All interviews were published on international paintball blogs by two of the biggest paintball manufacturers in the world.
FreeRunners Interview: Planet Eclipse Blog
Reaper Interview: DYE Paintball
Apocalypse Interview Planet Eclipse Blog
FreeRunners
Written by Maximilian Jany
Photographs by Gaston Roulstone at Switch Multimedia
The SARPL’s “Most Improved Team for 2011” is dominating their division. This newbie team is showing that pure willpower and determinations is fuelling their success in their 2012 season.
MJ
You guys have only been on the scene for a very short time and already you have taken 2012 by storm. How did you guys form as a team and what’s the story behind the name?
Hentie Pauley
FreeRunners is the result of a group of friends, sharing the same interest and excitement for paintball. We got the name after watching a marketing video for Guerrilla Air on YouTube of a one-man-team called “FreeRunner” taking on team Dynasty – hence the name FreeRunners.
MJ
You guys have played a few different events since you formed late 2011, but have since decided to only compete in the SARPL 3man and 5man events. With so many events on offer for 2012, what’s your guys the reason behind the decision?
Hentie Pauley
Yes, we took on every event and continued to win 34 consecutive games including the Open Division at SweetSpot. It all just got too much for the team with events almost every second weekend of the month. It was very tiring and of course it became very expensive too.Since our sponsorship deal we had to rethink our aim and decided to focus on the SARPL 3man and 5man events for the 2012 season.
MJ
You guys have built up a bit of a team with a roster of nine players. How many of your players are from other teams and how many guys on your roster are fresh to the paintball scene?
Hentie Pauley
Only two of our players out of our nine man squad have played for other teams in the past, the rest of the guys are all rookies.One would think that with a roster of nine players it would be fairly easy to always have two 3man teams but most of our players also compete in other sporting events, so schedules clash sometimes.
You guys managed to pick up some sponsors for the 2012 season and have referred to it as the “PEPSI” mix. What’s the meaning behind it and how have they impacted your guys team?
Hentie Pauley
You know the saying “just add water”?
So we thought we would start our own one “Just add PEPSI” which is actually an abbreviation for our sponsors; Planet Eclipse, Paintball Shop and IGNITE (Gelkaps). We wanted something short and sweet that people would remember and funny enough other teams sponsored by the same companies have also adopted our PEPSI statement. We are very proud of our sponsors and could not have done it without them.
Like most teams, you guys didn’t start off winning events, but so far in the first half of 2012 you guys have taken first place in almost every event in your guys divisions. What changed for you guys coming into 2012?
Hentie Pauley
I still remember my son (Keanu 14) saying “All I want is a medal”, think that was my biggest motivation. Looking back now I would say that we took what we had learnt in 2011 playing in a higher division (Open) and decided to make a difference in 2012. With the SARPL/APPA scoring system the top Div4 teams get promoted to Div3, which made it a little easier for us to breath in Div4. We continued to play in other Open Div leagues with the idea to learn from our mistakes and it’s paid off so far.
In the last few years South African teams have realised that they can make it at the overseas events and thus we have seen teams like Reapers, Xplicit and Dynamix doing quite well for themselves in Europe and Asia. Do you guys have any plans to take to the international paintball scene and play one or more of the events?
Hentie Pauley
Yes, we would like to attend the PALS World Cup Asia at the end of 2012 and also play in some of the PSP events in the US in the future. But at this stage it’s still unclear if we will be able to secure the necessary funding to play these events. But we will keep on dreaming till we do.
Success doesn’t just happen overnight, it takes a lot of hard work and determination to make it in this sport. How often do you guys train and what does a typical practice look like for the FreeRunners?
Hentie Pauley
We train at least once a month but then only if we don’t play more than two events during that month. We like to practice against much stronger teams in order to learn new techniques and also to see how they play. We recently started using video cameras (GO PROs) to record our games, but often offer our competitors the cameras to see what they are doing and where we are going wrong.
You guys are making a name for yourselves in the Johannesburg scene and there are more and more new teams and players joining every month. Do you guys have any words of advice for these new players and teams?
Hentie Pauley
It’s an awesome sport and the SARPL is a professional league and we recommend it to any new team or existing team that is currently competing in another league. You have to work as a team, players can make or break a team, so players need to be committed, fit and determined. So basically you reap what you sow in this sport.
Reaper
Written by Maximilian Jany
Photographs by Gaston Roulstone at Switch Multimedia
Reaper have been a dominant force in South African paintball for many years and have proved themselves on the international stage by winning events in both the Millennium and PALS series. 2012 will prove to be a challenging year for the team as they start the process of rebuilding the team after losing some key players in the off season.
Reaper has been around for years and is slowly creeping onto a decade in the sport. What’s the history behind Reaper and the connection to the old Team Evil?
Nick Birch
Team Evil was formed in 2000 by Steve Da Magalhaes, my brother Chris Birch and myself. Along with a couple of other players we won every major event except SweetSpot, where we took second place against London Nexus, who played alongside a few local players from Port Elizabeth. Team Reaper was founded in 2004 by Keith Morris as a B division 3man team. But by the end of 2004, Team Evil was taking strain financially, so some of our players were asked to guest on Team Reaper to make up a 5man squad. At the first event of 2005 at the Pink Open, Team Reaper took 1st place in two of the three divisions and a 2nd place in the third division, almost making it a hat trick.With such a young and solid squad, team owner Keith Morris put a sponsorship offer on the table that the sport had never seen before in South Africa. This saw the merger of Team Evil with Team Reaper, forming Reaper Evil Legionnaires. We continued to dominate the sport locally and internationally, becoming the only Team in SA to win events overseas and every major local league in South Africa. Later the name Evil Legionnaires fell away and now we are just known as Team Reaper.
You guys lost some of your players coming into 2012 season. Who are the new faces on the team and who is on your guy’s roster for 2012?
Nick Birch
Yes, we lost a couple players at then end of 2011 and with the team on the brink of falling apart we decided to bring in some younger players who we hope will carry the Reaper name for many years to come. Tristan Birch (15) who was practically born into paintball, Conner Closs (16) and Dominique Da Costa (18) all showing massive potential, a lot of heart and the right attitude for the game.
You guys have clearly played many different events and formats in the past years, what events and formats are you guys playing this year.
Nick Birch
This year we are supporting two leagues SARPL (South African Regional Paintball League) and GPPL (Gauteng Professional Paintball League) with our favourite being the SARPL.
You guys have had a long-standing relationship with DYE and Proto, how has 2012 been so far with them behind you guys again?
Nick Birch
It’s a great feeling having the support of one of the biggest and best paintball companies in the industry behind us, and we owe a huge portion of our success over the last six years to DYE. As without their equipment and support we would have never achieved what we have today.
You guys have had a rich history of winning events, and are still the most successful South African team ever. What are some of the most memorable moments that you guys have had as a team?
Nick Birch
That’s a tough question as we have had so many. Ones that stand out, would have to be our overseas victories, World Cup Asia (Div 1) and the Millennium World Cup (Div 2) in France.
With so much success in the past, how often do you guys train and what does a typical practice consist of?
Nick Birch
Some of our players train almost every Sunday but we have at least one scheduled practice the week before every event. Practice consists of a 30 min stretching session followed by some one-on-one warm up games, a couple drills consisting of snap shooting and running and gunning drills. We usually end off our practices by playing a couple of games against other 5 man teams.
You guys had an amazing year overseas in 2007, competing in the PALS and taking 2nd overall in the series and have played numerous Millennium events and a PSP World Cup. How have all those events changed the way that you guys view the game locally and do you guys have any plans to attend any overseas events this year?
Nick Birch
After playing overseas a couple times we actually realize that Paintball In South Africa is not too far behind with regards to skills and teams, but as far as hosting events we could play a little “catch up”.It is also not as easy for us in South Africa, as there is no funding or government support like most other countries have. We also do not have any manufacturers of paintball equipment backing up the leagues so it is not easy. We take our hats off to the guys that run leagues in South Africa, as they do a damn good job considering the position they are in. As for playing overseas this year we have no plans but next year you will see us in Asia for sure.
You guys have gained a lot of respect from local and international players, but also a lot of negative feelings from local players and teams about your success, how do you guys deal with situations like these?
Nick Birch
It’s not always easy, but everyone is entitled to support their favourite team. As long as they are supporting a paintball team that’s great for all of us. As for Team Reaper, we are going to keep doing what we do best and we thank the people that do and have supported us.
Any last words for new and upcoming players and teams who want to learn from the Reaper machine?
Nick Birch
Don’t give up and you get what you give. Reaper train almost every Sunday at Paintball City, so if you have any questions or need help with training, then don’t hesitate to ask.
Apocalypse
Written by Maximilian Jany
Photographs by Gaston Roulstone of switch Multimedia
Apocalypse is a Johannesburg based paintball team consisting of seven determined paintballers. The following seven players are currently on our roster;
Dane Sam, Grayson Hopkins, George Karasanthas, Jared Marshall, Mike Van Der Walt, Nick Mitri, Paul Da Silva
This is your guys second full season on the South African scene. What’s the story behind the name and the team itself?
Nick Mitri
Apocalypse was formed in 2011. Basically there were two teams battling it out for the 2010 PBC (Paintball City) 3-man series. Star Ballers (Jared Marshall, Mike Van Der Walt and one other) and Serenity (Dane Sam, George Karasanthas and myself). The two teams finished first and second for that series. Although we were competitors, we did get along… well kind of. We all decided after the completion of the 3-man season that we should join forces and start up a
5-man squad. We then asked Grayson Hopkins, who played for The Fallen to join us as he had on several occasions run down the snake side and shot all three of us.
Regarding our name, we wanted our competitors to experience the end of the world when playing us. We hoped a strong sounding name would intimidate our opponents…
Apocalypse have played a few different events and formats this year. What has been the highlights for the team?
Nick Mitri
Our highlight has been to have found sponsors and several sponsors at that. Even though we were not the best team in town. I think our sponsors saw something in us that maybe we didn’t see in ourselves. It’s such a good feeling when someone shows they believe in you. Every single player on the team has improved tremendously this year. It is such an honour when your peers and your competitors come to you and tell you that the team is looking good.
You guys managed to pick up Ex-Reaper player Paulo Da Silva for your guys 2012 season. With his experience, how has it changed the dynamics of how the team plays?
Nick Mitri
It definitely has and we were very fortunate to have Paul join our team. We were friends for a while and I think Paul saw how we all got along and that we did things for the fun of it and that there is no pressure to perform on our team. If players don’t perform, we encourage them. There is no pressure in our squad. Paul’s experience has proved very beneficial for us.
Apocalypse picked up some Planet Eclipse markers last season and picked up an Eclipse sponsorship for the 2012 season. How has this affected your guys 2012 season?
Nick Mitri
Well most of us were Eclipse supporters to begin with. Only Gray and Nick were shooting other markers. Those two soon saw the light though and now the whole team shoots Eclipse, wears Eclipse, eats and breaths Eclipse. It has been great. Eclipse guns are plug and play. Press the on button, load paint and off you go. We haven’t had a gun go down yet this season.
Last year you guys travelled to Malaysia to take on the Division 2 scene at World Cup Asia. Any plans to take to the international paintball scene this year and show that South African teams can hold their own?
Nick Mitri
Yes, we are going to Malaysia again this year for sure. It was such a great experience for us and we all really enjoyed the experience. We made the quarter finals which was great. This year we hope to do better!
Podium finishes don’t just happen, it takes a lot of effort and determination to make it in this sport. How often do Apocalypse train and do you guys train alone or alongside other teams?
Nick Mitri
This is so true. We had no podiums last year as a 5-man team. We found it difficult to gel together and the teams we were playing against were all good teams. We decided this year to put much more time, effort and structure into our training and it has paid off. Also landing awesome sponsors has helped. Paintballshop has been absolutely great. They are definitely one of the reasons for our success. We often train with the pro teams and we have gradually got closer and closer to their level. At the recent RPL event (event 3), we even took games off the pro teams. This never happened when we started training with them. We aim to practice twice a month.
With the 2012 season in its second half and no chance of Apocalypse slowing down. What is on the cards for the team going into the 2013 season?
Nick Mitri
Well we have won both GPPL events this year as well as all three BNT 3-man events, so things are looking good. We will keep pushing and hopefully win the remaining events for both of the above mentioned series. We will only look at 2013 when we get there – so in January next year.
You guys are making a name for yourselves in the Johannesburg scene and there are more and more new teams and players joining every month. Do you guys have any words of advice for the new players and teams in South Africa?
Nick Mitri
We all play paintball because we enjoy it. It is our passion. Winning is great, but not everything. As a team we are all friends and get along famously. We enjoy each other’s company. We are so fortunate to have this. If we win, it’s great – if we lose, no problem.
Play paintball with people you get along with off the field. Make it about having fun and meeting people. Don’t take it too seriously. We see players who need to cheat to win. Once winning becomes so important to you that you need to wipe to stay in the game, then it’s gone too far.
Just have fun.
Nick Mitri for team Apocalypse.
