Ahh, on to business. With the Olympics around the corner, a lot of people start asking why paintball is not an Olympic sport yet. “It’s been around for 20 years or more, millions played, and it’s COOL!!!” Ok, you want to know why? Here, let me spell it out for you all. We, as a sport, are not ready for it.

I could go off on a lot of tangents, but let me focus on a few key points. First is the “Olympic Charter“. See, the IOC, International Olympic Committee, has guidelines on what is, and is not, an olympic sport. They change the rules recently, but the basics are that sports must focus on athletics, and not on technology. This is being pushed to the breaking point with some of the new advances in some sports (swimsuits, for example), but the focus is on the athlete.

A good example of this is windsurfing. Olympic windsurfing is a tech sport, with sails and boards, but all the competitors use the same board and sail. So to put it into perspective, if paintball wanted to be an olympic sport, we would have to do similar. Everyone would use the same gun, or the same style gun at least. Oh, and no electronics. See, the IOC frowns on technology performing for the athlete, including ramping or assisted shooting.

More than likely there would need to be a standard uniform, standard size allowable padding, and so on. The paint usage per team or per player would need to be regulated, as even biathlon skiers get only 5 shots to hit 5 targets. Electronics would probably be out, so mechanical semis are in. Stock Class would work even better as it would show true skill but that’s my personal bias. Fields would probably be speedball style, as it’s easier to show and have an audience. So limited paint, mechanical semis, and standard fields around the world. Ya know, when I bring up “limited paint” people have fits. Imagine telling them they can’t use their new e-gun too? Oh, I can already hear the whinging.

I could also focus on the fact that eligible sports need to have an international governing body. Paintball is so splintered right now that there’s no possibility of this happening in the near future. We have a lot of independent events world wide, but no official international governing body. That can change, but nobody has made the move to do it.

But let me hit you all with the real reason paintball will never be an Olympic sport, or at least not in the near future. The “WADA Code”. See, rule 46, bylaw 1.7 of the IOC charter states that all sports in the olympics must adhere to the “World Anti Doping Agency” list of banned substances and procedures. Simple translation? Every tournament player would have to submit to random drug testing at events, and outside of events.

So, try to imagine yourself right now. Are you ready, RIGHT NOW, to pass a WADA drug test? You may think you are, but you probably don’t know what’s in the WADA code. Well, here, a link to the WADA code. Head spinning yet? Now read the prohibited list.

That’ll get your brain in knots, won’t it?

What does it all mean? Well, some of the stuff on the list is obvious. Others not so much. Steroids, good example. Many asthmatics use a banned IOC substance daily in their rescue inhalers. In fact one medal was stripped from an athlete because he used an over the counter asthma med that in the host country had the banned substance, but in his did not. Honest mistake, but t cost him a medal.

So think again, almost all the players I know have no clue what they put in their body on a week to week basis. Hell, hour to hour for that matter. And, oh yeah, if you’re an athlete in a sport with the WADA code going, they can test you out of competition too. So you could be at team practice, and a WADA guy will ask you to pee in a cup for them. Are you ready for that? Ready to have your privacy invaded? Ready to have a total stranger tell you what you’ve been doing on the weekends for recreation?

Based on what I’ve seen, and heard from everyone I’ve asked, the answer is no. “NO WAY I’m gonna do that! I’m not gonna give up my fun weekend! I’m not gonna jump through hoops so I can use my prescription meds!” Well, then no way paintball is going to be an olympic sport. Sorry. The thing is that sacrifices have to be made, personal freedoms are one of them. And not enough people I know are willing to do that. And, until they do, paintball is left out of the Olympic games.

So before you start saying paintball should be in the olympics, think about it. Are you prepared to sacrifice a lot to do it? Are you ready to be drug tested? Are you ready to sacrifice your local series for an international one? Are you ready to use standard gear and not you new “shiny paintslinger 5000″? You ready to be told that you have to have limits put on the game to make is an athletic competition, and not just a technology sport?

Think before you answer that.

We all say it to death. “Dead men don’t talk.” But they do in paintball. “Ghost cheaters” are very common. Guy is on point, or way out in front where he can’t get support from his friends. He gets shot due to his own ineptitude by a “sniper” who shoots one ball and pastes him between the eyes. On his way back to the dead zone, he passes his teammates and says “He’s behind that tree with the barrel next to it, flank him.” and keeps on walking.

Let’s look at this from the other side. The opponent probably worked his tail off to make that spot unseen. Or he just got lucky and found “the spot” to go to. Or whatever, he EARNED a takedown. He fired one shot, did everything right. And what happens? The guy he shot gets revenge on him by telling his teammates his location, how many there are, and all but how to take him out.

I’ve BEEN that guy before, and let me tell you it SUCKS. A lot of hard work goes into being sneaky, and because you’re angry that you didn’t see me you have to ruin all my effort in 2 seconds of talking. Last time someone did that to me I shot him in the goggles again. Obviously, he was still in the game because he was talking to his teammates. Then I proceeded to maul his teammates, just for good measure.

Here’s the thing, most players see no problem if an eliminated teammate tells them “Hey, there’s a guy over there”, regardless if they should have this information or not. “It really doesn’t make a difference” Well, yes it does. It’s information that you should not otherwise have. And you can’t unhear it once you’ve heard it. So no matter what, you’re going to react to that information in one way or another.

It may seem minor, until you realize that one person can stall a group of 20 for several minutes if they don’t know it’s only one person. And that timing can be the difference between making a mission or failing it. A single piece of information gained through a “ghost” can mean a team makes mission points or fails. Now imagine a scenario being won or lost because some guy “ghosted” information to his teammates. Yeah, someone’s not going home happy, and they’ll be more likely to cheat the next time.

What really frustrated me, however, is the well intentioned referees who were doing this too. I had a ref tell me where opponents were, how many there were, and how to get them out! Why? I think he was frustrated that my pace wasn’t the heavy sprint that makes it exciting. Look, I know you mean well, but I’ve been playing this game a while. I like to think I know what’s going on, and if I don’t I like to know the opponent did a better job than I did. And besides, I’m old, fat and slow. I’ll get there in a while, ok pal?

People tell me that in chess you learn by losing. You don’t, you learn by learning. You try something, it works or doesn’t work, and you choose to learn from the experience. Being told what to do is not learning, it’s simply doing what someone else told you to do without understanding why it’s effective. So when someone tells you where the bad guy is, you don’t learn how to see through trees and scrub, you don’t l earn how to flank, you don’t learn what to look for, you just react to information. It doesn’t make you a better player, it makes you a video game AI working off a “Radar HUD”. I’d rather learn and think, not just react to blips.

So I’m asking this to the world at large, and trying to do so nicely. Let’s kill the “slide cheating” now. If you’re out, walk all your information off the field with you. When you get to your dead box, THEN share information with the guys there. It doesn’t matter, you’re all out for the moment anyway, and it’s no different than getting intel by aerial reconnaissance for the commanders if you’re into that kind of thing. Or if, like in this game, there are medics and instant respawns, then wait ’till you’re back in the action THEN share information as a live player.

Now if a guy needs a squeegee or his gun is broken down or he needs some help with making his gun work and you’re walking by, sure stop and help. That’s just a cool thing to do. But don’t get up and say “oh, by the way, you’re surrounded.” Let them find out for themselves. The lesson is better learned through trial and error rather than being told what to do. And you might have some company to walk back to the dead box and you can share a laugh.

Dave Youngblood leads a charge over a ridge :

More of Dave Youngblood, this time talking about motivational problems on his team

And finally, Daryll Trent talking about the “fun” of the 3 flag format of the game… Well more complaining in jest but…

And you thought these guys only played X-Ball and ran companies?

So, natrually, I was asked to film. What you see here is the result of filming today. What you can’t see is that my vehicle was previously stuck in the mud to the CHASSIS, about 50+ feet ago. We had to push it out with a FREAKING TRACTOR!!!

This kind of thing never happens to Max Lundquist! What’s he got that I don’t. Besides good looking women hanging off of him?

So SPLAT trusted me with a blog site. Go figure. I know a lot of you see this and say “Who in the hell is this Tyger guy? Doesn’t he do those videos online?” Yes, I do. But that’s not all I’ve done. So, I would like to take this opportunity to formally introduce myself to those people who only know me for the “stupid common sense videos” I’ve done.

My name is Rob Rubin, AKA “Tyger”. Been known as that for almost 20 years now. Started as an internet geek on the old usenet forums way back in the day. I contributed photos to the “Warpig” project, before it was an acronym. I have a personal page, but I’m not a web developer nor do I pretend to be by stealing scripts.

I’ve written articles for damn near every paintball magazine out there, and only writing for SPLAT at the moment by choice. Quality over quantity. I co-authored the book “The Complete Guide to Paintball”, now in 4th edition. I’ve also quietly helped on a few video projects as well, but that’s neither here nor there really. Right now my “FPS” series is available, for free, on the main site and youtube. As well as other vids I’ve shot, which you can find too.

I’m a troublemaker, rabble-rouser, and a general pain in the backside to a lot of people. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve been told I’m the best thing in paintball and the worst thing, the truth is somewhere in the middle. I’m seeking truth, lies, zen, chaos and always a good story. I’m a geek in the modern sense, not the sideshow one. I don’t edit wikipedia for fun and I think it’s sad that people raided it after “The Daily Show” told them to do so.

I’ve been called a dinosaur because I played pump exclusively through the semi-auto revolution of the mid 90’s. I know I’m a dinosaur because my camos have been playing longer than some of the kids I play paintball against these days have been alive. I’m one of the tallest front players you’ll ever meet, because I get bored throwing 1000 balls downrange from the back. I’ve played with Bob Long, Dave Youngblood, Daryll Trent and other people you may have heard of, but I’ve never played an NPPL or PSP event in my life. I’ve played with thousands more who you’ve probably never heard of, but left an impact on the game in doing so.

I’m a woods-style player who hits up the arenas as a fun sideline. I’ll dress in fatigues to go play arena ball just to see how many kids ask me if I’m a “scenario player”. Yes, I really do play wearing cat ears and a tail when I play, it doesn’t look nearly as ridiculous as the mis-matched “clown outfits” I’ve seen some guys wear. And I do own a sandana or two that I purchased mail order from the company around 1993 because nobody in the midwest had them.

I’m an old school player who thinks the new school could learn a thing or two by playing with pistols for a day. I’ve been blamed for causing a rift between “woods” and “speedball” players, but I know that’s giving me way too much credit. I cringe when people roll into the parking lot and ask to get their “gat” and hold in sideways while buying a “bag of bullets” to play. I’ve played outlaw a few times, and I’m thankful nobody was blinded because of it

I’m not a reporter, but I used to be. I’m not looking for trouble, I just relay what I’ve seen. In spite of what I’ve been told about myself I don’t hate tournament players as a whole, but there’s a few that I despise on an individual, one on one basis. I was honored as a “living legend” last weekend, but you could have fooled me. And what you read about me from other people’s mouths, don’t believe it all. I’m amazed at what I’ve been told I’ve done in the past. Someone told me once I played for the All Americans, which is amazing considering I lived almost 1000+ miles away from them at the time. You could actually *ask* me these things yourself, and I try to reply to everyone.

But most of all, I’m a paintball player. I buy my paint like everyone else, I fill my own pods or tubes, chrony in line, and sink into the crowd in my camouflage. I don’t play for glory, or bragging rights or sponsors or money. I just play. And I think that’s something that’s always been overlooked.

So “hello world” indeed. Welcome to my take on it.