I started playing paintball when I was 9 years old. Since then it has been the most familiar and comfortable thing in my life. If I wasn’t playing on the weekends I was thinking about it during the week. Replaying game moves and situations over and over in my head battling back and forth and putting together my own perfect match.
The sport of paintball has been my best friend growing up and is something I have been apart of for more than half my life. I can truly say I am in love with the sport, so losing the ability to be on the field has been pretty devastating. The doctor performed a Micro-fracture surgery along with the ACL reconstruction which had disabled me from walking for 6 weeks. I just recently got off the crutches and have been attacking physical therapy as aggressively as I can. I don’t look at this as a set back, in fact I’m confident that it has been a blessing in disguise. This past season was not one of my better years and I did not find myself connected to a trophy all year long. To me that is unacceptable and this injury has given me time to really think about myself as an individual.
There are many changes I have been making and will continue to make on and off the field to be a more complete team player. In order to be the best you must first know what it takes to be the best and figure out how you are going to do it. For me it seems easy, hard work, athleticism, the right attitude and leadership, and knowledge of the game. This injury has made me work harder than ever before on my athleticism. I can either put the hard work in therapy on the back burner and never return to my full potential or I can work hard every day making sure that I come back ten times stronger. To me its no choice, I like to work hard.
The right attitude and leadership comes from recognizing my wrong and rights, which I have. You must first know there is a problem before you can fix a problem and I know everything I need to do to help myself and my teammates excel to the top.
Last but not least knowledge for the game. I have been playing for 11 years and still have much to learn. Knowing that I have much to learn allows myself to accept learning new things to improve myself as a paintball player and individual. These are all things that have gone through my mind over and over during this tough time in my life. No matter what had ever gotten taken away from me I would always say at least I have paintball. Now that paintball was taken from me I really gained a whole new appreciation and hunger for the sport. It’s easy to get comfortable with who you are and what your doing when you have done it long enough. A true champion is always trying to find a way to be better, is always hungry for another win, and never has a closed mind. A true champion doesn’t believe there is a top of the game because in every sport the skill level evolves and people are constantly coming up with new and better ways to win.
It’s like anything in life really. Any successful individual will have a similar mindset to that of the greatest athletes to play any of your favorite sports. It’s about hunger and the competitive drive to not take no for an answer. Not letting anybody tell you that something is not possible. I’m sure everyone told the Wright brothers there is no way they could fly.. now look, because of their belief in their own imagination there are more than 5 million people that fly every single day in the US as a way of transportation.
I just can’t wait to get on the field and play paintball next season, I can’t wait to go to practice, I can’t wait to play paintball every weekend, I can’t wait to travel with my best friends to these remote places where we only have each other, I can’t wait to be with my brothers and join the adventures that paintball brings but most of all, I can’t wait to win.
I’m hungrier than ever.
Photo Courtesy of Jeff Stinson, jeffyphoto.com
wish i could take paintball on like these guys do. lucky guys 🙂
Wow he eat sleeps and breaths paintball. im jealous
This is a great article, if only monster energy and everyone that doubts how “extreme” the sport is , could only see this. Its not just a game.. Its without a doubt a LIFESTYLE!
Good article
One of my good friends was in a car accident over a year ago and his ankle was really messed up. I recently spoke to him to see if or when he would be coming back out to play paintball with us. He says the Doctors told him he would never be able to play paintball again because it would put too much strain on the damage already done. He has had three surgeries and rehab which makes me sad that they can’t help him. He was a valuable part of our team and I pray that one day he may be able to join us again on the field.
i honestly could not live without paintball. my life has been down in the dumps and high school is really hard. i probably would have killed myself if i didn’t have friends from paintball. i could not imagine life without paintball. the only time i feel good is when i am playing paintball. i hope i can play forever.
this is a great article showing the determination and drive of our fellow players. hope he gets back in it quick…..wish I could be playing weekly!
this is a great article showing the determination and drive of our fellow players. hope he gets back in it quick…..wish I could be playing weekly!
very interesting article, wish I could spend as much time as you on paintball.
Thats a great article/story. Im in middle school always snapshooting in around corners in the hallways or either double triggering until my finger get tired. LoL
Hope your better and thanks for sharing your intresting story theres not lots of people like you that have been playing since age 9. I’ve just started and trying to get into it and im 15.
-Best Wishes Josue
Hope you feel better and go back to paintball and are ready for next season.
Really sorry to hear about the injury, man. No one ever wants to see an athlete get sidelined like that. But you’ve totally got the right mindset. Stay hungry, attack your therapy 100% and be consistent with it, and come back right where you left off – healthy and ready to go.
Best of luck with the recovery.
How did the injury occur?
Feeling the same as you Marcello, i have the same knee injury and im working 100% to be back in the field as soon as i can, im in the final stage to return back!!!! Never Give up you have a lot of Fans that want you in the Field!!!
thanks guys… I’ve been working harder than ever and recovery is going really well.. ERIK keep up with the rehab my friend it will pay off!
Hope you’re 100% this year chello, missed you last year bud!! Keep it up.
Ugh man it sucks to have a torn ACL, I have one still I'm getting surgery in 4 months…because I'm too busy with college and then it will be so difficult to NOT play paintball for a while! 🙁