Well the website improvements are coming along...slowly but surely. I have a few minor improvements before submitting the site for search engine indexing and announcing the new site on my favorite forums. I finally figured out how to work the Mambo banner component so my affiliate advertising is nearly complete.

More importantly, after a few years of dreaming up ideas I finally have serious plans for developing my own line of paintball products! All of my other projects are on hold at the moment. I prefer to keep the details to myself for now but I plan on selling a variety of aftermarket ION and Tippmann upgrades. Many will be based on my personal preference for keeping my marker as light as possible. For example, a light weight M4 carry handle; rather than the rather heavy metal version that is so commonly used. The most significant items will be complete upgrade kits for the ION and X7 unlike anything currently available. I must admit many of my plans were inspired by the great ingenuity of several forum members. I'm still working on a way to recognize those individuals for their influence.

On a personal note, I'm starting down the long path towards a career change from IT Systems to Insurance Agent. The next fewer years of my life will be focused on learning the insurance and financial services industry, best practices for running a small business, raising capital, and personal development. I'm hoping to leverage off of paintball sales and National Guard recruiting to raise some of the money I need. Anyway, I highly recommend everyone read Dale Carnegie's book "How to Win Friends and Influence People". I wish I had read this 10 years ago!

You may have noticed some changes to the website navigation, colors, etc. I'm only a few weeks away from redirecting the entire site to a new Mambo website. I wanted to better integrate the blog and galleries. I'm also working on a paintball storefront for selling my gear and services. I apologize for any navigation issues or outages over the past few weeks. For an early look at the new website visit the following link:

www.crewchiefpb.com/main

Since my last update I've only been able to play twice. I got out for a day over Memorial Day weekend and this pervious weekend was the Fall scenario game at Sudden Impact. This was the second or third scenario hosted by the ISU paintball team that I've played. They always put on a great game! We had around 100 players with 5 hours of in field action (not bad for a one day scenario). Our side had several small groups of experienced milsim players and we dominated most of the game. The sides were still reasonably matched; it's not like we walked all over the other team. I have to say that I was kickin tale most of the day with an estimated 45 kills and was only shot out 6 times.

There was an X-ball field where most of the heavy fighting took place. I spent most of the day avoiding the major fire fights and defending key positions in less active areas of the field. I think a big reason my kill count was so high is that I played more of a supporting sniper role. I also made a last minute decision to use my SITH ION with a stock and freak barrel rather than my 98 Pro-E. The marker is crazy quiet, accurate, and with virtually no recoil. Up till now I only considered using my ION's as conversion markers but I think I have a new primary. The marker was so quiet! Combined with the cover of nearby gunfire I was almost silent at times which proved to be a huge advantage. I also shot through 2,500 rounds without a single break. I might have a hard time going back to my Tippmann.

I wanted to take a few minutes to rant on a common forum topic: cheating. Every time I play there are one or two people who are clearly cheating and one or two people who seem consumed with a deep suspicion that everyone else is cheating. I'm undecided on which is worse. Most accusations of cheating on the field are usually misconceptions on the part of the shooter. Here are some pointers on dealing with cheaters and playing smart without breaking the rules.

Why do people cheat?

This is quite obvious, we have been taught through years of competition in life and other sports to break the rules in order to come out ahead. Speedball players seem to be even more prone to cheating because they only call themselves out if the hit is obvious or in site of a referee during a competition. Not to say that speedball players are cheaters; just that old habits die hard.

Why do people get accused of cheating?

Most accusations of cheating are hard to prove on the field. A ball breaking on a branch or other obstacle can create the false perception of a break. Sometimes a player feels that after hammering a bunkered player’s position with 200 rounds that something must have hit home. You also have players with gear or clothing that might prevent the player from feeling or seeing the hit. Of course there are steps that can be taken to prevent or reduce cheating or the perception of cheating.

How to deal with a cheater?

All cheaters are innocent until proven guilty. Give the other guy the benefit of the doubt. If you're certain that another player is cheating call a paint check on them or talk to a ref between games. In most cases you didn't do a good enough job; glancing hits and limbs are tempting for a wiper. Focus on hitting the other player center mass if possible and try for 2-3 breaks. Communicate with the other player by calling out to check themselves or their equipment. If you get shot out do a casual paint check on the other player if possible. I don't recommend threatening, insulting, over shooting, or accusing other players that you feel are cheating. Make them a primary target for the next game and remember that you're there to have fun.

How do I prevent others from accusing me of cheating?

Accusations or suspicion are almost unavoidable. Not cheating is a good start. If you do need to wipe off splatter or rub-off from a bunker try to be discrete. Communicate with your opponent by calling out bounces. Call a paint check on yourself if needed but more on this later. Have a buddy look you over between games. This can help you identify areas where you're not feeling hits and prevent you from getting called on an old hit in the next game. Chat with the other players between games to establish a little trust.

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I'm working on some site changes over the next few weeks to convert my marker\project pictures to Coppermine. Here are some cool links:
 
Paintball Shots Per Tank calculator
http://www.scubatoys.com/paintball/paintballshots.asp
 
World Statistics Clock
http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf
 

I managed to spend a little time in the basement this past week. Between playing conductor for my son's Thomas the Train set I realize that at least 80% of my markers need some maintenance or repair. For the sake of my marriage and personal sanity I'll not say how many markers are currently on the wall of shame. Anyway, it dawned on me that I need a way to inventory and track my markers to keep track of repairs, cleaning, and other information. I provided links below to the inventory sheet that I came up with and an example. I may do something similar for my masks to track frequency of use, replacement lenses on hand, etc. Maybe this will come in handy if anyone else has problems keeping tabs on their markers. Microsoft Word required. Enjoy!
 
Marker Inventory Sheet Example
 
Marker Inventory Sheet Template