Paintball x3

For 2009, the PSP will allow 12 balls per second for Pro and Semi-Pro Teams, while all other divisions are going to be using 10 bps.  I'm going to assume that these max rates of fire are achieved using the PSP ramping, rather than semi-automatic. 

So what's this all mean, aside from the possibility of players busting out the Automags, Autocockers, and Revi's again?   Well, first off it puts a whole new spin on the game...or rather an old spin.

Back in 2003 I got to play at the Mardi Gras Open, which at the time was the first event of the year, and they followed PSP rules.  Back then, I used a pneumatic autococker, and on a good day I could pump out 9 balls a second.  At the 2003 World Cup, I'd stepped up to an LCD Angel, and with the EVLution feeding it, I could pound out a good 12-13 balls per second. 

Then for the 2005 season, the PSP rolled out the 15.4 bps ramping.  Pandora's box was opened, and everyone on the field was a midget with a machine gun, rather than just the back players, who are typically the paint spraying monsters on the field.   Some of us criticized the minimization of our well developed trigger fingers, while others lauded how the playing field had been leveled. 

Personally speaking, I don't have a stake in the PSP or what it does.  I topped out at Novice back in the day with my LCD, and as my body aged and my interests changed, the tournament life became more about the trade show, the products, and the people behind the companies than the guys out on the field blowing each other's head off at what I thought was a reasonable rate of fire.

This year's rate of fire change is the PSP's way of responding to their ownership group and major sponsors, all of whom were wanting a reduced rate of fire.  I'll leave the reasoning behind this to people more conversant in the ways of major league tournaments than me...but I will applaud Lane for being honest about it...the people with the money are making their wishes known, and he's in a position to make their wishes a reality.

On a positive note, the lowered rates of fire ought to make PSP paintball more entertaining to watch, as laning and suppression will be a lot more difficult to do now, and the players who're athletic and fast will have an easier time making bounces, bunkering, and generally making a nuisance of themselves on the field.  

The only real point of contention I have is the assertion by some that the PSP's action will have a trickle down effect on the rest of the playing population.  It's my opinion that it won't.  With the right mods, a Tippmann 98 or A-5 can shoot 15+ balls per second all day long, and let's face it, paintball players like shooting fast.  With the huge population of 1-3 year old tournament markers that can be had for a song, the game is now in a position where the 'elite' of the game are outgunned by the unwashed masses, most of which like playing in the woods or at their local field as walk-ons and could care less about the PSP.  

The reason the 15.4 bps ramping was so popular and its' use spread so widely throughout the game was because it offered an easy way for everyone to throw out an intimidating amount of paint.  That rapid adoption of PSP ramping led some to believe that what the PSP does has a trickle down effect on everyone else.  Now that the PSP is trying to close Pandora's Box of high rate of fire, the assertion has been made that the rest of the game will follow their lead and start lowering their allowed rates of fire at their venues.   It won't.  Most field owners make their profits from paint sales, and if the rates of fire at their fields come down, they start losing money, which potentially means that there will be less fields for players to go to.

I've said it once and I'll say it again.  The PSP or any other tournament series won't be the salvation of the game.  The tail wagging the dog isn't going to solve the problems the game is facing right now.  It's going to come down to a collective effort of individual players, field operators, manufacturers, and leagues, and paintball media to make it through the tough times the game is facing right now.  Players are going to have to think about more than themselves, field operators are going to have to create and consistently enforce rules and policies that keep new players from getting abused by higher level players who aren't thinking. 

The manufacturers can help by enacting programs that encourage good behavior and actively helping to recruit new addicts to this wonderful game we all love.  While it's unreasonable to expect manufacturers to devolve technology, they can help foster an environment that encourages responsible use of their high performance offerings.  

Another action they can take is to target successful field owners and shops and enter into cooperative advertising agreements with them, to not only get exposure in the paintball media (sites, magazines, etc.) but at a local level with mainstream media sources like cable TV ads, billboards, targeted mainstream magazines (men's magazines especially!), and even radio and newspapers.  Confining your advertising dollars to the paintball media is preaching to the choir.  The aim is to expose people who had no previous exposure to the sport, and positively influence public opinion to hopefully mainstream the game.

The leagues can continue doing what they do, by putting a positive, easy to understand face on the game, and the paintball media can assist them by reporting and commenting on both good and bad behavior in ways that positively affect the game.  Gone are the days of thinking it's 'agg' to put three balls on into the back of someone's head and think it's cool to watch the victim collapse. 

It all starts with you.  Are you ready to help bring the game back to where it should be?

There's a common perception that people, especially paintball business people like to have clandestine meetings in smoke filled rooms to decide how they're going to continue making obscene profit margins off the unwashed masses who play paintball.

I can't speak for regular business people, but paintball business people for the most part are a disturbingly healthy bunch, so that takes the smoke filled room out of the equation.  These guys are worried, and they have good reason to be.  The sport is in the throes of a major downturn in sales and participation, and they're trying to figure out what they can do to stop the hemorrhaging.

Being a press guy has its advantages.  I get to see a lot of the behind-the-scenes action that goes on in the sport, and it's been refreshing to see the 'big boys' sitting down and talking to each other, rather than threatening each other with their lawyers.  It's sad that it took a major downturn for these guys to talk to each other, but they're talking so it's progress. 

There's no sense in finger-pointing or trying to assign blame as to why things are they way they are right now.  I personally believe that a lot of the reasons for the downturn in the sport's participation and sales are out of the control of the guys making and selling the gear we use.  There are problems that need to be addressed that are directly caused by the things that have gone on in the past, but the current situation is largely out of the control of those in the industry.

So, what's on the 'big boys' minds?  Quite a bit, actually.  They're facing a multitude of problems that directly impact their businesses, and they're not getting a lot of help in dealing with them.  The PSTA was formed this year with the purpose of helping, but it's still a fledgling organization.  Others have instituted programs on their own, such as KEE Action Sports' “Great Day of Play” program, but that's just one company.  Efforts like “Great day of Play” need to be part of a larger effort to bring people back to paintball or introduce them to it.  Whether it's the PSTA or another industry organization that does it, it needs to happen. 

Another thing on the minds of the 'big boys' is MAP pricing.  All companies have MSRP, or Manufacturers Suggested Retail Pricing, and they all (or should) have Minimum Advertised Pricing.  I recently got my butt chewed by one of the biggest of the big boys because I had advertised an paintball auction site where some of the vendors selling there were blatantly violating MAP rules.  The person in question thought the site was a project of mine.  After I corrected that perception, we had a nice talk about the state of the sport and what could be done to improve things for everyone.  The paintball auction site instituted a policy that new equipment had to conform to MAP rules, and progress was made.  As much as it's cool to find a 'hook up' or a 'deal', in the long run these violations of MAP policy cause damage to the industry that provides the equipment we use. 

So what can we do?  First, an understanding that the guys making the equipment and goodies that we use on the field aren't a bunch of brigands and thieves looking to make a quick buck and go on to the next scam.  There are bad apples in the industry, but they're normally caught on to pretty quickly and they go the way of the dodo shortly thereafter.  Despite what people think, the industry is growing up in their views, and while they still have a ways to go, there is progress being made.

Secondly, talking to people about paintball in a positive way and getting people out there to try the game is a grassroots way to swell the ranks.  Church groups, your buddies at work, or even just people you run into in your daily live are all paintball players waiting to happen.  Be positive and enthusiastic about the game you love!

Finally, support your local shops and fields.  These guys are on the front lines of the sport, giving us a place to get our stuff and then go and use it.  They have the highest expenses, lowest margins, and are usually the first ones to face the slings and arrows of the public when something bad happens.  Supporting them is in our best interests because without them, we don't have any place to go and play