like that's what I thought you were playing with. No, no. I mean, I have an autococker, but uh yeah, we I play with the planet eclipse guns. They're those are just like super super guns, space guns is what I call them. Bro, like I can shoot uh a planet eclipse met gun. Uh huh. I can shoot that faster than NXL 10 10.5 ramping.

SPEAKER_01 42:11

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 42:13

That's how is it because the trigger is more loose or the triggers are are are are short and light. And you know, I when I started playing paintball, shooting fast was actually a skill set that you had to acquire. Not everyone could just shoot fast out of the box, you know, like we have the ramping, you know, in XL mode, like you just pull it a few times and then maintain a few balls a second, and the gun will keep up for you. Back back when I started playing paintball, like only certain dudes could shoot fast. You know? Wow.

SPEAKER_01 42:49

And that was 15 balls per second right back then, right?

SPEAKER_03 42:54

No, so back in the like in the autococker and auto mag days, uh, like you know, dude, you were lucky to get like eight, ten balls a second with one of those with one of those guns. Um, but then like when the NXL started, you know, they had full auto uncapped. That was crazy. Uh it might have been 15 balls a second, but basically uncapped. And PPL was semi-auto uncapped, and every gun had a cheater gun, uh cheater board in it. So like they said it was semi, but like ever everyone was like ramping and all this all this crazy stuff.

SPEAKER_01 43:27

Yeah, yeah. What happens when they got caught with it?

SPEAKER_03 43:31

They people did get caught with it and they'd lose their gun, you know, or get or get ejected, or some kind of penalty.

SPEAKER_01 43:38

Like, wow. Oh I miss so much paintball, bro. I wish I'd have been able to play those days. Oh my god. Did you play uh Huntington Beach too?

SPEAKER_03 43:47

I did, yes indeed.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

Oh my god. What is the experience like for you? So what are the memories you got from it?

SPEAKER_03 43:54

So the first time paintball ever came to Huntington Beach, I was playing. Amateur uh for a team called Platinum, and we actually won. And it was in the sand. So they didn't do the turf over the sand like they did in later years. You were just playing in the sand. And I just remember thinking, like, yo, we made it. Like, this is it. Like, paintball's gonna go, go, it's gonna go places. And I remember looking up at the pier, and all these people were just looking from the pier, just watching paintball. The the stands they had of these grandstands that they set up, and they're just packed with people. Tons of people on the boardwalk, just walking, and just like, what is this? Like, they're out there for a day on the beach, and then like there's this paintball tournament. Uh, it was the best event ever. Probably not sustainable, like for the city and for the cost of the sport. Like, I don't think I don't think paintball can afford to keep doing that, but right, right. While it lasted, it was incredible.

SPEAKER_01 44:59

Man, I missed out on so much paintball, bro. I heard that they had I heard they had a uh NXL event in Disneyland at Paris.

SPEAKER_03 45:09

I didn't go to that one, but it's true.

SPEAKER_01 45:12

Yeah, you know, like you know, I could just imagine I've been invited to come play in Greece, I've been invited to come play in Thailand, you know. Uh as far as Guadalajara, now I'll never go to Guadalajara because I just I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 45:25

Not right now.

SPEAKER_01 45:26

No, not right now. No, not with the El Mencho being being and it's just like you know, that's the that's the beauty of paintball, man. It you got memories, you got magazines. You dude, I got an album cover right now. I mean, an album, photo album with all kinds of stuff, you know. Um, and I I I keep these memories because I want my grandkids to to see what I was doing for the ones that you know, in case I pass on before they actually get to know who I am, at least they know that grandpa was out there being a savage.

unknown 46:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 46:03

I got magazines and everything too, and like all my jerseys and stuff. Paul, I just hope I just hope like my kids and my grandkids like care. You know, it's like give them the like the mac, like, because magazines aren't even like they're barely a thing anymore. So I got all these magazines, like, oh, like here's your grandpa in a magazine. They're like, well, whatever. Yeah, like I just hope they care, you know.

SPEAKER_01 46:26

Well, I I'm I'm actually doing this paintball journey by myself. Uh my my parents, my mother doesn't come. And uh my wife, she only comes unless it's not hot, you know.

SPEAKER_02 46:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

Um, you know, and my kids, you know, they got their own lives, man. And you know, one of my daughters who work at the same job I work at, so I understand, you know, being a bus driver, your time is mostly at work, and when you get off of work, you go straight home. And then when you have your time off, you just want to sit at home and chill because you're out every damn day.

SPEAKER_00 47:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:00

Um, so I don't bother my family to, you know, it hurts sometimes. It hurts sometimes to see other people there with their family and stuff, but the paintball community is my family.

SPEAKER_03 47:11

Exactly, bro. And that you could go to any paintball field in the world, and you know you got boys when you show up there because we have we have this commonality, right? We have this common interest, and I uh I think that's my favorite thing about paintball is like we might not know each other, but I know that I like you because if you play paintball, you you like what I like, you know. So it's like we're automatically friends, you know.

SPEAKER_01 47:38

Yeah, I've sat in the stands, bro, at World Cup, and I was just vibing with people. I I knew I wasn't gonna never see them again, probably until next World Cup or whatever. Yeah, we we just had a time of our lives, bro. We had the time of my life. We were sitting there talking shit about Chick-fil-A not being there on Sundays. You know, one dude handed me a beer that I never had before, and then uh uh and you know, this was one of the things that I loved about going to NXL events is that uh I got to experience uh a nice tall cold can of Yingling beer. That is the best beer I've ever had. I don't know if you know I know Ying Ling, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Dude, uh somebody brought some to the paintball park in Sacramento. We all know that in California it's not there. So he brought some because he you know he travels. I had one, I was like, bro, what is this? He's like, so every time I go, well, like when I went to uh to Atlantic City, and I want to go to World Cup, that's the only beer I'm drinking.

SPEAKER_03 48:40

Dude, that's hilarious. There's certain things that I only drink at paintball events as well. Um, one of them is uh uh what's it called? Fireball. Rocky Cagnoni, Mika Hootnin, and Mike Paxson always have these little travel bottles of fire fireball. And I don't even like I never like interested in the stuff ever, like never never touch it. But whenever I see them at paintball events, it's like, you know, we'll do a fireball shot, dude. It's like drinking some cinnamon mouthwash real quick, you know.

SPEAKER_01 49:15

Wow, have you never did it with a chaser or anything like that? I've tried it once and I I I couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_03 49:21

No, it's I mean, yeah, I could I can I can't just like chug it. I'll just like you know, sip it real slow. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not good. I'm not good with alcohol. Like I'm not like a you know, like I'll party, I'll party with the boys, you know.

SPEAKER_01 49:38

I got you, I got you. I lost a uh uh uh 1v1 bet at the paintball park, and the bet was I had to take a full shot of Jaegermeister.

SPEAKER_02 49:50

Yeah, nasty, dude.

SPEAKER_01 49:52

Oh my god, I wanted to puke so bad. I wanna and I was so glad that I I wasn't driving that day because I was just like, this is the most disgusting shit I have ever had. You should have puked in my entire life.

SPEAKER_03 50:07

Yeah, it tastes like liquor, like licorice, like melted.

SPEAKER_01 50:10

Yeah, it was like peppermint, it was like peppermint. It was just peppermint and licorice, yeah. Oh my god, it was just so nasty. But I think what saved me was I took down some uh orange juice after it. I took the shot and I had a nice little orange juice right there at the side of me. I was like, drunk it just to kill that aftertaste. Yeah, and and that's the thing, you know, uh you know, paintball parts, you get you get nice meals, man. You get I'm talking about local paintball parts, you get like nice meals, just like like night uh Mike Hendman's spot in Chino right now. You know, they got the the WCP uh CPPL kicking off right now. The food there be so good.

SPEAKER_03 50:50

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 50:51

You know, Capital Edge paintballs. Uh shout out to Dave Baines. The food there be so good, and when I bring people from my job, uh I this is another thing I do. I bring uh some coworkers from my job, their kid is looking for a job, they need some extra money. Hey, why don't you come and py around for us? The kid comes, the parent be like, I ain't ate too. One of the one of the ladies like I ain't ate this much in my life. She felt like she was violating, she felt like she was violating her diet, you know what I mean? Because she was just like, I have she she whispered it to me. She's like, Oh, I've never ate this much in my life. I'm like, girl, come on sit down somewhere.

SPEAKER_03 51:33

But that's I mean, that's what it's all about. Like, paintball is just all about having a good time, you know, good people, good company, good food, you know, good drinks. That's part of the fun, you know.

SPEAKER_01 51:45

What do you feel can be done more to uh get the the WNXL where it needs to be? I really like the WNXL, and I I just feel in my heart that they're not getting the proper exposure that they should get.

SPEAKER_03 52:03

Dude, it it's hard because like paintball itself is not even getting probably the exposure that we think it should.

SPEAKER_01 52:10

That's true.

SPEAKER_03 52:11

So, you know, we have this with the WNXL, we have a niche within a niche. So it's like first you gotta take care of that that pro paintball, that tournament paintball niche. You gotta get that exposure if you're gonna hope at all to get any exposure to the WNXL. But I think it's a cool thing, and I also like I gotta, you know, I gotta respect, you know, girls like Jen Fulk. Oh, yeah, Daniela Roha Rojas, who, you know, they don't they don't mess around with the well, they used to, but like they'll they'll play in the normal league and they'll dominate. They'll mess some people up, you know? So um, but I I do think there's definitely value in the WNXL. I just think it'd be hard to get exposure to it without first getting exposure to the main show, you know, and that's just painting them.

SPEAKER_01 53:04

Yeah, somebody brought up to me that they believe that co-oping female players in the pro league or semi-pro league, co-oping would bring more exposure. And I'm like, uh, I don't know. I don't think they're co-oping. You know, female and males playing on the in the same leagues as far as you know, together, together.

SPEAKER_03 53:28

As long as I can ball out, you know, like I'm all for that. Like, I don't think they should just be like, oh, let's put the females in here for exposure. I don't think they should do that. But if a chick's balling out, like Jen Fulk, balls out.

SPEAKER_00 53:39

Daniela Rojas balls out balls out, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 53:42

Like if they earn their spot and you know, they're they're you know, they're racking up bodies, like they're shooting people, like, yeah, it could help. I think it's interesting at the very least. It if anything, it it it it it communicates the truth that a lot of people hope is true, which is that the paintball gun is the equalizer.

SPEAKER_01 54:05

Let's talk about that.

SPEAKER_03 54:07

But you know, uh, you know, the truth is is like men just you know, with testosterone and muscle mass and all that, they're just stronger and faster. That's the reality of of it.

SPEAKER_01 54:19

Yeah, but the mental but if if like Jen Falk mentality or mental in on the field is more far superior than people would ever know.

SPEAKER_03 54:29

Oh, uh dude, for sure. No, Jen Falk is is like uh and she knows it. She's my favorite female paintball player, but uh she's in she's like kind of like an anomaly, it's not a normal thing, like how good she is, in my opinion. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:47

Now, let's talk about what you just said earlier about the the the paintball gun. I get into discussions all the time because I try to tell players that paintball guns are a tool, they don't make you better. How did you feel about that?

SPEAKER_03 55:05

100%.

SPEAKER_01 55:06

Am I wrong?

SPEAKER_03 55:07

Hell no. Like, look at like as with everything, bro. Like, you know, let's take golf, for example. You know, you could you could go to Costco and and and get the hundred dollar clubs, or you could go to uh what's the what's the name of um of a golf brand? I don't even know.

SPEAKER_01 55:23

Uh uh PTA Jut Tour, that's a brand.

SPEAKER_03 55:26

Yeah, so you go you go there and you spend three thousand dollars on clubs, right? Are are clubs gonna make you better? No, you gotta work on the fundamentals, you gotta get your swing right, you gotta get your stance right, all this stuff, you know? Um, so paintball's no different, you know. Like I could go out there with a with a brass eagle talon, which it was a gun they used to sell at Walmart back in the day. I could I could go out there and you know, give some dude who's never played before, give him you know a CS3 Pro. I'm gonna mop the floor with that dude, you know? Yeah, so um, yeah, it's uh I'll mop the floor with that dude with a slingshot, you know, like it's like so. The gun, it gun's not everything. It definitely helps, it's nice to have, but paintball is definitely a mental game, physical game. The gun is just a tool, like you said.

SPEAKER_01 56:22

Yeah, because remember Alex Goldman in the World Cup, he had that five pack with a fucking uh with the um uh what is uh what is the what is that market he was using? And everybody was just like still talking about it to this day. Like they thought he was using the Lux. I'm like, no, that's a uh fucking um can't think of the gun.

SPEAKER_03 56:46

Was it like a like an entry-level like blowback gun?

SPEAKER_01 56:51

It's about it you can get it for like 800 right now. It's uh it got the little it got the little skinny grip in the front. Umiz is made by uh let me see here. Uh right here.

SPEAKER_03 57:08

Could be like an uh maybe an axe.

SPEAKER_01 57:12

No, hell no, it definitely wasn't an axe. It was it, I got it right here. It was it was a shocker.

SPEAKER_03 57:21

Bro,$800 shocker is a good gun. 800 bucks is a lot of money.

SPEAKER_01 57:28

True, true, you know. I looked at Amazon Paintball today and I'm thinking about snatching up the uh because I hate that I sold my um Empire Vanquish. That was a very, very good gun. I hate that I sold it, and I saw one on Amazing Paintball for what$3.99 gold and black with G10 right now. Oh man, I use nothing but planet eclipse. I got an LV LV 1.1, I have the original uh 187 crew uh LV 1.1.

SPEAKER_03 58:05

Um it guns.

SPEAKER_01 58:08

I do, I do. I have a ETEC 3, ETEC 5, I have a ether, ether um, I have the ether 3, and my uh I'm still using the G uh 160R, and I and my last and best gun is my CS2. Yep. Yep, I uh my my 160R shoots amazing. I let Ben Soper, you know Ben Soper is that plays for New York record crew, right? Yeah, right. I let him use it for uh I uh for the 2022 uh World Cup when that when working record crew won it. Yep, he used it and sent it back, send it back with some mojo on it. Yeah, yeah, man. It was so messed up, bro. I was able to he didn't think he stopped using it because he didn't think it was gonna work anymore. Because that year, that's when it was raining like crazy, mud was everywhere the whole nine, and when he brought it, gave it back to me, was just caked up with all kinds of shit, bro. I was able to go in there and clean it out, blah blah blah. Shoots wonders, man. Shoots wonders, and it the 160R shoots so straight, and they I you know I couldn't believe how good that uh it made me believe how good that gun was. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, but yeah, um, last but not least, one last question. If you felt that paintball can be better in a certain item, what item would that be? Would it be a mask or can they develop something different in a gun or a padding?

SPEAKER_03 59:54

So I think I think guns have gotten as good as they can get. Like they're as small as they can get, they're as fast as they can get, and we don't even utilize them to the as fast as they can shoot. We're capped now, ten and a half. Um, so let me just process this. So guns are as good as they can get. Like we got rid of the, you know, we got rid of the macro line. We ex I I don't know, you know, if you remember this, Paul, but there used to be a plastic or a steel line from the grip to the bottom line that fed the air in. Okay, so we got rid of that. Guns are small now, they shoot really fast, they're quiet, all this stuff. Um, hoppers. Hoppers are fast, they're quiet. We got the speed feeds, we got timers built in. You look at the carbon hopper, it's got the timer built in.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:45

So I think that's camera's gonna be on a press soon.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:49

There's something. So, like maybe not making a product necessarily better, but integrating technology so we can get more exposure to the sport. It's easier to get you know, get content. So putting a camera in the hopper, putting a camera in the goggles. Um, I think the next like level of evolution in in technology for paintball is probably gonna be a goggle with some sort of like LED display in it, you know, where you get to get information that you can see on your goggles.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:23

Well, they already banned us from using our our glasses on the field.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:27

So you can't use metaglasses anymore?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:29

No, it's banned.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:31

I didn't I didn't know that. Okay. Well, that maybe that's not gonna happen then.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:35

Um yeah, because they're saying that the coach can have the same on and they can communicate, blah blah blah. Sure. But the thing is, you gotta have you gotta have your phone on you in order for that to even work, though.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:47

The only thing you can do with the glasses without your phone is record. That's it.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:54

You see what I'm saying? And then when it gets back close to your phone, then it downloads the video. But they're yeah, they they totally, totally ban uh metaglasses from uh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:09

I think okay, maybe I think the maybe something that can be improved is paintballs themselves.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:18

Like paintballs are not perfectly round, and there's gotta be a way to get them perfectly round. Like I'm talking about perfectly round, so they're just like ball on ball accuracy, getting them all the same size. So I think whoever can solve that while also keeping the cost low, that that'll be the next game changer for the sport.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:39

Um but if you do you believe do you believe that there's a way where like something can be inside the paintball so it can be tracked?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:52

Oh, I don't know because the paintball's got a break on something.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:57

That's true. I mean, because when you got golf balls, they they got golf balls that could be tracked, you got footballs that can be tracked, you got soccer balls that could be tracked, hockey pucks can be tracked. You know, I don't hockey.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:10

They can make the paintballs a certain color, so so the so you can track them that way, so they're so whatever camera that we're using picks that specific color. And so that's that's the only way I could see it, see us doing it without putting like a microchip or something inside the paintball, because that won't work, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:30

I mean, because I think Verb made a big point about you know making the balls more visible, yeah. And and and and for the paintballs to be accommodating to the cameraman as well.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:41

Yep, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:42

You know what I mean? So um, yeah, um, maybe how do you feel about the new layout, the layout uh bunker? How do you feel about that?

SPEAKER_03 1:03:52

Which one?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:53

The star, the little star.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:56

I haven't seen it, bro.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:57

Oh no, I mean oh man, go on YouTube and type in UXBL, or no, uh double CPBL, they're using it on the premiere field. They got them at the snake. I'll send it I'll send you a picture of it right now.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:10

Hold on, I'm looking it up. Maybe they find it on their Instagram page.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:27

No, I gotta I just sent it to you. I just sent it to you on Instagram page. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:41

Oh, I haven't seen these before. Yeah, these are dope. So is this only in CPPL or is NXL also gonna be using these?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:50

No, this is uh Mike Hammond's dub C CPL, but the the league is using them. The NXL League, every other, every any league across the paintball world, they're going to use them. Yeah, I like them a lot. Okay, okay. What is it that you like? The fact that you have options? You have three literally three options on one. If you look at this, if when you look at this uh this picture, you got three options to take out a player.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:18

Yeah, but I also imagine like so. Whenever I look at a bunker, I imagine someone being on each side of the bunker and how that's gonna go down. Right. So you put someone on each side of this X, like you can get real sneaky. Someone can go on like the left, the left wedge, they can go on the right wedge, you not see them. You can go over the top and bunker the dude. Like there's all kinds of sneaky, sneaky fun stuff you could do there. Um, and it's like if you're on one side of it, you feel it jiggle a little, maybe someone slid into it, you know, it creates some chaos.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:51

So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:52

I like that. I like that a lot.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:54

So I think they're gonna use it in a in a I guarantee you're they're gonna use it in the uh.

unknown 1:06:00

Good.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:00

Yeah, I see it. Yeah, so you're gonna see something different. Um, and it's it's gonna be more exciting. I'm telling everybody that the middle is gonna be with these bunkers, it's gonna make the middle even more deadlier. Everybody's like, nah, nah.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:15

This is on the side, but like I'd like to see these littered throughout the middle a little bit. That'd be cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:21

Yeah, because they're saying the lanes will be a little bit more open, yeah, you know, etc. You know, oh, because of the five pods. You know what I mean? So, you know, I I I need to find out are there limiting pods at the WCC WCP uh, Mike Hendon's league? I don't think they're doing it on local weeks. I know that the pro players are the ones doing it. I don't know if I wonder if in NXL events are are divisionals and semi-pro's going under that same rule to only use five pods.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:55

Yeah, I'm not sure if it's divisional.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:58

Yeah, I'm gonna find that out because uh I am doing Texas and World Cup. I'm hopefully doing Texas, but I'm most most definitely gonna be at World Cup.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:07

Yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:07

Yeah, I'm gonna be playing with leftovers, so I'm most definitely gonna be there. Yep. Well, my brother, I really, really appreciate you coming on the show. And oh man, you do you took the nervous out of me, you know what I mean? Because I didn't I didn't want to seem like a uh I felt like a beginner all over again.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:26

I did. I had a great time, man, getting to know you. I appreciate hearing your story, and let's do this again soon.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:33

Yeah, man, I'll and I would love to have you on with uh a couple of pro players, and we can just talk about like uh the the uh Tampa Bay event and then uh because uh Glassstone says he definitely wants to come on. So just me, you, Glassstone, and Shane, that would be absolutely a great show right there.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:49

Let's do it, man. Hit me up.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:51

Anytime, brother. I appreciate you again.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:54

You got it, Paul. Appreciate you.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:56

Hold on a second.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:58

Uh yeah.