Ya, that’s right, when that hell happened? I have a few stabs at it. Some of the best players in the Pittsburgh area are gone. The best field went to ****, and the attitude has changed 100%.
First off, the field… Three Rivers Paintball use to be the best field in the region, it had all the elements that a good field needed. Including Bob Fox, who kept that field happy. I remember seeing Bob at Kids Night Out. He would play with the kids, let them use his gun, shoot his paint. Yes, it was his job but he was there because he loves the game. But more about Bob later, Three Rivers…. What good would a field be with out a home team? Dazed and Confused…. And later the Dazed Kids. With the exception of Chris, these guys were the best-behaved team in the region. They cared more about the game then starting fights, looking good, being “agg,” or even winning. Ben, Kenny, Freeze, Conley, these guys showed up every single weekend to play, and they played hard. But then there was Chris, ya… He can be an *******, a dick head, a prick, or just a pain in the ***. BUT Chris was the glue that built that kept that team together. But we can talk more about Chris later too. Dazed and Confused took pride in 3RP, they showed up, worked, kept the fields nice. Teams traveled to 3RP just to practice with Dazed. And when one or two teams showed up, everyone would show up! Dazed made Three Rivers the hot place to play paintball. When Three Rivers lost Bob, they lost all good public relations. When they lost Dazed, they lost all the teams.
Bob Fox…. If you had a problem with a gun, he is the go to guy. It didn’t matter if you had a talon, or a binford8000, the man could fix it. Bob made the tournaments work. Because he was a player he knew how to make everything mesh together. He knew how to make things work. He knew what everyone wanted and how to present it to them where the business could be profitable but the people at the field are happy. Bob knew how paintball worked.. No matter where he was he was always willing to lend a helping hand to whomever needed it. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Bob fox…
Chris Labozzo… Like I said, he was the glue that held one of the best fields in the region together. When I saw he was quitting paintball I was so disappointed. Chris found me at Hamburger Hill. I remember I was pinned down on field C (the city) and he got me out of this building, ran up the hill and shot everyone. No matter what I needed, Chris came through for me. If my gun went down, I would use his backup. If I needed a Tank, he had one for me. When I did something wrong on the field, he corrected me. He knew more about paintball then anyone I have ever talked too. I don’t think he was the best player. But I do think he was the best captain. Yes, he started quite a few fights, the entire EAPL thing, plenty of fights at 3Rivers. And there is no way to justify them, but for every one thing he did wrong I bet you he did 10 right. He just like bob was always willing to lend that helping hand. If he was at 3Rivers, Ultimate Pursuit, (you want to see how Chris can effect a field, look at U/P), hamburger hill, where ever. You could tell he loved the game..
Brian AKA Urban Knight, You were like my equipment supplier. I felt many times that you sponsored me! I remember we were at a field one time and you let me use your Box-Shocker. Sure we sucked *** that night, but you came through with like 10 games. And Brian was another player who didn’t know what AGG was, let alone wanting to be it.
Along with Brian, most of Sudden Impact, other then maybe the guy that use to have the mullet were great guys. My respect level with them is right up there with Dazed. They were more to themselves then willing to lend a helping hand. But they were about playing, not looking, or acting, or talking the part.
But… look now, the IAO.. sucked, the region, it sucks, everything up here is bad. The only field that even has a chance at being a good field is Dave’s and everyone out there has this attitude like they are the **** and better then anyone. I am not a good player, I am not going to be on the field playing every weekend. I’m better then most people but nowhere near the level I could be. Going to Dave’s and getting whopped on then having people brag about it just doesn’t impress me. Dazed use to kick our *** and not say a word to us, they might say “Hey don’t do this” but never anything negative. Then they would walk on Pittsburgh Impact, or National Epidemic, teams who tried to talk ****, they would embarrass then.
So what does this region need? They need a new Dazed and Confused. They need more Bob Foxes and Urban Knights. They need more Chris Labozzos and more Ken and Bens. Hell, Chris put Kenny in charge of Dazed Kids and look at how well that ended up! Someone get these guys back together and back out on the field!
Someone do something to save this region!
Bob, Ken, Ben, Chris, Brian, Zack, thanks for all the help! Some of us do appreciate everything you have done! Come back to the sport.. We need you…
I have been out of it for going on a year, and other than Vengenance, there is nothing left of local PB IMO, at least at the level/maturity I wanted to play at.
UK
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"agg"...i try to ignore it..pointless, like saying im kool, and rule number one, you cannot determine if you are kool, and number two, by trying to be kool, youre are defaulted to not kool
Wow, it really felt great to read this post. I haven't really been around at all, but Chris pointed this thread out to me. I really am curious as to who you are.
Went up to the IAO today, you're right, it just isn't the same. Paintball around here has just sorta came to an end, from what I have seen. I wish we were still at it. I miss my guys, I miss the game, and I miss just helping out.
Bob is still around he plays out at operation paintball and revolution is there almost every sunday as well. They are good competition and will make you play tight. Chris will be back in the sport soon from what i know of him he just needed a break and couldnt get a solid team set up for this year. The iao did suck but dont complain about it because there is still a decent sized tournament in pittsburgh. The philly event that got moved to nemicolin will be much betteri believe. If anybody is looking for competition you will find it there. Also you will find all of the big paintball companies setting up tents and booths there. Evil/PMI/RPS & Dye if you were looking for them last weekend they wernt at iao but according to what i have heard are already setting up at nemicolin. I believe that the Philly open detracted from the iao but is great for paintball in the area. Also what dave is doing with the new indoor building is great. paint ball is not dying in our area it is just shifting. there are new players i see at the fields i play coming out every week. Daves novice team is good enough and with picking up bob they won their own event last week. Urban is still around although i personaly dont get out there more than once a season. and i am sure their feild sponsered team is good. Again revolution is at operation every sunday they are not in some tourney. A competitative d2 xball team will make easy work of most people and teams but it is great experiance and a hell of alot of fun to see them loose their composure after losing to a rookie team. My point is move on and up there is still pelnty of good people and paintball in the area.
what a great post. unfortunately, i never knew the individuals you were talking about, but reading this gets the whole region a bit closer to know its history...
but, on the other hand, paintball has changed in a year and a half, much less two or three or four...
i just introduced a guy to paintball a few months ago. specifically, tournament paintball. and his ability to learn the game at the rate he was learning was just inconceivable...
a few weeks ago, i showed him push and sunday drivers and he couldn't believe the jerseys, the fields, the slower rate of fire as compared to the guns we shoot nowadays... and these films were done not too long ago.
in all the genres i've been involved with, things (sadly) were never the same as they were "back-in-the-day", but what you can do is just be glad that you can say that you were there...
Originally posted by drewan08 My point is move on and up there is still pelnty of good people and paintball in the area.
There are plenty of good players in this region. I just don't know if I would go as far as saying good people. That goes well beyond paint ball. Pittsburgh people are way different. And it wasn't just Chris. It was all of dazed, and from what I know most of them are off to college except Ben who is in the marines.
While the majority of your post focuses on TRP, I can say that from a southern-Pittsburgh point of view, much the same thing is happening. Look at urban assault. There used to be upwards of five teams there every weekend for team practice. What happened? Now its Blaze. I havn't even seen Tsunami there this year.
Who are the teams in the Pittsburgh area? Punisherspb.com (Super-7), Punishers (Xball), Blaze (3/5man), Twisted Revolution (who actually is based in Cali I thought, with Bob and Reeg being the only ones out of Pitt), and who else around here plays tournaments of note? Vengeance is a decent team, but I havn't seen them anywhere other than Crazy Dave's, and the controversy of the finals last year, with Vengeance gold reffing Vengeance black (Or vice versa) still leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Think of 3 years ago though. Who were actually "recognized" teams that traveled for tournaments? The All americans, the AA2's. That was it. Everyone else was pretty much "local".
What happened is that the bulk of the local teams disbanded, and the better players joined up, and formed teams that play in national events. Punisherspb.com, Punishers, Twisted.
Its evolution, but i'd really like to see the better teams stay together, and see a rebirth of the local teams as well.
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"Originally posted by Conqueror:
As usual Vitamin G is right on the money."
"Originally posted by shockerdomination: Vitamin G...you prolly are the most informed member in this forum due to this and numerous other posts- "
"Originally posted by The Dread Pirate: I was going to make a joke about herpegonosyphilaids, but it seemed a bit inappropriate."
"Originally posted by Akward Silence: You are brilliant vitamin G, you hit the nail on the head with that post.
I just recently got back into playing again, and I have to say that I already noticed that the local scene has apparently gone way down hill. I believe a bit of it has to do with what Vitamin G said, with some of the better players going a step higher to national competition. I played a few years ago, and that was with Sudden Impact. At that time, the local scene was good, but you could see it starting to slide a bit downhill in a timespan of a couple years. For example, I was playing around the time when Urban Assault went from having quite a few teams every weekend, to around 2-3 (if that). And now, it appears as if it's even worse. I blame a lot of that on the way thing were run around there, but that's a whole different thread in and of itself.
On another, related account, with me just coming back to ball...SI went to crap over the past couple years. There doesn't appear to be any decent teams for me to join up and mow some faces with. As mentioned in the first post, there just doesn't seem to be the teams who play the game, to play, to get better, and who play straight up ball all the time. It sucks. I'll just keep looking around for a team that I think fits me...hopefully I find one soon.
Mees,
It is alot more then that. I played at urban quite a few times. But no one there lends that helping hand. It was always a bunch of people with a ton of attitude who like the idea that you are new just so they can clober you.
Anyone who use to play at 3R will admit, When Bob and Dazed left, the field fell apart. Not to mention that Wade guy was a huge A-hole.
That's what I mean, there doesn't seem to be the plethora of people who are just straight up ballers, and good people. There too much hierarchial-i'm-better-than-you bull**** now. It used to be everyone basically got along, and helped each other out. I can remember numerous times when we'd be playing teams, or jsut watching, and we'd notice something and help another team out, or vice versa. Everyone has come to believe that they're the **** now. I guarantee that's not the case though...too bad they're too cocky to want to take advice from people
I would agree that paintball has gotten a lot worse around here, although I have not really been paying attention to the local tourney scene for more than a year. The problem is that so many people are in it for the money now , not the player, or atleast thats the feeling I get from some fields. The whole team issue, well I dont know what to tell you there. Maybe PSP Nemacolin will be good but that doesnt really count as part of the Pittsburgh region, something does need to happen to turn this place around.
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Paintball is taking a hit in a lot of places do to the bad publicity as well. We are getting flamed for being unsafe and such. Kids getting hurt because they do not follow rules. It is the same as someone playing football and not following the rules and breaking their arm.
Personally I know a cpl guys from Sudden Impact, Chris and Matt. They both want to get back into the game. Money has a lot to do about it. Chris said he is gonna hit the game hard as soon as his pay checks start rolling in from his new job. I haven't been around the tourny scene long, just played some open games mostly. I do a lot of woods and scenario. But the game will pick back up. People will get sick of the attitudes and get together and make good teams with good people. Give it time.
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Punn, I hope you're right. I personally got so tired of going to the field and dealing with constant arguing and massive egos, that I don't even bother going the field anymore. Kinda a shame but my gear has turned into high-priced paperweights.
Jbankers..........thanks for starting this thread. I think this situation has been needing to be addressed for quite some time. Hopefully before the sport loses more good people.
jaybankerz, I played on that dazed and confused team, what happend was that after that season was over people went too college and all the local teams fell apart and the people who were serious enough moved on and went too new teams like punisherspb.com punishers and twisted. those new teams became such good teams that the local competition wasnt good enough for them. So they now travel. Now those teams are not around, fields like trp dont care about the tournament baller but the rec player for thats were all the money is. The top fields in pittsburgh would be crazy daves and operation as of now.
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Hello Jbankerz, I do agree with most of your asseements concerning local paintball, but I want to respond to your comments concerning the Vengeance Team players. I play for the BLACK Team and KNOW all the players quite well for all 3 teams. All the players are nice people and I find it quite difficult to beleive that anyone of them bragged about it! IF so then let me be the first to apologize!!!!! We all are very dedicated to the sport and promoting it, if you ever have this happen up at Dave's agian come see me and I'll put a stop to it. As for the absurd and continual rantings of Vitamen G, sad that you feel as you have, You are the only person I know who has cried so often so loudly about thinking that cheating was the reason for our success, GROW UP !!!! Maybe you think our 3rd place in the Novice at IAO was paid for too ???? We as a team keep to ourselves and take our playing fare seriously. Maybe ask Bob Fox why he is playing with us when not scheduled for Twisted if he thought we were a cheating team. Your attitude aboutnthis is NOT disgusting and brings paintballing to a bad level. I suppose ONLY when you win its clean and good??? Enough of you.
Jeff Iorio
Team Vengeance BLACK
In my last post please REMOVE the word NOT from the ending concerning Vitamin G's bringing paintballing to a bad level. It should have read " Your attitude about this is disgusting and brings paintballing to a bad level". TY
Jeff Iorio
Team Vengeance BLACK
Guys I have been trying to reform a dying team all summer.Most of the players who have shown interest are good guys but alot who have shown up want to know what sponserships we have.Wrong attitude.We just want to play ball,have some fun and meet some people.News flash.just because you own a $1500 marker and placed 3rd in a local 3 man sponsers won't be beating down your door.The what's in it for me attitude is killing teams.
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Rode a tank,held a general's rank,when the blitzkrieg raged and the fighting stank!
Exaclty you don't need sponsers. That is what is wrong with a lot of the new younger kids. It is all about publicity and not playing. I love playing but have the damnest time finding a team to play on which really sucks. So I am stuck doing a lot of rec and scenario play which is cool. But wouldnt mind some good airball play! Like I said it will come. Enough of us will get sick of attitudes and make decent teams.
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As mentioned in the first post, there just doesn't seem to be the teams who play the game, to play, to get better, and who play straight up ball all the time. It sucks. I'll just keep looking around for a team that I think fits me...hopefully I find one soon.
