Posted by: Todd Martinez in Untagged on
2009
I named my paintball company Raza because to me it stands for our people, our community, our whole paintball world and everything in it. I have been blessed with so much in this world and because I have such great parents who have taught me how to use my blessings to share joy with everyone around me. My path leads me through the world of paintball and all its unique individuals on a quest to make a difference in peoples' lives. One of the main reasons that I can do the things that I am able to do is because of those that walked the path before me and taught me lessons they learned in order to make my journey easier. I talked before about all the pros who mentored me into a world champion player, but there are also so many that have shown me what it is like to be a good friend. I am on my way home from a long weekend in Omaha where I had the pleasure of enjoying the company of my good friends Greg Pauley, Carl, Karen, Julie, and Bryan Bortol, and of course all the homies on Vicious and DSS. Hooker, Parker, Kris, Jake, y'all are my ninjas. This trip also featured the Hater of all hated hateration hating life hating but is really super cool nice like teddy bears with sunglasses or a pail full of kittens, Ben Frederick of Hater Paintball/Vicious/Tampa Bay Damage. We had a nice dinner the first night in town as everyone was still prepping for the Vicious Series event which began on Saturday morning. It was very relaxing to come in, see good friends, and later that night we took a ride on Carl's pontoon boat and saw a shooting star that looked like Haley's Comet. It was so quiet, peaceful, and clear on the lake, I was excited for the weekend.
The DSS crew works hard to put on the Vicious series tournament and I could see the results. People were hustling on and off the field, grinding out games, playing by the rules, it was nice to see such an efficiently run well-organized event. The PSP is lucky to have such a crew organizing feeder events for their series. I spent most of my weekend helping any way I could. I helped Pauley set up all the eclipse tents, lined the fields with Hooker, and also helped set up and run the booth with Julie. It is always fun to get on the mic and announce games but Zack was so tight on the schedule for Saturday that I barely had time to funk around like I normally like to. Sunday was great because the playoffs were good match-ups and I got to run the mic in the tower with Pauley all day. They gave away Geos and tons of other prizes all the way down to 8th place in all divisions. I talked to a lot of people and made a lot of new friends. I won't remember everyone's name but don't be scared to come and say hi when y'all see me around. The kid that shot me in the face with the nerf canon, you can go ahead and be scared. I know what you look like.
One of the very cool parts of the weekend was when Karen invited all the boys from Vicious OT over the the crib for a BBQ. They came and hung out with all the Vicious guys, DSS d2 and d3 team. We had a great time bull shnicken and watching the Chargers game on tv.
Monday was everyone's day to relax after the event. We did a little running around in search of those water weenies or whatever they are called that Ben wanted to play with and some Santana champagne because it is so crisp. I also just want to let everyone know that tubing behind a really fast boat is not high on the safe things to do list. Pauley devastated me a few times and I decided that I was better at lounging. One last nice dinner with the family and I was back off to SD. It is too bad Omaha isn't closer because I would go hang out with Karen all the time. We are like wangs and bread sticks. I am sure that a few days worth of me is enough to drive anyone crazy but I am very thankful for the opportunity to go to Omaha and spend time with my friends. Maybe I will see y'all in Orlando.
Posted by: Todd Martinez in Untagged on
2009
I am finally on my way home from Chicago. I didn't really want to leave and get back to work but I do have responsibilities to my paintball shops in San Diego. The tournament was a blast and after it was over I spent three days with my good friend and founder of Guerrilla Air, Dan Colby.
I had a lot of fun this trip. Our team is very competitive as we all know and anything less than a first place finish is disappointing. We go into every event confident we have a chance to win. However, I feel most of the guys will agree with me that we gave this one away. We played solid team paintball all week and were very together as a squad. We all played hard and gave ourselves a chance to win every game. The most important game of the weekend was the Russian game and we lost a 6-4 lead. The Russians did play outstanding all week and deserved their hard fought win. They adapted as necessary and dropped the daggers everytime they had the opportunity.
The first few days in town it was so hot that I thought we would surely die by the end of the week. Luckily though the weather cooled off a little more each day and it was very comfortable to play in. Usually when it gets too hot or cold, it becomes frustrating when the paint becomes affected by the weather. The Evil shot amazing though and everyone could focus on their game. What a good weekend for games too. The Ironmen did not make it to Sunday but had some pretty exciting matches with X-Factor and Aftermath. The Russians went undefeated for the event and were very fun to watch. Infamous seemed to try and make all of their games nail biters. Philly has been so consistent for the past five or six events as well. They have shown that they will be contenders every event due to their hard work at practice and full support of their sponsors.
I was talking to my boy Jason Edwards from Philly after the event and I told him that one of the things that made this event fun for me was that very enjoyment I got out of watching a lot of good paintball and having that feeling of "we have come a long way." I have known Jason for some years now and it has been cool to see guys like him grow up in the sport, grinding, struggling, and rising to the top to win tournaments. For the time I spent with Aftermath, I feel I will always be a part of that team in some way. Those kids came to this event with some fire and really believed they were going to win the trophy. Had the Russians not been so on point, Aftermath almost would have done it. The drive I see in them and Jason is what makes me happy for the sport of paintball. I know I came from a whole different stage in the game and what it has developed into is pretty flippin cool. I am glad that I got to be part of the game in the progressive stages at a high level. That is a big reason why I have the appreciation for the game that I do today. A lot of kids today started on X ball and only know X ball. Because I played pro in the woods, hyperball, air ball, super 7, and X ball, I got to know the people of those times and see how they influenced the game's metamorphosis. I have had the pleasure of using this understanding to influence the younger generation of future pimps. Those faces and names that I have seen stay true and stay fighting make me proud. Paintball is not a sport where pros make a living just playing. To get an opportunity to play pro is an achievement this day in age and those who work hard, put paintball high on the priority list, and continue to show up with an attitude makes me happy knowing that our sport will grow.
Oh and peep diz.
