Acknowledgements - WCA 09

The Rocknrollas would like to say a huge thank you to the MacDev Ronins, for deigning to train with us rookies, for guiding and supporting us, and for giving us the opportunity to learn from one of the best teams in Malaysia.

We'd also like to thank our sponsor Azodin Paintball for the opportunity to train with the Azodin Kaos markers prior to the WCA. They were fantastic in the field, especially with our own hoppers and tanks.

Another word of thanks for our other sponsor Napshot Paintball, for the support and encouragement given during the WCA, as well as the excellent technical support during emergencies.

Thank you to Shamsher Opherden, aka Terry, for being a fantastic coach!

Thank you to Paintball TAG at Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort, for being a great field to train in and for having the WCA field up early.

Also grateful to all the other people who supported us, who came to help us out and to take pictures of us, as well as the other teams we played against in the WCA, for playing a great game.

Finally, thank you to PALS Events, for organizing the World Cup Asia - Asia's Largest International Paintball Tournament!

Well done, Rocknrollas. Top 5 in WCA 2009!

Now that we've more or less had a few days to recover, it's time to update this thing.

The Rocknrollas placed 5th in Division 4 in the World Cup Asia 2009!

Despite running around somewhat like headless chickens in our first few games, the team managed to pull it together by the fourth or fifth game. We'd initially scored a few draws due to technicalities - one team didn't take the flag, and we managed to hold off another team until the time ran out - but things weren't looking very bright with one loss and two draws. It wasn't til the fourth game that everyone got their panties on straight, and started whooping some ass.

At the end of the first day, with 3 wins, 2 losses, and 2 draws, we were the 10th out of 19 teams, which qualified us for the second round on Sunday.

Now this is where things started getting interesting. The remaining 16 teams were split into 4 groups of 4 teams, and each group played round robin, which means each team had 3 games to play. We won two games, and lost one, pushing us up into the quarterfinals.

The team was pumped. We'd gone into the World Cup Asia with absolutely no expectations, and some hope, but here we were in the quarterfinals! THE QUARTERFINALS! It's like... damn.

We'd had a few minor incidents - one team member lost his cool and started screaming at the refs because he got pulled out for a bunker that fell over (BUNKER DOWN!), which resulted in a 1 for 1, another team member dove into a bunker and gashed his hand on a large rock in the mud, and I personally got pulled for a false start because my barrel wasn't touching the starting gate - but the team pulled through in the end.

One member of the team in particular shone from outside the field, helping the team to pull things together, filling pods, getting paint, wiping us down, cheering us from the sidelines, and deliberately sitting out of games to make sure the strongest team possible was on the field.

There's no way to tell what would have happened if that person hadn't done so. Maybe we'd have done better, maybe not, but I'm grateful nonetheless. Both for the sacrifice made for the sake of the team, and because I love this person to bits anyway.

We lost 2 games out of 3 in the quarterfinals. I'll never forget watching my team crowd around the scoreboard, only to slump and walk slowly and quietly away. There was a heavy silence around our gear table, but it only lasted until I added up the points and realized that we'd actually managed to get 5th place.

Now, 5th place is not a podium finish, but it's helluva lot better than last in the group. Considering the team had initially placed closer to the tail end of things in previous tournaments and we weren't expecting much, this was a major achievement for us.

There were a few people who said things like, "Geez, it's just D4, if you can't win D4, don't bother with D1", but I say screw them. Rome wasn't built in a day, neither can a D1 team. Anyone who says they knew they were destined for greatness the minute they picked up a marker is either a fantastic liar, in denial, or savagely delusional.

The team's been practicing hard, and they did their best. They supported each other, pushed each other on, and kept each other in check, depending on what was needed at the time. They worked like a team. They had fun. And that to me, is what really counts.

I'm proud of you, Rocknrollas.

World Cup Asia tomorrow!

Well, technically the World Cup Asia started today, Friday 19 Nov 2009 with Divisions 1, 2, and 3. Division 4 begins tomorrow!

The field itself was thoroughly festive, with superbooths from the usual suspects - Dye, Eclipse, Azodin, Sly, and local paintball vendors like Napshot, Pro Paintball, and KCHL.

FACES Magazine, the official magazine for the World Cup Asia, had a small booth from which they distributed free copies of the magazine, and several media publications turned up even though I'd specified that the media would probably prefer to come on Sunday when the quarters, semis, and finals will be played.

The field was not too muddy, all things considered, and the weather played nice until about when a light drizzle threatened to but thankfully did not turn into a full-blown storm. About then, the mildly annoyingly moist field turned into a muddy mess, but it was still bearable, thanks to the raised walkways, which were a considerate touch.

Spirits were high, and games were fast and hard. Dez Foo of residentevilchef.com and his honchos were all over the place, shutters snapping non-stop. Looking forward to some fantastic photography from them.

Overall, the first day of the World Cup Asia went auspiciously well.

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

If you want to come watch the World Cup Asia, the event will be at Xtion Paintball Park, Bukit Jalil, from 8am - 6pm, 19-22 Nov 2009.

One Week to WCA: New Jerseys & Silvio Defuns!

One week to go to the World Cup Asia 2009, The Largest International Paintball Event in Asia! Things are shaping up well, our team will be playing host to Brandon Fort of PBFashion and Daniel from Azodin! We're off to pick Brandon up at 6pm today.

We've got us some swanky new jerseys too. Nothing amazingly fancy, but well, we no longer look like the Misfits. Hiekal brought his camera, so we've got some awesome pictures.

Check out our uber-gangsta faces, haha.

We also had a great clinic with Silvio Defuns of team Consilium Dei Zurich last weekend. He had great advice, and the team improved tremendously at the end of the weekend, though the heavy rains meant that we had to shift several frogs to a safer end of the field, and we all ended up looking like we'd gone mud-wrestling, especially after a few diving drills.

The Rocknrolla Team with Silvio Defuns at TAG Bukit Kiara (right)

I, in particular, ended up looking like the Swamp Thing. Mud, mud, everywhere.

In the end though, it was a great session. Thank you once again Silvio! Big thanks to the Macdev Ronins as well, for helping us improve ourselves, and for supporting us.

Road to World Cup Asia 2009 on NTV7

Here's a quick clip about the World Cup Asia 2009 on The Breakfast Show on NTV7. Thank you to Safwan and Intan at NTV7 for producing this awesome clip!

Don't forget to come support us at the WCA! Come watch the games, meet the pros, shop at the expo, or just immerse yourself in the glamour and glory of the WCA.

Entry is FREE for those who want to shop at the expo and watch the games. You'll need to pay for a guest tag if you want to enter the player's area (excluding tents), or a pit crew tag to enter a team tent. Each team can have a max of 2 pit crew.

It'll be massive, this year's WCA attendance is guesstimated at 4000 pax. So come on down and cheer for your favorite teams (or us)!

Don't forget, there'll be a playazz party at the end of the event on the 22nd Nov at Mist Club, Bangsar. More details on that later!

The World Cup Asia will be held from the 19 til 22 November 2009 at Xtion Paintball Park, Kompleks Sukan Negara, Bukit Jalil.

Welcome, Hiekal!

Hiekal Rosli with his adorable family

This is a little delayed, but team Rocknrolla now has a sixth member! We'd like to officially welcome Hiekal Rosli to the fold. He's just come back from the US, and he's only been with us a few weeks, but he's rapidly proving to be a real asset to the team. The World Cup Asia will be Hiekal's first paintball tournament in Malaysia.

Welcome!

Team Rocknrolla vs Malaysian Today!

Yesterday (Sun), Team Rocknrolla played against the team of Malaysian Today at Xtion Paintball, Bukit Jalil. It was fun, though the rain delayed everything for almost 2 hours, and the fields ended up a soggy mess, but well... that's life. Welcome to Malaysia during the monsoon season!

Malaysian Today is now World Cup Asia's "Official Youth Publication", and the support they've given the event is amazing. The Malaysian Today team had a blast, and we're happy to have contributed to that! Paintball is starting to gain the recognition it deserves as an international sport, and the growth lately has been tremendous.

Keep an eye out for news of the World Cup Asia in the 5th & 12th Nov issues of Malaysian Today!

Also, a thank you to team Xtioneers, and team Dark Angels for participating in the media games with Malaysian Today, and contributing to a great day for the Malaysian Today team.

We'll post a few pictures up later when we've got them.

Our new babies... thank you, Azodin!

Team Rocknrolla received their Azodin Kaos sponsorship markers on Friday, 16 Oct 2009. These markers will be used by the team for Division 4 in the World Cup Asia 2009, and for the 2010 season of the MPOC.

(L-R) Simon Lim, Shamsher Opherden, Aizat Feisal Hakim, Sandie Lee, Amber Wong, Edward de Souza, Jimmy Ng, Kevin Wong

Paul Lam, tournament director of PALS, presented each team member with an Azodin Kaos marker on behalf of Azodin. Also present were Allan Phang of PALS, Simon Lim, and Kevin Wong of Napshot Avenue.

From team Rocknrolla, Amber Wong, Sandie Lee, Jimmy Ng, Aizat Feisal Hakim, and Edward de Souza were present to receive their markers, along with coach Shamsher Opherden of team MacDev Ronin.

A review of the Azodin Kaos on PBTech:



NOTE: We gave our new babies a test run during training with the Ronins today, and loved them! We attached our e-loaders and our own barrels, and the guns shot well, smooth and accurate, with just about no paint breaks. It's no match for a DM8 or a Cyborg of course, but amongst its mech peers, it rocks! Can't wait to take them into the WCA.

On behalf of the team, I would like to say thank you to Azodin, and to Napshot!

Here's a closer look at the Azodin Kaos.

Developed with the highest standard in mind, KAOS incorporates the latest technological breakthrough, while providing standard features that are found on $1000 markers.

KAOS gives players the competitive edge on the field of battle. The new “Feather Striker System” is 30% lighter than the traditional striker design. This breakthrough reduces the mechanical recoil and allows the KAOS to be smoothest handling semi-auto marker on the market.

Overall length and the profile of the receiver body have been re-engineered to be shorter and lower. This compact design makes the KAOS one of the lightest markers at 2.1 LBS.

• Low rise twist lock feed neck - Impulse/Ion threaded feedneck
• Autococker thread barrel
• Non-slip rubber grip panels
• Self lubricate delrin bolt
• Double ball detents
• 12 inch single piece barrel
• Top cocking pull pin
• Gas-thru foregrip with standard threads
• Operates on co2 or nitrogen/compressed air
• Aluminum grip frame
• Bottomline ASA - Interchangeable with rail or dovetail mount
• Barrel sock
• Spare parts kit

Specifications:

• Weight: 955 g / 2.1 lbs / 33.7 oz
• Length: 464.5mm/ 18.29in
• Height: 225.5mm/ 8.88in
• Width: 33mm/ 1.3in

For more information, check out the Azodin website at http://www.azodin.com

Paintball for Beginners: Myths and Excuses

Mention the word "paintball" and more often than not the person you're talking to will say...

"Paintball? We have paintball in Malaysia?"
"Are you nuts? It's dangerous!"
"It looks painful."
"I've always wanted to play, but it's so expensive!"
"Hello, I'm too old to play paintball."

Now, I've been addicted to paintball for more or less a good year or so and it's frustrating every time I try to introduce someone to the sport, and these comments crop up.

Paintball seems to have a reputation as a violent, blood-raging sport for young, testosterone-ridden, gun-toting maniacs on massive paintkillers.

Nothing's further from the truth.

Myth #1: "Paintball? We have paintball in Malaysia?"

Ok, this is more ignorance than myth, but YES! Where have you been all this while? Uzbekistan?

In fact, we've got the largest paintball scene in Asia!

We've got the international World Cup Asia every year, and two national-level leagues with five legs each (MPOC and MY-NPL), for a total of at least 11 tournaments a year for speedball alone. That's not including all the other smaller tournaments.

World Cup Asia 2009 Poster

Now, note that I said speedball, which is what this article is about. Speedball is played in a designated, netted field, with inflatable bunkers. Recball or woodsball is played in the jungle. The only thing speedball and woodsball have in common are the paintballs. Almost everything else, from gear and markers to playing styles, are quite different.

We have over 60 fields, hundreds dedicated paintballers, and a decent amount of pro shops in Klang Valley.

Myth #2: "Are you nuts? It's dangerous!"

Hockey's more dangerous than paintball is, and I don't see people cringing at the general thought of shooting a puck or two. Nevermind the possibility of getting slammed with a solid piece of vulcanized rubber that can travel up to 160km/hr.

Paintball is a non-contact sport that may appear more violent than it actually is because we associate the paintball markers with guns, but paintballs are just paint-filled gelatin balls designed to break upon impact, making the chances of severe injury very very low.

Paintball Chrono station

In proper tournaments, paintball markers are run through a chronograph to ensure that the velocity at which the ball travels does not exceed 300 feet per second. This means your chances of getting anything more serious than a bad bruise are just about non-existent... unless you remove your mask. But then that's like playing hockey without a mask. A serious no-no, and worthy of an Award for Lack of Common Sense.

Paintball safety rules are extremely strict, and there for a reason.

If you're planning to take the sport up, learn the safety rules, and obey them. I've been to fields where the marshals will slam you on the ground if you take your mask off in a paintball field - whether or not there are any balls flying. Lesson is, don't take your mask off. We don't want you to get your eye shot out, and you don't want a grunting, sweaty marshal shoving and pinning you to the ground and screaming "MASK ON! MASK ON!" in your ear, do you?

Myth #2a: "It looks painful."

Honestly, from a personal point of view, you barely notice it in-game. You're focused on winning, and your adrenaline's giving you a helluva rush. What's a little paintball?

Also, the quality of paint you're playing with makes a difference. If you're playing with practice paint that's got a thick gelatin shell and is more likely to bounce than break, you're going to get a decent bruise. If you play with good paint though, the gelatin shell is much thinner, and will break much more easily, dispersing the impact. Good paint equals less bounces, more hits, and less pain.

And please, I'm a girl, so don't tell me it's only for tough men.

Myth #3: "I've always wanted to play it, but it's so expensive!"

Yes, and no.

If you're just starting out, all you honestly need is a pair of football boots.

I got mine for RM20 at Why Pay More? in Mid Valley. You can probably get a decent pair at RM60-70 in most sporting shops. Most local tournaments will have a rookie division where you are issued a mask and a marker for your games (to be returned right after, or course). No other markers are allowed, so everyone's shooting the same crappy gun. You won't have to worry about someone else shooting 30 balls per sec while you're shooting... 5?

Paintballs will cost you somewhat more, but a box of (somewhat crappy) paint, shared between a 5-person team will cost you approximately RM150-160 per box at your local tourney, for about RM30 or so per person. Tournament grade paint costs more, about RM180-RM200 per box, but the upgrade in quality is worth it, for an additional 10-20 ringgit per person. For a rough guideline, we generally shoot about 4-5 boxes max in Division 4, so you won't spend more than RM250 or so per person on paint per tournament.

As you get better (and more addicted), you'll probably want to get some proper gear, and that's where the real expenses come in. The first thing you should get is a mask. Rental masks are nasty! A decent mask will cost around RM150. If you really want to splurge (and look good, and not worry about your mask fogging up in the heat of the game), the higher end masks can go up to RM400 or so.

Of course, once you get good enough, you can start thinking about sponsors!

Team Rocknrolla is proudly sponsored by Azodin, and Napshot.

Myth #4: "Hello, I'm too old/young/fat to play paintball."

A year into the sport, I've attended nearly all the tournaments hosted this year, and I've seen people from all corners of life play - teenagers, children, men, old men, women, mothers, young girls.

The youngest person I've ever had the privilege to play was an adorable 11-year-old boy named Daniel, and for a first-timer, that kid could shoot, aided of course, by the fact that at his full height he's still smaller than some of the bunkers. When he's crouched, he's just impossible to shoot.

In fact, there's a Dye Kidz program just launched by PALS Events - a program for children from the ages of 7-10 where they will be introduced to the sport of paintball, and all the positive values associated with paintball - teamwork, discipline, social and communication skills, and good sportsmanship.

I've seen people over 40 play tournament paintball, and paint some young'uns a nasty shade orange too, long after others their age have given up football/soccer and sepak takraw.

As for the fat issue... let's use the politically less wrong "big". I've seen 6-foot, 200-lb men play. Most of you will fall in the "smaller than that" category. Our coach is a healthy 6-feet and one of the top players in the country. He can crawl through a snake bunker faster at about the same speed that I would take to run through it, and when he plays really "tight", I swear he can fold himself into a target that's about 2 feet high. Max.

And there you have it.

Paintball is an excellent non-contact sport that promotes teamwork, discipline, communication, good sportsmanship, and that at the same time satisfies that primal urge to obliterate other humans within a safe, controlled environment.

Any other questions, my friend?

Team Rocknrolla's First Waterfall Trip!

Yesterday we went for our first waterfall trip. Sadly, Aizat couldn't join us again, as he'd finished up work at his bar, Two Monkeys in Jaya One at an ungodly hour, but it's all good.



The weather nearly made us reconsider, it being all drizzly and doom and gloom, but we persevered. Pat yourselves on the back, team!



Located in Templer's Park, the waterfall is convenient to access, being only about 40 mins drive out of the beautiful city of Kuala Lumpur, and equipped (at the lower levels anyway) with the more rustic version of civilization - toilets, a barbecue pit, those supremely ugly shaded concrete benches masquerading as wood, and simple zinc-roofed snack stalls.



It's also full of monkeys. Aggressive furballs who snarl at you and eat stolen buns on your car roof. If you go near them, they bare their teeth and feint a lunge. Charmed the socks off us, I must say. Some well-meaning charitable fellow fed them little orange cheezel-like snacks called Super Rings, and the little apes screamed at each other and fought for them. We could feel the brotherly love all around.



It was a good hike up, steep stairs for most of it, and jungle for the rest, but it was absolutely worth it when we claimed a secluded cove for ourselves.



We amused ourselves by catching "bandaraya" fishes, also known as sucker catfishes, and other nonsense like play fighting with palm leaves, a bit of general splashing around, and carving our team name on a large, mossy tree trunk that had fallen across our pool (we obliterated someone's former carving in the process. Sorry, "Shanni"). All activities were generously and joyfully enhanced by the loving influences of Tuborg, Tiger, and Carlsberg.



It was a good day.



I would also like to request a minute of silence, to mourn Sandie's digital camera which, after discharging its duty by taking all these beautiful pictures, died a watery death in Sandie's left hand when she slipped off our fallen tree trunk.

RIP.

More snapshots!

Training with team MacDev Ronin

It's Saturday, and we've got our second training session with Division 1 team MacDev Ronin tomorrow. Of course, that means this post is LONG overdue. Our first training session was last Sunday, at TAG in Bukit Kiara.

Training with the Ronins was crazy... in a good way. Lots of fitness training, which highlighted how slowly our fitness was improving, actually. It's definitely better than when we first started, but we're not progressing as quickly as I'd intended. With World Cup Asia only a month away, we've really got to buck up.

On the bright side, we may train regularly with the Ronins, which actually lets us train with 5 a side, rather than with ourselves. As a Division 4 team training with a Division 1 team, it's a good opportunity for us to improve ourselves, as a team, and as individual players.

With only 5 members still, we'll be iron-manning the whole tournament, so we'd better be bloody fit monkeys!

Snapshots for the curious: