What I don't like is that the tourney "win at any cost" attitude has filtered down into recreational paintball. You can wipe and cheat and strut and hose and be abusive as you want at a tourney. I don't care. That's how tourneys are played. It's all bluster and machismo and proving who's REALLY got the balls.
The weird thing is that this attitude is not brought to rec-ball by the real tourney players. When guys like Bob Long or Youngblood or Oh Pawlak do have the time to play rec-ball, they play the way they're expected to play. Fairly, honestly and in the spirit of fun. I imagine they play rec-ball when they can just to have some fun, for a change. I can image the pressures of top tourney teams. It must be a nice change to play pick up with a bunch of rec-ball hackers.
The problem is that you have these players called TWiBs or tournament wanna bees. The term was coined by Rob "Tyger" Rubin, the "World's Second Greatest Paintball Writer". He uses this term for those strutting prima donnas that have the look and attitudes of tourney players but would probably wet themselves in a real tournament.
These TWiBs deck themselves out in the matching paintball sport jerseys, carry the big guns and wear the harnesses that let them carry a thousand balls onto the field. They strut and blow like bucks in rutting season. They argue with the refs, with the players and with themselves.
The whole idea about recreational paintball is to have FUN. Winning is fun, but you can still have fun without winning. I know it may sound like a strange concept, but there is more to this game than winning.
The TWiBs give recreational paintball a bad name. They also force field owners to adopt harsh policies for trouble-makers. EMR Paintball has the A.N.T policy (A**holes Not Tolerated). Here's how they have to enforce the rules. Every player has a wrist band they have to wear, to prove that they paid. The refs carry hole punches with them. When an idiot starts acting like an idiot, they get "punched". Three holes in your band and you're gone for the day and you're asked never to come back.
Why is this necessary? It is necessary because we have a small percentage of morons who try and ruin it for everybody. The other big problem is that if you come out dressed like a team, you're automatically labelled as a TWiB. This is Guilt by Association. There are many players out there who have the gear and guns that marks them as TWiBs but have the attitudes of recreational players. However, it's human nature to judge someone on how they look and decent recreational players are being harassed and penalized BEFORE THEY EVEN PLAY. The ref looks at you and thinks, "I'm gonna watch this guy."
I have been admonished by refs at the start of the day. Take it easy on the other players, I've been told. Why? Because I had the gear and the look that marked me as a TWiB. I just nod my head and go and play, because I know they're not going to have anything to worry about. After they see me play, the usually realize that I'm no threat. (Except to my own team.)
All this because some moron doesn't have what it takes to go up against the pros, so they decide that the best way to make themselves feel important is to ruin somebody else's day.
If you have the tourney attitude, then play in a tourney.
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