Zombies vs Humans Date Change - November 11th

Due to the sever weather the Zombies vs Humans scenario at Mersey Road Paintball has been rescheduled to November 11th.

The Tippinators respect the sacrifice made by veterans, and thank the currently serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces for all they have given so we can enjoy our way of life. The game will not begin until the conclusion of the Remembrance Day ceremony starting at 11:00am

Zombies vs Humans Scenario Game

Back to the Woods

Well, around here, summer has hit in full force. Which means, it's time to get out and play paintball. For any woodsball game, summer can be the ideal time to play, plenty of foliage, nice weather, and no worries of freezing your marker with CO2. Of course, there are a few hazards to be careful of, especially in the summer:

Plants: The bushes provide great cover for crawling. Just make sure you know what kind of bush you're snuggling with. I've made the mistake of finding myself halfway through a patch of poison ivy. Not good.

Bugs: Ticks and mosquitoes are out in full force. The little buggers might not be a huge irritant, but can cause problems later. Make sure to use bug repellant, and check for ticks after you play!

Weather: As nice as the weather can be during the summer, thunderstorms can always be a risk. Don't mess with lightning. Also be careful of dehydration, especially during long games! Water is your best friend, both for drinking and cleaning off hits between games.

Newbies: Ok, not a hazard. But be aware, summer is the time of year when most new players try out the sport. Make sure their first experience is a great one, both by insuring safety and good fun gameplay.

So what are you waiting for? Get out and play!

A tribute to a Founding Father

Founding Father of paintball that is! I was surfing across M. Carter Brown (a website which caters to collectors and those of us who enjoy playing in the oldschool style), and found these. Here's to you Glenn!

Glenn Palmer's tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
Glenn Palmer counted to infinity - twice.
Glenn Palmer does not hunt because the word hunting infers the probability of failure. Glenn Palmer goes killing.
If you can see Glenn Palmer, he can see you. If you can't see Glenn Palmer you may be only seconds away from death.

DDAY -- A remembrance, a reverence, and reliving

This day, June 6th, has a deeply felt meaning to whole generations. We honor those who fought for their countries, for the freedoms of others, and for their brothers in the battle next to them. It was the day that marked the end of an era for some, the beginning for others. And it is a day when we look with admiration and respect towards those who have volunteered to do the same today, both at home and around the world.

It is also the beginning of a slew of paintball games marking the invasion of Normandy, from small woodsball games and scenarios up to the largest scenario event in the world, Oklahoma DDAY. Players around the country will join together and fight with the common theme of DDAY on their minds. RECON, as always, will be providing coverage of these events. Make sure to watch for those in the issues to come.

Once again, we thank both those who served our country in those momentous days and today. You are the truest of heroes.

RECON Announces Contest

Inspiring posts by RECON bloggers Bruce "Charon" Johnston and Ian "Lo" Ebersole have prompted me to announce a RECON reader contest! One first place winner will receive a one-year subscription to RECON Magazine and will have their essay published in RECON, while 2 runners-up will also have their work published in RECON and will receive a free copy of that issue!

The contest is simple... in a short essay of 400 to 700 words, tell us: "Why woods paintball is special to you" or "What makes you proud to be a woodsballer."

You can follow Lo's example and write about a particular day or moment, or speak in general, the way Bruce did. Have fun with it, be creative and please, use spell check before submitting your entry.

E-mail all entries to: RECONEditor (@) gmail.com. Entries will be judged by the RECON staff on the basis of creativity, clarity and quality. (That is: how unique/original your ideas are, how clearly you express your ideas, and if your essay is fun to read and shows a knowledge of basic writing ability). Contest deadline is June 15, 2008.

Writers and photographers whose work has appeared in RECON within the past year or is scheduled to appear within the next six months are ineligible to enter (sorry). Employees of RECON are ineligible to enter. LOL

A Day at the Park (ok, ok, Paintball field)

Went out and played paintball today, and I had a really, really good time. I went incognito; just pulled out some old cammies and a Tippmann 98 Custom and played.

While there were a few times I wished I was using my Phantom (snap shooting with a 3-foot long gun while laying down isn't all I remember it to be), it really was a much simpler, more relaxed day. No batteries, no pods, just pure paintball zen. I suppose with all the expectationsI usually bring to the field, I burden myself. Today, if I made a bad move, I made a bad move. It wasn't particularly important. I wasn't pressuring myself to play well, or even to really practice or learn anything. Just playing paintball.

The second thing that made it such a good day was that there happened to be a very large birthday party in attendance. There were just short of two dozen kids present, probably around 10 years old. To my surprise, they were most unlike the kids that age I've seen play before. They were aggressive and moved, they worked well with each other, and some of them were dang good shots. Beyond that, they insisted on playing together as a team against the regulars. (I can't say they ever won a game, but they came close!). They were all smiles, all day, even when they'd catch three or four balls on the way out. That's the kind of attitude I love to see from new players. Playing hard, and smiling harder.

Now, I've got a soft spot for kids. And that's part of it. But these two things combined really restored a lot of my hope in the future of the sport. During the entire day, I never saw any cheating, any swearing, anyone getting heated at all really.

Let's just say that today made me proud to play paintball.

What REALLY Makes Paintball Special?

I am an older player who has been around the game for a long time; I have the advantage of looking at the sport of paintball a little different than other people.

I have played organized sports at a competitive level my entire life: hockey, baseball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, golf and basketball. I can say that paintball players are a special breed of athlete. Perhaps that is the wrong word; paintballers are a special breed of people.

Paintball players are predominantly young men who play the game jacked up on adolescent hormones, adrenaline and energy drinks. The primary equipment needed to play the game can cause serious injury if used incorrectly and the participants play the game unsupervised, for the most part.

At the field and in online forums you can find people talking smack. Putting down other players because of the style of paintball they play or the equipment they use. When you put all of these ingredients together they look like a recipe for a brawl at best or full-out riot at worst. Yet paintball is the safest extreme sport in the world and one of the safest sports, period.

I have given a considerable amount of thought to the reason why. To the public, paintball appears dangerous and violent, but it is in fact, a true gentlemen’s sport.

The reason the game is as safe and popular as it is, is YOU--the player! Despite how it looks to outsiders, and what happens away from the field, the sport of paintball is special because of you. Each and every paintball player, in some way, contributes to the greatness of the game as a whole.

At the rec-ball field, there are neither soccer moms nor football dads screaming at their kids to play better and win at all costs. There is no external pressure on any players, so everyone can be themselves, which brings out the best in everyone.

The next time you are at the baseball diamond or soccer field take a look around. What do you see? Kids being pressured to live up to the expectations of their parents, stats and record sheets showing how this group of kids is better than that group of kids, league officials and coaches bickering over rules. In short, there is organized chaos and a distinct lack of love for the game.

Take a look around the next time you are at the paintball field. What do you see? Paintballers, that’s it -- just paintballers. A bunch of people who just want to go out and have fun playing the game they love.

Players at every field are pretty much the same. I have walked up to Team Delta at EMR, Thor Omega at Skirmish USA, logged on to a discussion forum in Ireland and have been treated with the same respect as when I am talking to the group of new players at my local field.

'Ballers are 'ballers no matter where you go. Every one of you should be proud of what you have created, a worldwide brotherhood of paintballers. A sport that is special because of the character of the participants, not because of wins and losses.

Live, from the Utah SPPL

Just wanted to drop a quick note to all our RECON blog readers. I'm reporting live from the SPPL Utah Qualifier paintball event at the Spec Ops Retribution Field in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Well, actually, right now I'm in my hotel room about 3 miles from the field, ready to get some sleep for an early, early start tomorrow. Game time starts at 7 PM, and will continue until sundown.

I've also got in my hands, right now, (this part is true) the fresh NEW issue of RECON, the long-awaited issue 4:1. I sincerely hope it lives up to the hype (and the long wait.) We'll have back issues of RECON available for free at the event all day tomorrow (I can't guarantee they'll last until Saturday!) and copies of the newest issue for sale for only $5! You can't beat that price for a single issue!

Also, players with SPPL ID cards can subscribe tomorrow and receive a 10 percent discount off our regular subscription prices! If you're not at the event this weekend, but you have an official SPPL Player ID card, you can still take advantage of this offer by going to www.playsppl.com.

I think that's enough promotions for one night! Drop by the SpecOps field tomorrow and say hi and enjoy some of the best scenario paintball action around.

Prayers for Monty, Please...

I awoke Wednesday morning (I think it was Wednesday) to some disturbing news. Our very own Monty Doom had one of the worst MS attacks he's had in about 2-and-a-half years.

I spoke to him for about a half hour today and he's doing a bit better, but is on a lot of medication and very aggressive steroid treatment.

Whenever I speak to Monty, his inner strength astounds me. He just keeps going. After giving me an update on his health, he wanted to talk about RECON and his assignments, of all things!

Needless to say, his write-up of the CPX game on this site will be delayed a bit, but he will have the article done in time for our next issue, with some help from friends and fellow RECON staff. I told him he needs to focus on getting better. He won't be attending Castle Conquest XXV at EMR, either, in a few weeks. I told him we would all rather have him around for many, many paintball seasons to come, even if it means him missing a game or two this year.

I just wanted to share this news with RECON readers and as much of the woodsball family as this blog is reaching right now.

(photo: Monty and Blue of EMR)