Things Are Hopping!

Jungle Magazine - the companion of FaceFull magazine - apparently has run a piece on the book in this month’s issue

-and-

my Amazon Author Central page is now up and running and you can see that here

Author Interview

An interview with yours truly appears (in two parts) on the Catshack Reports blog HERE

A little bit about the book appears towards the end of the second part, where I talk about the book’s intended audience and how retailers can use it as an effective tool to increase their customer base.

First Amazon Review Is FOUR Stars!

C.R. Swanson is an Amazon Vine reviewer.  He requested a review copy of PGTP via email and here’s what he had to say:

“I came into this book knowing nothing about paintball (and not being a parent, but that’s beside the point). Now I know more than I did before, and am rather interested in giving paintball a try! Read more

Parent’s Guide To Paintball Now Available Through Amazon

Parent’s - if you prefer to order online, A Parent’s Guide To Paintball is now available on Amazon.com

Of course, I strongly endorse and recommend purchasing the book from a local paintball shop or field (your experience with the game will be greatly enhanced), but I’d also rather you purchased the book than not, so if online buying is your thing, go for it.

The publisher (Liaison Press) is working on adding images and I’m awaiting Amazon to get my author’s page up and running for the Amazon listing, so there’s much more to come.

And remember - if you are a paintball field, store or on-line business, you can purchase the book in dealer quantities and at dealer pricing, from its paintball distributor - Kee Action Sports.

A Bit of Paintball’s History

Below is an excerpt from PB2X magazine (now defunct - it’s editor, John Amodea,  now produces Paintball X3 Magazine which is both a web and print publication) that is reproduced on the Paintball Sports Trade Association web site PSTA.  It details a little bit about my involvement with tournament paintball.

From 80 MOMENTS THAT SHAPED PAINTBALL

39. November, 1992
Tournament players unite: The NPPL is Born

After nearly a decade of competition that began shortly after the creation of the game of paintball itself, the sport had evolved to a point resembling competitive paintball in the modern day, with “professional” paintball teams battling for tournament titles across the United States. Professional and amateur teams travelled the country playing in events that started with the National Survival Game Nationals, PBGA North American Tournament and Air Pistol Open and evolved into the Great Western Series, the Last Blast, the Splat-1 Indoor Paintball Championships and the Lively Productions Masters, Music City Open and more. As tournament paintball evolved, events moved from fifteen-man down to ten-man, where teams including Scream, the Lords of Discipline, the Black Diamonds, the Florida Annihilators, the All Americans, Aftershock, Constant Pursuit, the Bushwackers and, of course, the Ironmen, competed for cash, titles and bragging rights. Along the way to a form of paintball that would be recognized today, it became clear to the teams and players at the highest levels of the game that things needed to change in order to help the sport evolve from its predominantly recreational past into a true, professional sport.

As tournament promoters continued to raise entry fees and better represent their supporters, the manufacturers and distributors who were making money in paintball, it was the players who began to suffer. Tournament entrance fees rose, as did the costs of paintballs at what were predominantly “event paint only” tournaments, while the quality of officiating and reffing began to decline. Teams expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of prize money being paid back to the teams that populated and financed these events, but most complaints fell on deaf ears, until finally the players acted. Steve Davidson, longtime player and head of the World Paintball Federation, called a meeting to be held in November, 1992 in Chicago, at which representatives of the top teams, companies, leagues and the media could voice concerns, raise points of conflict and, hopefully, initiate changes that would lead competitive paintball into a new era.

When the meeting finally occured, representatives included members of Aftershock, the All Americans (including Adam and Billy Gardner), Fred Schultz of Constant Pursuit, Tom Cole of Bad Company, the Bushwackers, Bo Peep, Todd Inman of Green Machine and the International Paintball Players Association (IPPA), Friendly Fire, Master Blasters, New England Express, the SOB’s, Swarm, Thunderstorm, the Wild Geese, the Black Diamonds and the Terminators. PMI, Vents Goggles, Russ Maynard and the Great Western Series, the Paintball Sports Series, Jerry Braun, Paintball News and Paintball Sports Magazine were also in attendance. Issues including entrance fees and prize money, promotions, referees, prizes and scheduling were immediately put on the table and broken down into committees to be discussed, and before long issues were being solved and tournaments were being planned for the 1993 season. Entrance fees were set and carved in stone, cost of paintballs was capped at three and four cents per paintball, and the competitive game was changed when it was agreed that virtually all penalties for in-game rules infractions would be handed down during play, on the field, in the form of one-for-one, two-for-one and three-for-one eliminations. For the duration of the 1993 season committees were set and Steve Davidson was installed as the first representative of what would be known as the National Professional Paintball League.

Committees Included:
Promotions and Marketing
Fred Schultz, Constant Pursuit
Al Podufaly, NE Express
Ron Kilbourne, Bushwackers
Bill Gardner, All Americans

Referees
Adam Gardner, All Americans
Doug Haskins, Wild Geese
Chip Kuhrt, MUFFS

Rules
Bob Long, Ironmen
Kevin Donaldson, Master Blasters/Bo Peep
Al Podufaly, Expressed
Skip Swift, Thunderstorm

Cost and Prizes
Adam Gardner, All Americans
Rennick Miller, Aftershock
Fred Schultz, Constant Pursuit

The National Professional Paintball League agreed to host six, five and ten-man “pro-am” tournaments in 1993, that offered at least twenty thousand dollars in prize money, six weeks apart. Two professional teams would referee each event, with teams mixed on all fields, and these referees would be responsible for selecting and balancing the wooded playing fields. Events for the 1993 season would include San Diego, Dallas, Boston, New York and Reno, with entrance fees capped at 1500 dollars for field paint only events, and 1850 dollars at “bring your own paint” events. Prizes and trophies were mandated, and for the first time in paintball’s history, the sport had its own true professional league, governed by the players, for the players. Many of those who attended are still involved in paintball, with some now leading the industry and the sport into the new millennium at the head of teams, companies and, of course, tournaments.

Alternate Cover Designs

As promised in my post about the selection of the cover design, here are the other alternatives that were considered:

What do you think?  Did we pick the right one?

Paintball is more International than you think

This past Thursday, a well-known paintball team from the United States - the Ironmen of California - took first place at the first international paintball tournament to be held in Iran.  Yes, Iran.

An Iranian team took second and a team from the Netherlands took third.

Don’t be surprised to find out that the attendance by one of the most recognizable paintball teams in the world - the Ironmen - was fostered at least in part by the US State Department as a way to begin breaking the ice with that troublesome nation.

New Book Release Date April 16th!

Steve Davidson, Liaison Press and Kee Action Sports are pleased to announce the up-coming publication of

A PARENT’S GUIDE TO PAINTBALL

an indispensable tool for the parents of paintballers and anyone introducing the game to the parents of prospective paintballers.

The author, Steve Davidson, has been involved with paintball for more than a quarter-century, has written two previous books, hundreds of feature articles and founded the country’s first national competition league.

“As the game has matured, the nature of the typical player has changed from adult males in their late-twenties to early-thirties to teens and young adults.  I know of a lot of players today who had a hard time convincing their parents that they should be allowed to play. As a store manager and field operator I’ve listened to thousands of concerned parents and have answered tens of thousands of their questions.  I’ve always sought to be truthful, informative  and accurate.  This book distills those tens of thousands of questions and my more than a quarter-century of experience into an easy to read, sensibly organized and comprehensive manner that will help parents make informed decisions about their children and paintball.”

A Parent’s Guide to Paintball is being distributed to the paintball industry by Kee Action Sports, the leading manufacturer and distributor serving the paintball industry.

A Parent’s Guide to Paintball is published by Liaison Press, the non-fiction imprint of Creative Guy Publishing and is available for purchase through Liaison’s website.

A Parent’s Guide to Paintball will prove to be an invaluable tool for field operators and retail store owners - either as a low-cost premium to new customers or as a stand-alone product that will not only save time but will also help increase sales.

Youth sport organizers will find A Parent’s Guide to Paintball to be an excellent aide to their operations and will help them save their organizations money.

Any parent who has ever been asked about paintball, or who’s child already plays, needs this book.