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San Diego Dynasty’s Midwest Open Event Recap

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“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it isn’t the end.” – John Lennon

That quote came up in the daily quote I am subscribed to. It was the first thing I checked this morning when I got up early to start this blog. I find it fascinating since I experienced a new phenomenon this past week after the event. And I have Alex Fraige and Ryan Greenspan to thank for it.

Stoicism teaches that everything you do can be partitioned into two components: One component is completely up to you, the things you can control. The other are those components which you cannot control – or rather, outcomes that are derived from external factors beyond your control. And the Stoics believed you should focus all of your energy on the first component… things you can control. One should also develop an attitude of equanimity toward the things you can’t control… sometimes things go in your favor, and sometimes they don’t. I read recently that it isn’t a reflection of who you are but a reflection that the universe works in strange and mysterious ways. Of course, I also have my faith so, which teaches that there is purpose for everything.

The reason I bring this up is because several teams I have coached over the years would get frustrated when the wins wouldn’t come. I developed a way to address that by implementing a “we didn’t lose if we learned from it” approach. If we learned something or it made us better in some way, we were good and we would leverage that to be better prepared next time. Some may not agree with that thought process… some may think “if you ain’t first, your last!” I get it. I think any person with a competitive bone in their body “gets it”. But you can’t look at every event where you didn’t win (especially in paintball) as a failure or a black mark… That would leave 11 pro teams over the last 10 years and COUNTLESS divisional teams depressed and/or wanting (and in a lot of cases, dissolved).

But I digress… I’ll start with Alex. He has done a great job of reminding me to “have fun”. Enjoy the process, enjoy the ride, enjoy the journey we are on together. Cherish the moments we get to spend to together playing the game we love. And I am truly thankful to him for that. I do take this too serious sometimes. This passion and love of the sport should never become or feel like work, and sometimes, I let it. But as I explained to him, there’s a deep rooted story as to why. Still, his message was heard and I need to appreciate where I have been, where I am now, and where I am going with this team. So far, it has been a truly educational process and I am quite appreciative of that.

And then there is Ryan (and Alex for that matter too). They don’t see this event as a failure or a bad event for the team. Rather, there were positive take-aways. For example, and I don’t want to put words in his mouth bu Ryan simply sees it as (I’m paraphrasing here), “Okay, we dropped the ball here and here… let’s not do that next time. Let’s refocus and just win the next one.” It sounds so simple but it is quite profound in a myriad of ways. Especially when you look back, consider, and really understand why that attitude exists in him and the other members of Dynasty. I certainly get it. And I’m here for it.

I wanted to share that real quick because it has had a good effect on me. My family has even noticed.

Alright, let’s talk about the event. Again, I won’t do the whole play by play. Honestly, I think this gave people too much insight when I have done this previously (I’m kidding… but not really). I will certainly give you an overview of each match against each team.

Before I forget though, I do want to send a shout out to Major League Paintball for an outstanding venue. Best playing surface for an event in a long, long time. Nothing you can do about the temperatures. That was an anomaly (you can look it up… the average temperature in mid to southern OH in June is a high of 83, low of 62).

VS SEADOGS

I won’t tell you I wasn’t a little anxious about this match prior to Friday. The reason being a combination of the layout and the Seadogs penchant to press. They are solid gunfighters and have some weapons for sure. They are a smart and quick team. However, we had a chance to scout them prior to playing them (insert argument about better to have a warm up match or scout your opponent here). They would match up against Damage and only play 4 points. The Seadogs seemed to like what we were calling “redundancies”… two guys doing the same job purposefully. The one point they won against Damage seemed to show they weren’t confident with snake attack set up nor any willingness to risk any dorito attack.

I would run two lines this match. I was getting production from almost everyone at practice and I thought this would be a great opportunity to give guys spins and the opportunity to expound beyond their practice performance. I must admit, I love the problem of having a tough time deciding who will play. Not to mention, the two lines can help keep legs fresh when its time to run the horses for the event.

The first point that argument for a warm up match came into play. The Seadogs guns were hot. They won the break but we tied it back up pretty quickly making it a 3v3. Arturo and Blake knew the drill and press snake way. Ryan intelligently and craftily spreads the field dorito way. Coordinated effort, constant pressure, and crossfield comms won us that point.

And that would be the match for the most part. The Seadogs redundancies would pause their rotation while we would press ours, be first into position, and keep pressure. We would shoot one of theirs on the break 60% of the time which certainly helped. Our snake side developed faster and we usually snuck out wide D side to create additional uncertainty of threat. Again, great cross field comms from my guys. The one point we lost, it was a bloodbath break for both teams with quick first engagement deaths by both teams bringing it to a 3v3… and then we got a minor.

Kyle Barry laying it down.

VS ARSENAL

Baltimore Arsenal (Formerly Baltimore Revo) has solid depth on their 8 person roster. An intelligent and creative team, they put it on us in Atlantic City. We weren’t about to let that happen again. Similar to Seadogs, we didn’t get to see much from scouting their first match against Aftermath… 3 points. They did seem to have some tells we would exploit. Ultimately, we would focus on what we would do, not what they were doing. This field was about creating opportunities and I have some of the best in the game for that sort of thing.

Similar to the Seadogs match, we would score the first 3 points in a row. First point, they would help us by getting a minor, we would spread and Yosh would clean up. Second, they used O’mara cleverly to win the break but on the next phase of their dastardly and nefarious plan, they were cut short when Dany got into snake 3 quickly and caught O’mara (Dany was a class act. He could have tattooed his name on O’mara and did not). Harrison was wide on the break too. Point conceded when they lost their snake 3. Third point, our guns on break were stellar taking two off the board from the rip. 12 seconds after the start of the point it is conceded.

We would lose the next two points, the second point loss being quite bogus. The first point, we lost Arturo off break and then shortly after Ryan. However, the remaining 3 peel 3:30 off the clock holding. The second point, there was a gross major called on Blake. Ref contended that, while Blake was loading, he got shot in the pod, and then he chunked it. That pulled all our bodies and automatically swung a point to Arsenal. Upon review by Jason Trosen, he confirmed it should NOT have been a gross major,and that Blake did not get shot and throw it. Regardless, there isn’t anything that can be done at that point…. Unfortunate now that it was a 1 point game with 3:37 on the clock.

Where we lost those two points, one being just unlucky, we would now turn around and rattle off two wins to take the match. The first involved a little luck our way and some incredible composure by Yosh. My man! And winning some gunfights. The second point, Yosh again had a force field but this time takes O’mara and stayed alive, then got another, and then Arturo snuck onto their side to take the final point with 4 seconds left.

Harrison Frye had an event playing lights out for the Dragon.

VS AFTERMATH

After scouting Aftermath, not to mention the fact they have been a solid scrimmage partner, we felt confident in our game plans for them, too. Though, they would give us a rather difficult match. We would win the first point by shooting two on the break followed by two more quick first engagement kills. 24 second later, they would towel. However, the very next point, Blake would put his hiney to high in the air, we would lose Kyle shortly after, and then a rather odd minor call on Alex. Aftermath would not squander that high body situation tying the game up at 1 a piece.

Interestingly enough, we would go on another 3 point run. It started after we got a penalty the very next point but this time, the Avocado Twins (Joe Barret and Harrison Frye) would pull off a 2 on 4! Very impressive. Pretty sure Joe got a 4 pack on that one. We won the break on the next, developed quickly and just started chopping them up. The third point, Aftermath returned the favor on the break shooting Blake, but Harrison got wide dorito way, Joe anchored it down, and Arturo with Ryan behind him were set up to either kill clock or turn the field. Ultimately, we won the war of attrition.

It was 4-1 with 1:36 on the clock. Aftermath had to send it, and we know this. I thought it would be clever to show Alex and then run him to the corner. Alex got clipped so that’s on me. Though we ended up losing Dany in an engagement shortly after. Aftermath put another on the board with a well coordinated press. They did it with 31 seconds left. The next point both teams break out, we kill one on the break… match.

Alex Fraige still making people pay after 25 years

VS DAMAGE

This would mark the 1st time we would face Damage in prelims this season but the 3rd time out of 3 events we would play them. We knocked them out in the Quarters at the 1st event (Tampa Bay). We would knock them out again in the Quarters in Atlantic City. This time, we were aiming to send them home in the prelims. They were 2-1 headed into this match but not with a strong margin. We were 3-0. This match would decide if we won the bracket and sent them home, or we would both move on to Sunday.

After scouting their 3 matches and using a new scouting method developed by Brad and Junior, we felt prepared for what Damage was bringing. We had good box calls, a good game plan, and fresh legs. Guys were ready. Chad Busiere was playing well for them up the middle so we would have to address him for sure. It would be back and forth the first 4 points. They won the first point with good guns on break (miscue on gun placement by me). We won the second with a productive center presence, Harrison getting wide, and Arturo’s pressure. They won the 3rd point when we got a penalty dropping our snake side and Chad took full advantage of that. And we won the 4th after we traded blows on the break with Yosh winning the center war, which allowed us to get wide on both sides and squeeze.

The match was tied at 2 each with 8:37 left in the game. It was that 5th point where we showed a play that we thought, once scene, everyone would start using it. Much to our surprise, no one did. Anyway, this set up worked absolutely flawlessly and the guys executed it almost to perfection, especially Yosh. I wish I could take credit for its creation but I can’t. This was the brain child of Mr. Greenspan from the evening before. I’ll take credit for calling it at that moment but man, what a design. And with the way Yosh started the point and the way Blake closed it… awesome.

The next point I felt was the nail in the coffin really. Probably premature but sometimes you just know. We win the break by killing the 2 behind Keith Brown (Jacob?)who took the snake on the break and sent Chad back up the center. We matched them with Yosh up the gut and Harrison wide D side again which means they HAVE to be weary of him. Damage does a good job of matching and adjusting as the point grinds. Keith Brown made that 50 wedge past the snake 3… Yosh recognized that he is either waiting to die or trade. He took fate into his own hands and imposed his will by going forward, shooting Chad, then turning and dicing up Keith! Marcello tries to save the point but ran into Harrison’s gun leaving just former teammate Chris Schehr alive who was quickly tapped out.

Damage came out aggressively and similar to their last point. Keith to snake, Chad up the gut, with intent to press the snake side rotation. They set up well and got position. However, it was now our turn to use some redundancy. Ryan and Blake stalled out the snake side press of Damage, Joe Barret just kept a steady stream of paint on the outside of Schehr, while Harry kept paint in the center gap which doubled as paint on the inside of Schehr. At under 3 minutes, Blake makes the decision to go offensive and I have to say, I kinda dug it. Granted, it allows some new secondaries from Damage but now they know he is in that S3 and have to do something about it. All off this happened with just over 2 minutes left in the match. Regrettably, Chris Scherh breaks the point open by getting Harrison and Blake. 1:23 on the clock, 4-3, Dyansty in the lead by 1.

We lost Yosh on the break of the next and last point but he trades with his cross field counter. 4 v 4 but our zone control picks up their snake dive. 4 vs 3 at 1 minute. Chad crawled to our snake wedge, but Ryan saw it. Though Ryan lost the initial exchange, Harrison saw this go down and put a ball on Chad. 3 on 2 favor Dynasty with just over 30 seconds left. Blake’s voice continues to cut through as I hear him all the way in the pits. He knows the situation, which means his teammates Harrison and Arturo know the situation too. They picked up Chris leaving just Marcello who they clipped at 17 seconds allowing us to get the final point.

3 for 3 against Damage on the season. I have a feeling there will be a 4th and probably a 5th as well. Kevin, Joey, and the boys will most certainly be fired up for our next one.

Arturo giving everything he’s got. This man doesn’t know how not to give 100%

QUARTER FINALS VS HOUSTON HEAT

I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I am a Heat fan. I love this new line up and it is no secret I am a pretty big fan of Ryan Moorehead and Sam Monville (Shout out to Sam’s mother, Dorothy!). Dude, you can’t ignore Ronnie Dizon’s youtube channel (I wish I had his social media talent). Chad George is arguably one of the best in the game and I personally believe that their three pick ups in the off season was pretty smart.

That being said, I felt we were playing the field better. We had good scouting on them, had a good understanding of their game plan, good box calls… everything said, at least to me, this would be a fight but we would be victorious. But that was not to be the case.

It happens to the best. I know because I watched it happen to my guys. Sometimes you just get “dinked”. I am not taking ANYTHING away from Heat. We had not played against that disciplined of a team yet this event and they executed their game plan well. I just felt our plan was better… but then, just goes to show, you still have to land the shots and not get shot. Congratulations to Heat for a match well played. I don’t mind losing to a good team like that.

Dont’ get me wrong, I legitimately felt it was going to be us and the Russians in the finals. At least.. that would have been optimum I think. Meh… it is neither here nor there. We control what we can control.

And what I can control is how my team will be ready for Texas. See you there.

Be water my Friends!

Atlantic City Open 2025 – San Diego Dynasty

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The 2025 Atlantic City Open was one for the books with some pretty incredible things happening. PB Fit won their 3rd event in a row after slipping into Sunday on a wildcard bid. They were in the “Texas Bracket” as I was akin to call it. They finished prelim competition with a 2-2 record handily beating Infamous by mercy rule and putting up a tough win against NRG Elite 6-4 (another story I will get to). They lost to the two other teams based out of Texas, AC Diesel (6-3) and X-Factor (5-3). X-Factor won the bracket going undefeated and garnering the direct shot into Quarter finals. Diesel would drop one to X-Factor in preliminary match up play and take the 7th seed entering the Ochos to face off against… you guessed it, PBFit. But it would be a different story this time. PB Fit would mercy rule Diesel 6-0 giving them the opportunity to face off against… yep, you guessed it again, X-Factor. And in an incredible turn of events, Fit would go on to mercy rule X-Factor 7-1, as well. In the semi finals, they would slow down the Red Legion who was averaging 8 points played per match, beating them 4-2. And finally, or perhaps I should say, “Finalement” (that’s French see…), they would beat Ton Tons in a double overtime match that went to 1v1’s that ended with Scott Stewart shooting Axil Guadin. If Axil didn’t slip on his way to the buzzer at the end of regulation, we may have had our first European team win in America….

I think it is worth mentioning that NRG Elite, after losing all 4 preliminary matches in overtime at the Tampa Bay event, continued that streak in Atlantic City losing their first 2 preliminary matches on Friday by one, all in overtime, too. On Saturday, they would lose to Infamous by 1 (but not in overtime) and be dealt their final blow against Fit losing 6-4. Besides setting some sort of record (most consecutive losses in OT), they are actually showing some real promise. They are in all their games, they just can’t seem to get over the finish line. It’s coming though.

Leverage, who won their pro spot out of Semi Pro, continues to struggle taking their second last place finish in a row. This event was particularly harsh as they only managed to score 1 point the entire event (Saturday in their Ton Ton match where they lost 3-1). I understand they are missing 2 or 3 starters. Hopefully they will have them back in Cincinnati and we will get to see what they are truly capable of. The team took 2nd in Semi Pro behind Leverage, and who bought their spot in the pro division, the Royal City Sea Dogs, finished this event 16th. They had a 15th place event finish in Tampa. In Tampa, they went 1-3 beating ASG Aftermath, and at this latest event in AC, they went 1-3, beating Seattle Uprising.

Baltimore Arsenal showed up and out winning their bracket ahead of Dynasty and Heat, but then losing in quarters final to finish in 5th place. A vast improvement over their 15th place finish in Tampa. Chicago Aftershock bonus balled their way to missing Sunday again going 1-3 and taking 14th, a drop from just missing the cut in Tampa where they placed 11th. Impact was mercied by the Red Legion in quarter final play taking 8th, a surprising drop from their 3rd in Tampa.

Okay, let’s get into it about Dynasty. We will do things a bit different for this one. Whereas, I normally go point by point, I want to do more of a high level recap of our performance during the match ups. We will see how this goes. This field played to a center presence with a heavy dorito push touched off with an opportunistic snake attack. Most teams played that hand. You needed to have a good gun fighter with high survivability in that snake side can. You could use “paranoia” to slow or cause hesitation on this field. Most teams would launch offensive or counter punches from the pocket. Dynasty wouldn’t be much different since it was the appropriate way to play the field in my opinion. Sure, there were plays in the play book that didn’t look this way. And they would be there if needed… but they weren’t often needed.

VS Baltimore Arsenal

When asked if I would rather have the opportunity to scout a team or have a warm up match, I would prefer the warm up match. There are advantages to both. We had a chance to scout Arsenal as they played (and beat) Houston Heat. They played a pocket game and we felt confident in how to beat that.

Penalties didn’t help though. That being said, even when we were down bodies, we knew to push. For example, that first point, we got a penalty but the remaining three knew how to address. It just didn’t work out.

This match we played down bodies and we over gun fought…a lot. In the few up body situations we had, we would throw a body away by either gun battling unnecessarily, not waiting or calling for help, forcing an issue or trying to create pressure alone. Lots of individual play during this match. Our tempo was off and the guys needed a few reminders of how we were going to play the field. For the record, the two points we won weren’t necessarily because we executed well. And the play call for the final point was busted when Arturo got a bad start. Good solid heads up and disciplined play from the Arsenal camp.

PS – Shout out to JC Whittington! We saw you!

VS CHICAGO AFTERSHOCK

We scouted Aftershock and felt confident heading into that match. We knew there would be some tom foolery but that was to be expected. No surprises there. They appeared to struggle with NYX meaning there were certainly chinks in their armor. We would attempt to exploit them.

I was happy to see that our guns on the break started showing up this match but we would still give bodies back. If you want to understand what happened that first point, we shot two off the break and killed a 3rd very quickly but lost two pretty quick as well. It’s a 3 on 2 and my guys hadn’t tracked that 3rd body that was gone. In other words, they thought it was a 3 v 3 still. They eventually figure it out though. Great close by Alex, Ryan, and Harrison. Great execution of the game plan on point 2 even with the early walk from my man Joe Barret. Joe had a tough go of it this match. 3 points in a row he got clapped forcing a move by not checking off. We had a quick chat, it wasn’t some rocket science talk, no… it was quite simple. Anyway, he got his stuff back together and showed it the last 3 points.

That penalty point was frustrating though. We had to start the 5th point down one because of a major on Arty during the 4th point. We argued that Ryan shot Hoskinson across field prior to his launch on Arturo. But the review showed Arturo was shot prior to Hoskinson’s launch. Dadnabbit. It was now tied 2 to 2 with a little under 7 minutes left… plenty of time.

I made a mistake here with my play call on the down body point. I even wrote it on my scout sheet – “mistake, bad play call”. I was trying to decide where we should be dynamic up the center. In doing so, I wasn’t clear about roles. We got the ground and created pressure early but lost eyes on snake. Of course, Aftershock does their bonus balling shtick. That was okay because the next point they get two minors allowing us to tie it up. And it would be all us the last two points anyway. That stuff may work on less experienced teams, it was just motivation for us. I think we made a joke about it the rest of the weekend.

Harry showed out on the second to last point. Great zone control followed by an excellent read from Harry to, for lack of a better term, decimate Shock that point. We take the lead 4-3 with abut 2:20 left on the clock. Lots of time left but now we’re feeling it. Shock presses the pace next point but we absorb their pressure and turn it on them. When Arturo smoked Hosky and the clock hit 1 minute, I knew it was in the bag. Joe had kept Thomas Kim contained since his arrival at the tower. This forces A-Rod to try and make something happen through the center but Harry dices him up. It’s a 3 on 1, we execute Kim at about 30 seconds and then grab the point after the clock went under 10 seconds.

VS NEW YORK XTREME

With our 1 and 1 record, I would be remiss if I didn’t admit I was hoping to run the score up on Xtreme. This would be our opportunity to pad margin. I was really pleased with our guns on the break again. We shot a body on the break almost every point (NYX survived the break out twice according to my notes). I got a little nervous at first as we tried really hard to throw the first point away. Inadvertent horn caused some confusion on that one as well. Shout out to my boy Timmy Roberts for making the NYX team and getting some spins. Smart call NYX.

We executed the game plan decently well this match. The plan was to get a body into dorito 3, follow him up with a second body to bully the single body from the opponent, shift a third that way to pass off the containment, and start peeling bodes cross field. All of this while our snake side stayed alive, keeping eyes on, and eventually taking an opportunity to feed the snake and close. If an opponent beats us to the snake, our goal shifts a little and we want to be in there with them. It was the paranoia of an opponent being in there with you that did more to slow you down than having a forward Can shooting down on all the knuckles (this wasn’t too bad a practice either). We do all this well on the second point. Not so much the third. We shifted tempos on that one a little. I wasn’t too upset with it but sometimes we over correct.

NYX put a point up on the board on the 5th point. We weren’t over gun fighting in this match but when we did gun fight, we were getting the better of it. There is just over 4 minutes on the clock. Plenty of time to pad the point spread. Shoot a guy on the break, successfully bully our way down the doritos, stay alive on the snake side. But then, we started throwing bodies away again. Frustrating. We almost gave Xtreme another point in the 7th. Thank goodness for my man, Blake Yarber. He literally held the line in a 2 on 1 from the back center and got us our 6th point. 57 seconds left. We stuck with the game plan and it paid off when we shot their snake runner on the break as well as their 1 dorito side. It was a 5 on 3 our favor with plenty of time to get our mercy rule win and pad the margin. By the way, Dany got to show off his gymnastic balancing skills for that final buzzer beater.

VS HOUSTON HEAT

We needed to beat Heat. Sure, some of us had done some math so that, from a contingency plan perspective, if things got out of hand, we would know the situation and could play the margin. But a win by any score puts us in. And it isn’t necessary to have those conversations with the players anyway…

Our game plan matched up well against Heat. It would be a grinder but if we could control tempo and execute the game plan more consistently, we would be the victor and that’s essentially how this one played out. Our guns on the break were good again this match. I keep mentioning this because I gave the guys a hard time about our guns on the break in Tampa.

We won the first point decisively with good guns off the break, solid bumps, and pressure. Heat conceded the point after 32 seconds. Second point was a grinder going 4 minutes and 33 seconds. Came down to a 3 v 3. Arturo shoots Chad George, but at the EXACT same time, Blake tries to retreat and gets caught by Mishka. Then Mishka and Harry traded, leaving just Arturo in the snake can and Lapapa in the home. Lapapa filled Chad’s spot in the snake can just as Arturo went, making him second guess himself and ultimately getting caught.

Third point went long. 5 on 5 breakout and two minutes go by before we shot the first body from Heat. We were already wider than them on the D side but when Joe made it to the dorito corner, I knew we were Gucci. Great execution by Dany to take the ground and Yosh to get Soap off the field. A little more time went by and we took Moorhead off the field followed by a quick concession by Coach Ryan Smith.

This was a Sunday match up and was playing out that way. Not just because of the pace and the teams involved but, on Sunday, you win or go home and both of us were in that situation to an extent. I know Heat was. The 4th point was the key. We get up 4 on 3 after more than 3 minutes pass. As the clock dwindles, Heat found themselves in a tough position. We had them contained. Soap recognizes this and decided to trade out with Ryan and hopefully create an opportunity. They trade but nothing came of it other than it now being a 3 on 2. Arturo was matched up one on one with Chad George while Harrison and Joe were matched up against Moorhead. But then it happened, Arturo got hit by Chad. Joe fills to the dorito corner giving Chad the snake to himself. Harry retreated which I didn’t understand since he was well protected from snake in the dorito he was in. While I’m thinking this, Harrison got a minor clearing our field and allowing Heat to tie it up. As they stood there, I knew Heat would take it to overtime. So we conceded the point at 20 seconds or so in order to get extra game plan time. For the record, at this point, had we lost to Heat, we would have still made Sunday.

We had played pretty conservative the whole match and we decided to go a little far with Harrison. He didn’t make it but neither did Chad George. 4 on 4. Blake was having equipment issues, otherwise, I felt like this point would have been over sooner. When he finally got back into the fight, he went hunting. Because I think Lapapa was having gun issues too, and wasn’t fighting much, Arturo decided to take the snake. Soap repositioned to the brick, Ryan made the call, and Blake took Soap off the board. We end up in an island drill … and it looked grim when they picked up Arturo… but then we got Moorhead. 2 on 2 with 18 seconds left. And then… Ryan Greenspan. What can I say… the dude can play.

We were 3 and 1 headed into Sunday as the 5th seed. Good enough to shoot us straight into the quarters where we would draw the 4th seed and winners of their bracket (also 3 and 1), Tampa Bay Damage. This event had almost a deja vu feeling as in Tampa, we played three of the same 4 teams in prelims and drew Damage as our first match Sunday in the quarters as well.

We went back to the hotel, had sandwiches and burgers, put together a game plan for the former coach and my friend SK as well as former teammate Chris Schehr, and went to sleep recognizing our mistakes and feeling good about the match up.

VS TAMPA BAY DAMAGE

Obviously, we were going to key up on Keith and Chris. And, for the most part, we were successful. We would press hard on the doritos, let our center hunt on specific plays and control on others while taking snake opportunities when appropriately available. The first and second points showed this approach quite well actually. Slow steady pressure. A couple of mistakes in the first but solid execution on the second, even without Ryan.

The next three points however… we let Damage go on a bit of a tear. Third point is different if Harry just checks off. Had he checked off, Holiday is busted and we have an opportunity to counter. Fourth point, we both traded bodies on the break but Damage beat us to the middle as well as got a shot in on Joe. That collapsed things pretty quick. Tied at 2 with 6:40 on the clock. But we had learned something about the field now and it had to do with our first attacker on the D side, so we kept that in mind. We shot Chris on the break and took the snake with a center presence. Solid. Then we get a minor penalty. Dang it. Our 5 on 4 is now a 3 on 4 Damage advantage. In the scramble, Damage pulls it off. Down by 1 with 5 and a half minutes left.

We showed excellent composure and control in the next point. We go up two bodies shooting both Edward brothers but gave them one back in Dany off of a bounce shot. Chaos ensued but this time we won the scramble. Tied up with 3:30 or so on the clock. The rain kicks in but we felt good about our shots. And one pays off as we shot Schehr on the break. They got Holiday into that Hertz tower on the cross. 5 on 4 advantage with plenty of time and lessons learned. Yosh is in the center. Too tasty looking for Holiday who launched into an over watch gun. 5 on 3. Yosh then begins the hunt through the center and got another! 5 on 2 but then he was picked up but not before a concession from SK. Now 4-3 with just over 2 minutes left.

We felt confident they would send Keith on the break and they did. We were prepped and Ryan made an excellent shot and got a ball on Keith. Arturo made the snake before the ref calls Keith eliminated. We hadn’t shown that Hertz tower play all match so it was time to bring it out. Yosh got in but gave it up opting to hunt instead of contain. Ryan got out snake way behind Arturo. Dany and Joe were still alive… we were at just over a minute. I felt very confident with this set up that it was our game. Dany picks up Holiday as he tries to fill the snake… 5 on 3 our advantage. But somehow Jason Edwards makes it into the snake and Jake makes a bold move through the snake side center to pick off Arturo. They now have the snake to themselves as they see Ryan’s gun shooting on the cross. They pinch Dany and Jason launches getting both Ryan and Joe. Chris Schehr hits the buzzer with 1 second left.

We ended up in another Island drill in the overtime point. Joe Barret made a great move outside to stop the bleeding quickly followed by Ryan. Arturo was in the snake. Joe repositioned to check Chris allowing Ryan to pressure Holiday leading to Holiday’s elimination. This leaves Schehr in a dorito and Keith Brown in snake can. Keith launched to bunker Arturo. Keith misses. Arturo doesn’t. Ryan runs Chris down. On to the Semis.

*ZEN NOTE: There appears to have been controversy regarding the overtime point. I will say this, Keith called his shot on Arturo. You clearly hear Keith say, “On his hopper” pointing. There was no hit on his hopper. The paint on Arturo’s butt came from him sitting on a ball. There is no one who was ever in position to shoot him in the ass. Case closed. Technically, you could argue Keith was a dead player signaling…

VS TON TONS

The Ton Tons just got better as the event went on. They started Friday off going 0-2 versus Damage and Impact. However, they would win both their matches Saturday beating Leverage 3-1 (they were the only team that Leverage scored a point on during the entire event) and threw cold water on the Hurricanes’ bid for Sunday beating them 6-1. That was enough to garner them one of the two wildcard spots. They would wake up Sunday morning with a real attitude and give it to Uprising first in the ochos 6-1, followed by a win over Baltimore Arsenal in the Quarters (4-1). So it would be the Ton Tons we faced in the semis.

The first point was a much slower pace for both teams even though we both took the snake early. We were the first to punch the center as well as get wide d-side with two bodies. We shot their snake side can but then lose Joe almost at the same time. The first body to drop for both teams was over 5 minutes in. It was 4 on 4 for the next 2 minutes when out of the blue (with very few guns shooting) we lose Dany. Yosh gets caught a minute later. I start walking towards the concede button when Ryan got caught and Arturo shoots one of the remaining 4 Ton Tons… I concede. An 8 and a half minute point.

We answered the next point in just over 2 minutes. Tied 1 to 1 with just under 4:50 left on the clock. The third point saw our guns hot off the break again. We shot two and blow their snake side. We lose Joe early again but we were in the drivers seat… for about 10-12 seconds. Federov shot Blake making it a 3 on 3. Fabrice got a shot in on Arturo and I am making my way to the concede button again. Except Alex Fraige was already there. 2:50 on the clock down by 1.

We shot one off the break then caught a minor… a 5 on 4 advantage for us to a 4 on 3 advantage to our opponents… again. I try not to slip on the stairs I’m standing on and get to the concede. 2:10 left, down by 2.

We shot another off the break but give them two back! Bodies are running around everywhere, people are colliding, mass hysteria. It comes down to a one on one between Arturo and Federov. Arturo makes the heads up play for the buzzer and hit it with 1:13 on the clock.

It was the final point where we could argue we were robbed. A referee signals a player eliminated, turns and throws a yellow flag high in the air, and pulls a player… except he never pulled or asked another ref to pull the player he signaled eliminated. This is not in dispute. This was confirmed by Jason Trosen. The eliminated player was left on the field. My guys saw the flag go up in the air, signifying two eliminations. That eliminated player shoots Yosh Rau and stalls our push. When he shot Yosh, that should have been a major which is an automatic swing point under 60 seconds. I believe the clock was around 1 minute left. Meaning, we get the point and the Ton Tons have to play a man down so we would have been on the power play. After 30 minutes of discussion, it is decided, “Sorry… nothing I can do.” Our argument was they wouldn’t have been overturning a call, but rather, that they would have been enforcing it. But, alas, to no avail. Ton Tons, a wild card team, would go on to play the other wild card team…

But it shouldn’t have come down to that one call. We should have executed better the points prior. Simple. Lots of mistakes this event. But I guarantee you we are better for it. We implemented some new things in the pits that worked well this time. We have already discussed better preparation methods. So much more to do. Trust the process. Goals are being met but we are not complacent. I, for one, cannot wait to see my boys in blue again and get to work for Cincinnati. Lots to do…

Shout out to the Dynasty Champions Club and all the support the guys and gals provided this event and every event. You know who you are! You are the real MVPs! Couldn’t do it without you.

Be water, my friends.

Tampa Bay NXL 2025 Event Recap

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“They say dragons never truly die. No matter how many times you kill them.”
― S.G. Rogers, Jon Hansen, and the Dragon Clan of Yden

A comment before we begin… The Dragon is obviously dead and PB Fit’s World Cup win was obviously a fluke. GTHOH.

Okay. Moving on.

This was one of the more entertaining fields to breakdown/play. No matter your play call, there was going to be a small weakness in it, a slight hole. Whether it was zone control or risk, lots could happen and quickly. Quite literally teams were playing roshambo each point. Which way the Hertz tower was shooting determined a lot, how you used the blind zones, and how you leveraged the center overall was certainly important. Getting outside was good as it shifted guns and created opportunities but it wasn’t necessarily a death sentence for the other team once in the 50s. So much about this field made it in effect, a true chess match… a read offense field. Creativity and instinct were vital aspects to the success of teams. All while players dealt with a plethora of bounce shots.

Overall, I am pleased with the maiden voyage at the helm of the Dragon. The successes we saw and the adversity we overcame was nothing short of astonishing and a complete team effort. Junior Brown is worth his weight in gold, the staff and members of the Dynasty Champions Club (become a member today at http://www.dynastypaintball.com and enjoy all the amazing perks) are absolutely best in class, and the team is full of unbelievable minds and personalities that continue to enlighten me. I am truly blessed to be a part of such an extraordinary organization.

Alright, lets get into it. I am writing this at 1 am so bear with me.

VS Arsenal

After the almost 9 minute first point between Aftershock and Uprising, I had questions. But no time to truly ponder/answer them since we had a reloaded Arsenal in front of us. Lots of depth and intelligence on that team. It was going to be a knife fight for sure and it was.

Pt 1 – We were confident they would test our guns with Archie so we put two guns in the blind utilizing a delay for Arturo into the snake. Both teams made the snake and shot a body on the break but Harry got out wide dorito way. Joe falls in behind him which was awesome since it was damn near impossible to get the 2 out after losing the one. We lost Yosh out of the center but Arturo caught ABJ. We were in a 3 on 2 and the boys closed out cleanly and quickly. 1-0 Dynasty

P2 – We pressed it with Dany dorito way and he got caught (Hertz tower on the cross). Kyle didn’t hesitate and got out to have a presence. We used the blind again but kept threats moving forward. Blake Yarber took the center and Alex Fraige stayed in Hertz. Blake recognizing our weak side pivoted to d-side tower to contain Arsenals d-side progress. Arsenal did a good job with the set up here. Alex saw a line and hoped Hertz was looking elsewhere. Hertz wasn’t. Alex tried to shoot Omara in the snake and got caught. Major penalty which pulled Blake and Arturo but Arty got a ball on another Arsenal player before they pulled him. This left Kyle in a 3 on 1. Kyle launched and got two clean THEN gets shot cross field by Cody McKowski. They threw a major on Kyle but it was overturned and we were back to 5. 1-1 Tied.

P3 – The Avocado Brothers pressed the pace d-side when we shot Arsenal’s d-side aztec. Ryan and Dany contained the snake side aztec while Yosh caught Omara in the center. Dany fed the snake. We had the wides, pinched out their backs leaving ABJ in snake. Dany found him and does him clean. Good execution, good containment, and good pressure. Good close. 2-1 Dynasty.

*We were in x-ball now and we will go on to lose the next 4 points.

P4 – ABJ caught us after we are set up and had won the break (he shot three of us. Ryan and Arturo show valiant effort). 2-2 Tied


P5 – We shot ABJ and win the break again. But we lost Blake early and Dany got clipped entering the snake. They now had the wides and we were stuck in center/back. 3-2 Arsenal


P6 – We traded bodies early on the break but Arsenal picked up another two quickly making it a 4 on 2. I let this go for 15 seconds or so, didn’t see Yosh or Ry in posture, so toweled. 4-2 Arsenal


P7 – Arsenal won the break as we lost 2 bodies fast followed by another at around the 2:50 mark. Here I’m calculating average time to win a point, my guys posture, and current time. When we lost Ryan, I was pressing the buzzer but it wasn’t working. We started yelling “towel!” Lost 5-6 seconds. 5-2 Arsenal.


P8 – This was the turn around point. The guys composure in the pits was solid. We sent Arty to snake and had two guns up to shoot d-side and sent Harry. We got the d-side kill, shot another who drew a minor. Harry, Joe, and Blake got it done with a 1:46 left. 5-3 Arsenal.


P9 – Arsenal’s paint had been high d-side the last two points so Harry was feeling it. He sent it again with Joe right behind him. Ryan shot ABJ on the break but got caught. The guys pressed. Harry and Joe put on a clinic drawing guns allowing Blake to probe center and close. We sucked the wind out of their sails and now it was all ours. 5-4 Arsenal (38 seconds left)

P10 – We knew they would focus on the wides, particularly the snake head. Harry went big, made it with Joe just behind him again. Arty to the corner, not the snake, drawing the gun up, Ryan underneath into the snake, Blake pressed the center. Bonus to us shooting ABJ on the break. Incredible shots and play from my guys. 5-5 tied


OT – The team had now developed a read option for Arsenal’s stack (if A than B). We made the assumption they were afraid of getting stung by Harry again so we figure the Hertz tower will be d-side. Arty took the snake but we lost Harry anyway. Blake saw this and transitioned to dorito tower to slow d-side progress. Ryan won a gun fight against ABJ and Arty went to work in the snake shooting Arsenal’s center body. With that body gone, Joe could spread d-side now, Ryan could force multiply and relay the situation. Great communication and close.

VS NYX

I’m going to hit the highlights on this one. This was an 10 point game in the prelims. Every time I thought we would put them away, they would claw back. I will say, it felt like NYX’s only real attack was a center push and so, we would take advantage of that.

P1 – We owned the center and snake, Harrison ran through and got a major. Arturo closed them out. 1-0 Dynasty


P2 – Dany and Kyle shot the d-side aztec giving us the body advantage. Blake won the center war while Dany and Arturo owned both sides of the field. 2-0 Dynasty


P3 – Dany made the snake and went straight to snake 50. Shoots everyone. 3-0 Dynasty


P4 – Harry got wide and chopped up their center while Blake added a little extra love. Slow patient strangulation from there with Arturo in snake, Alex backing him up, and Kyle Barry on Harry’s heals. 4-0 Dynasty


P5 – NYX made a smart call here and got a player undetected into that D side big wedge. He caught Arty, which shifted Yosh’s gun once he was busted allowing the snake push. Ryan went for damage control to snake corner and Joe won a gun fight on D1 attacker who had crossed onto our side. Ryan eventually got caught, and Joe lost the 3 on 1. 4-1 Dynasty


P6 – We went wide BOTH sides and made both. Blake decimated their center, allowing Dany to wrap snake 50 and johnny’s your uncle. 5-1 Dynasty.


P7 – Bad play call by me on this one. We lost Dany on the break, Alex got caught on retreat, we had committed Blake’s gun dorito way allowing Harrison to attack snake side center. 5-2 Dynasty


P8 – We knew they didn’t want to go wide and that their only success had been center. We put two guns on protect and have a snake side big wedge on the break hunting for them. Yosh got two before heading off! This allowed Arturo and Ryan to spread snake way. NYX smartly got there too though. However, the advantage was to us as the clock just kept dwindling. We finally closed them out. 6-2 Dyansty.


P9 -We were in good position, but it fell apart when Ryan called his shot on the NYX snake player, saw the ref go in, and thinking he got his kill, launched into the snake gun who then wrapped the 50 and blew it open for NYX. 6-3 Dynasty.


P10 – The team was a little perturbed from the last point and the fact NYX wouldn’t die… Alex wanted to have a say about it. Great heads up play by my man, Mr. Fraige.

VS Ironmen

This rivalry has been around for what? 20 years? This one would be a test.

P1 – We struck first taking Pat Kraft off the field. But then dominoes… Harry, Arturo, Ryan, and Joe all get caught. Yosh went forward. Legend. 0-1 Ironmen


P2 – This was a tick for tack point. We went hyper aggressive up the gut. The Men put paint up the gut looking for us and connected on one. Alex made it and picked one up but we lost Blake. Sentz traded his body for Alex’s. We took Nicolau off the field but then Dany got picked up. Kyle Barry then got picked up. Arty went defensive in 2 on 1 and we are down 1 so, let’s keep the time. Towell. 0-2 Ironmen.
P3 – We went big with a staggered middle and rope-a-dope to d-side tower. Yosh connected his shot as Baldwin fed the snake. Next to drop was Caro which opened an opportunity to feed the snake. But somehow they got a ball on Arty… I can only guess it was Sentz dropping one over the beam. Harry got wide though and diced up Sentz. Ryan made snake corner. Good pressure and we were on the board. 1-2 Ironmen


P4 – We felt play two was strong so we went back to it. After a push like that we knew they would try to counter our middle so it made sense. Alex smoked Sentz but eventually got picked up. But Blake cleverly set a trap by backfilling Alex’s spot. Dany aggressively took the dorito 50, Arty got out wide snake way in the corner. Nicolau fell for the Blake bait. Guest got Blake on a running shot (impressive) but Arty took Guest. Baldwin looked for the send and ate one to the mouth from Arty in a trade. KB figured out it was home only (Kraft). He spread the field with Dany. Good close. 2-2 Tied


P5 – Yosh shot cross and Joe was on protect to get their kill dorito way while Ryan and Arty get TWO kills snake way (yellow flag on Men). The remaining two died so fast I didn’t see it. 17 second point. Good guns boys! We should just do that every time. 3-2 Dynasty


P6 – Another bad call on me. Ironmen take a page from our book. Joe even warned me that his route would be compromised and it was as they picked Joe up. Sentz clipped Yosh on a short wrap. It was the mid game scramble here that was fun to watch. It ends up a 2v2 with Arty and Ry. Pat Kraft gets the drop on Arty. Guest catches Ryan wrapping. 3-3 Tied


P7 – It was time to be among them… and Blake Yarber got the call. Love the play but the Ironmen never took the bait! Bonus – Harry made it out wide dorito way and Kyle got out behind him. Blake must have been straddling that beam for almost 2 whole minutes . Alex gets clever since the Men are trapped in the pocket and crawls to the big d-side wedge and just misses Sentz in the Hertz tower. He was now busted but no worries…we were in position. Unfortunately, Blake got busted too. He missed his shot as Baldwin feeds the snake. Blake was eliminated for stepping between bunkers (he was never shot). But not before Alex scored his kill on Sentz in the Hertz tower and Dany fed the snake that no one saw. Harry makes dorito 3 and caught Kraft trying to leave the center can. Kyle Barry followed him up and added his gun creating great pressure. They shot the second home and Antimaso out of the Ds… they toweled with 1:20 or so on the clock. 4-3 Dynasty


P8 – We know they will push the center or the D’s or both. Like I said at the beginning, its a guessing game. They took Yosh off the board. Losing Harry next and early really hurt us. Caro came through. And they close on Ryan and Joe. 23 seconds left on the clock. 4-4 Tied


P9 – 22 seconds is plenty of time. We took the risk to send it and if it didn’t work out, we figured we would have another chance in OT… hopefully. Besides, I felt confident that the Men would play for OT meaning they would go pocket. It was simply a matter of which way the Hertz bunker would be looking. If he looks snake way we are golden. He looked snake way. The Avocado Brothers struck again. I spoke to my friend Shane later and he advised me he actually wanted to go but was talked down.

VS Heat

This would be another great test for the Dragon. The battle of the two undefeated teams from the bracket. I was really proud of our team’s execution in this match save for maybe one point…

Pt1 – We shot Ronnie Dizon off the break but lost Ryan. Yosh took the center and Heat got to the snake corner. Harry dropped a ball in on Frey who was in back center. Yosh took one evening the body count but then Arturo played this masterfully. Harry continued progress down field but eventually got caught pressing the issue. Arturo’s gun and Joe’s comms really won that point. 1-0 Dynasty


Pt2 – Great guns on the break by the boys in blue blowing the snake side of Heat out allowing Alex to wrap and trap. However, Heat sent it to trade with him. Blake made a move into the snake and went straight to the 50 to keep the pressure. Lapapa made it interesting because both Blake and Dany ran into his gun on the close. This was discussed. 2-0 Dynasty


P3 – Heat shot Yosh on the break but NO one saw Dany make the snake. He went straight to the inside 50 but a ref decides to check him giving his position away and Mishka stepped off his bunker to put a ball on Dany the moment he popped up. Dadnabbit. What was cool though was the composure and disciple Harry, Ryan, and Joe showed burning off over 4 minutes. 2-1 Dynasty


P4 – We attacked the center with Joe and Yosh. Heat got Soap up their dorito way too. But we were still able to get Harry into Dorito one and Ryan managed to get out behind him. We were in great position. Then Dizon miraculously made the snake! Yosh smartly decided to reposition center but stay on task. When they sent Soap to take Yosh off the field, he got diced by Joe (maybe Ryan too on the run and gun his way back to center). Ronnie made a good move and cleared the center out but Arty took him down. As we got under 2 minutes in a 3v3, it seemed as if Heat didn’t want to press even though they were down by 1 with plenty of time to put it together. Sure enough, their posturing was all defense save for Moorehead. When Ryan Moorehead got picked up by Arty (I saw the shot from the pits… it was gorgeous) at about the 30 second mark, I turned away and began congratulating the pits for a job well done.

Quarter Finals VS Damage

Dynasty had lost their coach Kevin “SK” Bredthauer and their D side one player Chris Schehr to Damage during the off season. No hard feelings there, nothing but mad respect for both of them. SK is a good friend of mine and I want nothing but success for him. Though I could be wrong, I feel the guys played with a little chip on their shoulder which was a great added edge on a double sided blade.

P1 – We showed good guns on the break taking two huge threats off the field early in Chad Busiere and Keith Brown. Yosh got to the snake side big wedge trapping Damage from spreading. He felt it and went for a line but got caught. Arty was in the snake… and then a strange thing happened. 4 on 3 advantage us but then a towel. Surprised but not disappointed. 1-0 Dynasty

P2 – Damage returned the favor shooting two of ours snake way while we peel Chris Schehr off the field. They were wide with Jacob Edwards D side, Chad in the center sheating d side, Keith Brown in the snake, and Agent Smith in the Hertz tower. We were stuck in back line. 1-1 Tied

P3 – They shot Ryan on the break but Yosh pushed center early. We dropped their back center quickly evening up the body count. Arturo got into the snake and went to work! He took 2 off the field bang bang then ran down Keith Brown. Yosh cleaned it up by shooting Chris. 2-1 Dynasty

P4 – Both teams survived the break but Yosh got caught on a transition…Ryan played off chaos and slipped into the snake catching Jacob Edwards in the back center. Keith Brown had made it into our snake 50 but our d-side caught him. We had a 4 on 3 body advantage now and it was just a matter of a clean close. Chris Schehr was pressing but Harry got out wide and Arturo joined Ryan in the snake. I relaxed as Arturo caught Chad and Ryan clipped the rest. 3-1 Dynasty

P5 – both teams pushed the center. Joe got caught by Chris I think (bounce) and Yosh saw a line but got picked up too. Harry and Arty both went forward on the tapes (love it) and Ryan spread out behind Arty. We lost Harry though shortly after though and it looked grim that we would let Damage take the point. But then we got a gift from Keith. He launched into Ryan’s gun and then decided to shoot at Arturo as well. Red flag flew. This put Ryan in a 2 on 1 who then streaks down snake way and steals the point. 4-1 Dynasty

*We go on to lose the next 3 so I will sum up. Damage starts winning the break AND the scramble.

P6 – CHAOS! Joe somehow got caught by a ball in back center, Yosh and Chad traded in the center, Harry shoot some dudes, Keith Brown closed out. 4-2 Dynasty

P7 – We lost Ryan on the break, but Blake got one back in the center and then dunks Keith Brown clean! Body advantage but then a minor penalty on Dany pulled us back. Harry battled valiantly but Damage took the point. 4-3 Dynasty

P8 – They clipped Arturo on break, Blake gets on back with a center push but got caught almost immediately after along with Harry. 4 on 2 with Ryan and Joe. Once Joe dropped, I wanted the time so we toweled. 4-4 Dynasty

P9 – 5 on 5 break, we held Blake’s gun back on a delay up into the center, Harry got wide with Joe, Ryan and Arty doubled the snake insert. Chad was in the d-side center wedge but we picked him up and Blake sent him on a walk. Then Blake re-positioned and picked up the d-side aztec! Their home decided to fill in behind that death right into the meat-grinder that was Blake Yarber. 5 on 2 and Damage smartly conceded. 5-4 Dynasty

p10 – Prior to the point, Damage took a timeout. We know 5 guns alive is paramount so we get 5 guns up and played the pocket. Brian “Agent” Smith took a good line into the large snake side wedge and Blake missed it (roshambo). We bounced Chad and discovered Smith. Either Harry wrapped and got a ball in on Smith or ripped the bounce and scored or more than likely it was Blake. No matter, he was the most immediate threat and he is now off the board which allowed Blake to become the new threat in the center. And he lived up to it. He shot Keith Brown on his attempted fill into the snake and then caught Chad as he tried to back fill snake way. He then put it on back center! Towel from Damage after that with 1:16 left. 6-4 Dynasty

The final point both teams traded two bodies off the break making it a 3v3 but we took the advantage just a second or two later. Keith Brown got the drop on Arty dotting his eye but once again, the Avocado brothers, Harry and Joe, hold the line!

Semi Finals Vs Red Legion

This would be another grinder similar to our Arsenal match. 11 points played and scored. It looked as if Heat had beat the Legion as they had time and were at the buzzer but my guess was Soap shot Monville? Doesn’t matter, we had the Red Legion in front of us and it would be blow for blow. And once again, we would put ourselves in a deficit situation and have to claw our way back.

P1 – First point Blake and Arturo get caught early and Kirill was up in the center fast. He caught Ryan on his fill out. Harry went offensive but lost Joe behind him. I toweled it 48 seconds into the first point. 0-1 Legion

P2 – Loss – 0-2 Legion

P3 – We got Malloy off the field but lost Arturo. Blake and Ryan are up in the center and Harry gets wide dorito way. We lost Blake but Joe gets behind Harry and started helping him bully. Ryan worked his way around to the d-side of the center quickly joined by Harry at the 50 dorito. But then we lost Harry… I gave it another 15 seconds and conceded. 0-3 Legion

P4 – We got 5 out alive! And Yosh Rau made a great read on a line, launched through the center snake way, and gets two! Harry became the tip of the spear building off the chaos Yosh created with Dany, Ryan, and Joe closing it out. 1-3 Legion

P5 – We shot Sergey on the break. I felt like we hit Malloy too but no joy. Both teams in the snake but then Harry and Dany came off quickly. Yosh got popped out of the center. Ryan made a desperation dive into snake corner and makes it. I let 10 seconds or so and am next to towel but Joe advanced buying another 15 seconds. As soon as Ryan died, I hit the towel. 1-4 Legion

P6 – Cool, calm and collected in the pits, we know we just need to get out alive. We delayed release with snake and center. And we make it. Then Yosh Rau AGAIN takes a line and got 3! Arturo cleaned it up. 2-4 Legion

P7 – Both teams made snake but we got a two (Ryan) behind ours (Arturo) sooner making Kirill in Hertz tower have to contend. They snagged Yosh on his run though. Harry gets to D1 and Joe vacated back center immediately to fill in behind Harry. But then Arty got picked up on the inside and Ryan got picked up by Malloy who had taken the snake 50. We lost Harry and I have to concede again to save time. 2-5 Legion

P8 – We got guns up and scored two kills but lost Harry. 4 on 3 advantage to us. Blake pressed center and Joe Barret pressed into the dorito 50 quick! We dug out Kirill and Joe traded with Karsliev. Blake and Arturo located Malloy and Blake popped him. 3-5 Legion

P9 – Blake Yarber into the snake side Big wedge with a “Look at me!”, Ryan Greenspan on the delay into the snake, quickly followed by Arturo into the snake as well. Blake on the low wrap to take Sergey out of back center, Karsliev dropped shortly after, 5 on 3 advantage to us. Blake “the face melter” Yarber pressed that advantage through the center since they have to respect Arturo and Harry on the wides. Got himself a 3 pack! 4-5 Legion

P10 – We were now within one with over 3 minutes left. We burnt one legion on the break but Harry gave them his body back. 4 on 4 when Blake went hunting through the center d side taking Khiril off the board but got caught by Rabackoff. 3 on 3 but Arturo snuck a great shot in on Rab! Then he caught Malloy over the top! 3 on 1 and the boys sent Sergey to the pit to tie the game. 5-5 Tied

P11 – The line was hot. The guys knew the probabilities of what Legion would do based off the stack. We got our guns up and break out safe. Blake sneuck into the snake side wedge looking inside dorito way and became a meat-grinder again. Blake picked up Karsliev in dorito insert and then Rabackoff too. With only Malloy’s gun dorito way from the snake insert, Harry and Joe could take ground creating major pressure. Ryan joined Blake in the center but on the dorito side creating immense pressure and allowing Blake to take a great line at Khiril in the Hertz tower at 20 seconds, peeling his face off. He took another smart route increasing angle on Sergey, getting him and finally dotting the i on Malloy. 5 pack Yarber! Ryan comes in and hits the buzzer at 7 seconds.

Finals VS Paintball Fit

The finals format was changed a week out from the event. The finals would be split into two 10 minutes halves with an 8 minute “halftime”. I was looking forward to this as it hearkened back to the original x balls days just with out the roid rage. Fit had looked pretty dominant the entire event never really deviating from their tried and true game plan. Even with Colt hurt, they didn’t seem to miss a beat. They were getting production from everyone. But we were feeling confident headed into this match.

P1 – Fit went with their standard pocket break out and we essentially mirrored them save for Arturo making the snake. Unfortunately, Ryan looked into a bounced ball off of the snake beam. We picked up Chavez. This is always a good thing when you get him off the field. Harry got into dorito 1 and then dorito 2. Meaning we had the wides and if we played this right, we should be able to slowly cinch the noose. Arturo caught Fit’s snake side tower (Cyrus) which was a green light for him to go forward. Fit’s Mason launched and traded with Harry. But not before we caught another and then cinched up the noose. 1-0 Dynasty

P2 – We match up again with both teams getting 5 bodies out alive. We doubled the tower with Alex and Blake, Dany into snake insert, Kyle Barry home, and Harry dorito insert. Harry looked into a ball (seemed to be going around) but Alex Fraige took the snake side large wedge and posted up. Fit, in the meantime, has gone with their standard break but we let Chavez get out wide. Alex gets his man and another but Chavez pressed the issue d-side and caught Blake. Luckily we picked up the two behind him (Mason). 3 on 2. Kyle Barry clocked in and caught Chavez’s counter and we closed out on Sebaugh. 2-0 Dynasty

P3 – Ryan took the Snake side big wedge on the break, got caught on a wrap and we lost Harry too. But we got Arturo into the snake. However, Fit gets into that d-side Tower, putting pressure on our home to allow Chavez to get wide d-side and Mason got into into the snake. Mason shot Yosh and then dunked on Arty. 2-1 Dynasty

P4 – Both teams break out similarly with the only difference being Harry getting to D1. Chavez mirrored him up pretty quickly though and then Mason got out behind him almost immediately. We should have done the same honestly. But Harry was on offense and gets into dorito 3. Kyle finally got out of that back center into the d side insert. I thought once that happened the clock would be our friend. But then disaster. Dany gets clipped, Blake saw this and made a big move into the snake, and Kyle gets clipped. This all happened probably within the span of 3 seconds. Harry won his gun fight with Chavez, making it a 4 on 3 advantage to Fit. Sebaugh makes a big fill to snake corner, Yosh just missed the shot, and Blake got caught all at the same time. Alex tried damage control by sailing for the snake and got picked up. Harry tried a tactical retreat but got snagged as well. 2-2 Tied

P5 – 55 seconds on the clock before half time. We wanted to press it, but once again, Fit’s guns on the break shoot our one snake side (Arturo) and our two d-side (Joe). Yosh made the center snake side wedge. I thought he put a ball on Fit’s Hertz tower, but no call. Ryan got clipped just as he got into the snake corner with about 30 seconds left in the point. 5 on 2. Fit was off to the races D side to close out. 3-2 PB FIT

We headed into half time knowing Fit wasn’t doing anything we haven’t seen all event long. We are having survivability issues, getting shot out of our spots and losing gun fights.

P6 – The first point after the half the Fit guns were still hot, shooting our ones on both sides. Yosh gets us not one but TWO back when Fit tried for the snake push. Joe won his gun fight coast to coast against his mirror giving us the body advantage. I still don’t know what caught Yosh. I think Chavez from the D side as Yosh wrapped on him. Ryan gets to snake corner as does Garringer, Chavez in D2 with Joe in dorito insert. Joe worked his way to D2 as well but Cyrus was creeping in snake now. Joe made D3. Then he and Ryan made Cyrus’ position. Joe takes 50 dorito and Cyrus takes 50 snake (again). Joe got creative, keeping the center structures between him and Cyrus and almost clipped Chavez. He had to fall back to dorito 50 when his missed the shot. While this is going on, Ryan with his years of experience and instinct, hauled down the snake to catch Cyrus worrying about Joe, and gets him clean. Joe saw this and with impeccable timing runs down Chavez. Wow. 3-3 TIED

And that would be the last point we would win…

Fit would simply continue to show how hard they worked on their gun skills winning the break and winning gun fights. Its obvious they trained to be explosive off the box on the buzzer. We would struggle to stay alive and after winning 3 matches from a deficit, it was not to be this time. The minor in 9th point when we were in good field position did not help either.

Lots to take away and learn from this event… lots of room for improvement but one thing I can share is this: I have a team full of players who not only possess tremendous PB IQ but they are full of grit with no quit in them. Back to work.

Again, congratulations to Paintball Fit. Well earned and they are a testament to hard work and discipline.

See you all in AC.

Be water my friends.

Two Dragons – a New Era

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It is Christmas Eve morning as I write this. I often use this time to reflect on the past year, count my blessings, and recognize where I have been, where I am, and where I am going. This is the season of giving… and I have been given much.

A phrase said and heard over and over again… “Change is the only constant in life.” I think this very simple yet powerful statement is true because it encapsulates the fact that, every moment is transient.

Change can be a scary thing. That’s because it can be an either/or… either positive or negative. We never know if a change will be good for us or not, and usually not until enough time has passed and we fully realize the consequences of it.

I do believe that, more often than not, change makes us better. It helps us grow. If we aren’t actively seeking it out, we should at the bare minimum be prepared for it. Though I think we can all agree that most of us are programmed to resist it… even when we know it may be best. Why is that?

More than likely because we are comfortable. We are warm and protected in our bubble/routine of the known. We have become dormant, being content with what is, never considering what could be… Why would we upend any of that for the possibility of losing it or replacing it with something difficult? Why actively pursue potential adversity?

Because comfort is where dreams go to die…

Change is often the catalyst that drives many of us forward. And we need to recognize it for the true power it wields.

** Zen Note – Before I go any further, I want to take a moment to once again thank the New Orleans Hurricanes for their love and support. I am tremendously grateful to them and always will be. They helped propel me to where I am. I am forever indebted to them. Love you guys. This change will make you better and stronger, of this I have no doubt. I know I am leaving you in better condition than before!

The recent decision of mine to leave the New Orleans Hurricanes to take on the role of San Diego Dynasty’s coach has brought a tremendous amount of change to my life. Some of the ramifications of the decision were felt/seen almost instantaneously, others have yet to be revealed. So far, all have been positive and I cannot think of a scenario where the consequences of this action will have any negative connotation. And if I could think of one, I doubt I would accept it or recognize it as “negative”.

Am I worried or concerned about the future? Not really. Let me explain. Stoicism teaches us that we suffer more from the imagination than we do from the reality.

“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” – Marcus Aurelius

I love that Dynasty’s logo and mascot is that of a Dragon. The dragon, in eastern cultures, is a symbol of strength, wisdom, good fortune, and magnanimity. The latter is my favorite of the descriptors. The virtue of a strong heart and mind… it is something I have always aspired to. It is why the Zen logo is a dragon. We should want to encompass these things, pursue them, obtain them, and maintain them. And, over the years, I think it has been obvious that these virtues were and are integral to Dynasty, as well.

I have so much to learn. It has already been a surreal start. The Dynasty guys have been nothing but welcoming and professional. I think we all know how much their legacy in this sport means to so many of us. It is not lost upon me what they represent to the paintball community. Even though I am older than every member of this team, I certainly understand and respect what they represent to paintball as a whole. I am duty bound to give everything I can… and uphold that legacy.

My biggest excitement is with the implementation of my system with Dynasty. I have always believed that a good coach can walk their team through the what, the how, and the why of any change. The latter is probably the most difficult. The WHY must be meaningful… frankly, I wholeheartedly expect them to apply Bruce Lee’s method to what I bring. They will “absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is uniquely their own.” Meaning, they will just make it better. Heck yeah…

So where do we start? We start with a vision of the future. That vision will encompass some questions which will lead to efficiency and streamlining… what is necessary, and what isn’t. We will trim the fat. We will manage expectations and understand what that structure will be like. We will set goals and develop plans to reach them. We will not limit anything. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and we must not stay there, we must go beyond them. (More Bruce btw)

San Diego Dynasty are champions. They know how to win. They are the heroes of this unfolding story. This is about them. They are the ones who will make history. They are the ones who will be on the field implementing a shared vision, meeting the goals, rising to the challenges that face us. My role in all of this is to chart a course and steer us towards fruition. If the winds shift, my role is to adjust the sails. If the sea gets choppy, I need to make sure the crew is prepared. If we get off track, that’s on me.

“Rough seas make good sailors”. And they are already good sailors. They know how to sail the rough waters. The perils that await us are not anything we haven’t seen before. We will meet them with the same weapons of reason which today arm us against the present…

To Alex, Ryan, Yosh, Blake, Danny, Harrison, Arturo, Kyle, Joe, and Junior… I cannot wait for this journey to begin. In many ways, it already has.

Merry Christmas everyone! And a Happy New Year!