Am 24. November ist auf SignOnSanDiego.com ein Artikel über das Team Dynasty erschienen. Hier der Originaltext für Euch:
Team Dynasty is professional paintball's equivalent of the Joe Montana-led 49ers of the '80s.
Members are what they say they are – a dynasty.
„We have won everything there is to win,“ said Vista resident Brad Maughan. „We have beaten the best in the country and the best in the world.“
Paintball has taken Dynasty, based in San Diego, to four continents and dozens of countries since its inception three years ago. The team has played the best other states and nations have to offer and has won … handily. The group has even beaten all-star teams put together by corporations with the sole purpose of crippling the Dynasty. That didn't work.
„It's harder to stay on top rather than just getting to the top,“ said Mike Hinman, 24, who lives in Escondido and is one of the newer members of the team. „We are the team everyone wants to beat, but no one wants to play.“
Forgo preconceived notions that the 16 members of Dynasty are military wannabes who love to pop off guns outside secluded forest shanties, all the while waiting for the next revolution. Professional paintball has moved from the forests, and players are no longer bathed in camouflage. The garb of today's paintball player most resembles BMX and motocross racers.
„This has nothing to do with the military – it's something we play,“ said Todd Martinez, 24, who lives in Mira Mesa. „It's just like going to the gym or picking up a basketball to go shoot hoops.“
In professional tournaments, teams play on a football-like field with forwards, midfielders and rear players. At the start, the forward sprints to the 50-yard line and tries to control the center bunker, one of several inflatable bunkers that can be moved to create different playing environments. All the while, midfielders and rear players bark out commands while showering opponents with a barrage of paintballs that travel as fast as 200 mph.
All of Dynasty's members have athletic backgrounds. For most of the team, the love of paintball was born out of a love for extreme sports. And the group is convinced paintball is a bona fide action sport.
„Paintball is definitely a legitimate venue for athletes because of the physical and mental demands,“ said Maughan, who at age 31 is in the twilight of his professional career. „The players of today are fast and cut.“
They are also business-savvy. In paintball vernacular, Dynasty is more than a team, it's a brand name. Aside from the approximate $20,000 it receives with each tournament win (usually between 15-20 per year), Dynasty has sold itself as paintball's first marketing superpower. From clothes and gear to clinics and videos, Dynasty is doing everything it can to give its game credibility in a market saturated by extreme sports. The next step is finding a place on television. The team has even retained the services of Bay Area sports agent Ryan Morgan to help with business decisions. „The sport has everything that makes interesting television,“ said Morgan, whose clients include Kerri Walsh, an Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball. „Once people get into the sport it tends to become addicting. From a marketing perspective the sport is great. It's the perfect age range that companies want to reach. The trouble is making the sport conducive to television.“
Much like any professional team, Dynasty has practices, scouting reports on opponents and different lineups for different scenarios. The most common question team members get is: „Do you have other jobs and can you make a living playing paintball?“
„You can make a living doing anything if you are willing to put everything into it,“ Hinman said. „We are the premier team, but we've worked really hard to get here. It's all about how much you put into it. And we've put a lot into it. That's why we're here.“
That's why they are a dynasty.