Omaha Vicious – 2013 PSP Preseason Guide

Omaha Vicious

2012 Recap: 2012 was a series of very close, and unfortunate missies for Omaha Vicious. Coming off of a 4th place finish in the 2011 World Cup, expectations were high for the young team and momentum seemed to be on their side. However, the team missed out on Sunday play at all but one event in 2012 (Phoenix). That being said, the season ended with an incredibly controversial move as Vicious went 3-1 during the prelims, but still lost out on making the cut due to the points spread – something the team was, understandably, bitter about. Aside from the drama of the 2012 season, the team did show that they have progressed to a new level of play and are beginning to mature in their roles. Their support players are beginning to become completely comfortable at the professional game speed which is allowing their attackers to do their job more effectively. Simply stated, Omaha Vicious is not a bunch of kids playing professional paintball anymore.

Key Players:
Phil Kahnk; #33, Front, 9 PBA rank
Parker Rosenthal; #4, Mid, 35 PBA rank
Bryan Bortol; #20, Front; 65 PBA rank

Team Strengths:
Strong team speed
Blindingly aggressive at times
Team unity

Team Weaknesses:
Still developing talent
Has tendency to overextend themselves
Needs a coach with the “it” factor

2013 Outlook: As stated in the 2012 recap, Omaha Vicious is not the runt of the litter anymore and has the potential to be a very competitive team in the upcoming seasons; however it will require one or two more players to develop further than they are. The team can’t rely on any one player to carry them, nor can they allow the more prominent teams to poach players. The acquisition of back player Matthew Sossoman may be the most underrated move of the 2012 season and it should be fun to see what he can do in his second year with the program. We expect to see Omaha in the middle of the pack for most of the year, but if they lose focus, we could see them in the Challengers division. It will be up to them to remain poised and capitalize on the fruits of their labor from 2012.

Why Root for Them?: Omaha Vicious is not the best paintball team in the league, period. They lack the top tier talent and funding of the premiere teams, but their impact on their local paintball scene is second to none. It’s easy to root for Vicious: they play with a ton of heart, give it their all every event, and are super grass roots oriented which makes every success story that much sweeter. On many levels, paintball as a sport needs Omaha Vicious. Oh, and watch out for them this year – they may be on the verge of something special.

2013 Omaha Vicious Practice Video

Lawrence Abernathy - From the beginning I have been interested in the paintball media, analysis of paintball and the social aspects of the game. I can be found lurking around at Moxie Paintball in Columbus, Georgia -- usually tinkering with old autocockers and mid-end markers. I enjoy playing recball and local events with my girlfriend and dog, Rondo.

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7 Comments

1. 

   In The Know

   March 5, 2013 at 10:31 am

   To say that Vicious doesn’t have the funding of other Professional programs is idiotic.

   Reply
2. 

   Karen

   March 5, 2013 at 11:16 am

   Vicious made Sunday in Phoenix. They did not miss out every event. There is no lack of funding on Vicious, but there is a choice being made.

   The foundation of Vicious isn’t based on getting a bunch of hired guns. That was never our goal. Our old coach tried to bring other pros into our organization to help our first year of pro and it failed miserably.

   We either win with these kids or lose with these kids. We had Phil, Bryan, and Parker the #8,#9,#12 players at cup. Pretty good for a bunch of kids from Nebraska. The talent is there. We just need to be more consistent.

   Reply
   • 

     Israel L.

     March 5, 2013 at 11:59 am

     Karen, the correction about Sunday in Phoenix was made. Thank you for providing some valuable insight about the team.

     Reply
3. 

   Lawrence Abernathy

   March 5, 2013 at 12:31 pm

   Karen, sorry for the mis-information. It’s nothing personal; I’ll double check the Vicious file next time we post something on you guys.

   Reply
   • 

     Karen

     March 5, 2013 at 1:03 pm

     No problem. It was just a long year and I needed you to throw me a bone.

     Reply
     • 

       ryanm

       March 5, 2013 at 10:22 pm

       karen said bone

       Reply
4. 

   Grant Lamb

   March 6, 2013 at 8:52 am

   Ive been a fan of Vicious since they played D1. (i was a younger kid and the red jerseys on sunday looked cool so i liked them lol). Lets be honest. They got killed their first year in pro. But any team making that jump would. Hell look at CEP its taken them a couple years to get use to it and they have talent that you wouldnt believe! But with that being said ive seen Vicious get better and better every year. And they are turing into a great pro team. And they got screwed at cup =P

   Reply