Last weekend (March 28th), I was lucky enough to participate in a paintballing event called BattleField Utah. Its located on top of a mountain near Eagle Mountain. It hosted 150 players on 2 teams. Game started at 10am, and ran until 1pm, we had a break for lunch, then it started again an hour later and ran until 4pm. We entered the fieldd after registering and getting marked for a team with a colored tape on the arm. Once on the field, fully dressed and protected, we proceeded to our dead zone. There were refs on the field, and other players actually playing. Once at the dead zone, we had a tent where we could take off our masks, and regroup. When time was up, on 15 minutes intervals, the ref would allow us to respawn. Each time i was killed, which was fairly often, i would return to the dead zone and wait to reenter the game. Some times, I had gotten great shots off, actually killing off other players. Other times i ran too quickly to the front lines and simply was eliminated. Some times, i would go out with other folks and team up and take out the other team. I didnt keep track of the times that I was killed, or the kills that I had. What i did do was recognize that i had a blast, worked up quite a sweat, went thru a bit of co2 and paint. At the end of the day, I had a blast and would do it again. There were some really frustrating times when players on the other team seemed to be cocky and were doing and saying things that got my ire up. But, after all, we were out with guns trying to kill one another.
I do enjoy the speed, stealth and actions of paintballing. Being able to give and take hits that are not leathal, but feel the rush, is an amazing thing. The field was large and allowed 150 people to move around easily. Flags were in well placed locations, and not visible until upon them. I would do it again, and look forward to doing it again next year.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Team Building Exercise = Shooting Guns?
Wednesday, March 18th, my team at work and a couple other guys went out to west of Utah Lake and brought a ton of guns and shot up stuff for a couple hours in the afternoon. Michael has military training and a few guns to match that training. Dan has a share of guns himself. I think Scott even brough some of his own. I only had a 22 shotgun to contribute.
We all met up in Lehi, grabbed some lunch, and took off south of Saratoga Springs to find a place to shoot stuff. Surprisingly, there were already 4 groups of folks out there shooting, so we picked an area of the mountain that was secluded to set up.
We got a table setup, and spread out our weapons. Targets were setup, and we talked safety, and started shooting the small caliber weapons first. While shooting some of these, we heard a few stray ricoshets buzz past us. Kinda freaky sound, knowing that folks are around you shooting in your general direction. We honked out horns, hoping to get the message across. The strays seemed to cease for a period, and we continued setting up some targets for the higher powered weapons. While out in the field setting up stuff to shoot at, we started hearing some more strays come by. The hackles on the back of my neck were standing at attention and seiously forced me to take cover. Dan actually saw the bullet fly by, even with the pocket of air in the front breaking the sound barrier. I didnt see it, but felt enough to get a bit freaked out. We quickly dismantled our setup, and bolted from that area. No way we would be relaxed shooting stuff, with others shooting at us.
Once relocated, we setup some more targets and got to shooting stuff. All 5 of us took turns using different weapons and going through a bit of ammo. We had shotguns, various handguns, a few rifles, even an m4. It was all kinds of fun. Many things were hit, shattered, and so on. We found a ton of stuff laying around to shoot at, as well as had brought some of our own things to hit. I believe that we all had a good time, and most importantly, we were safe, and no one was hurt.
It was a great excursion and a lot of fun for all was had. Doing things with your coworkers outside the structure of work is always entertaining.
Below are some photos that we took of the event.
We all met up in Lehi, grabbed some lunch, and took off south of Saratoga Springs to find a place to shoot stuff. Surprisingly, there were already 4 groups of folks out there shooting, so we picked an area of the mountain that was secluded to set up.
We got a table setup, and spread out our weapons. Targets were setup, and we talked safety, and started shooting the small caliber weapons first. While shooting some of these, we heard a few stray ricoshets buzz past us. Kinda freaky sound, knowing that folks are around you shooting in your general direction. We honked out horns, hoping to get the message across. The strays seemed to cease for a period, and we continued setting up some targets for the higher powered weapons. While out in the field setting up stuff to shoot at, we started hearing some more strays come by. The hackles on the back of my neck were standing at attention and seiously forced me to take cover. Dan actually saw the bullet fly by, even with the pocket of air in the front breaking the sound barrier. I didnt see it, but felt enough to get a bit freaked out. We quickly dismantled our setup, and bolted from that area. No way we would be relaxed shooting stuff, with others shooting at us.
Once relocated, we setup some more targets and got to shooting stuff. All 5 of us took turns using different weapons and going through a bit of ammo. We had shotguns, various handguns, a few rifles, even an m4. It was all kinds of fun. Many things were hit, shattered, and so on. We found a ton of stuff laying around to shoot at, as well as had brought some of our own things to hit. I believe that we all had a good time, and most importantly, we were safe, and no one was hurt.
It was a great excursion and a lot of fun for all was had. Doing things with your coworkers outside the structure of work is always entertaining.
Below are some photos that we took of the event.
2009 Marv Jensen Spring Smash
In March each year, there are usualy a few rall tournaments. This year, there were 3 that we participated in. 3 Weeks in a row. It was fun, but tough.
This week, we had the Spring Smash tourney. I played at Marv Jensen for almost 6 years while working at ACS. So, this facility, above all others, feels like home for me. Which is good, since we spent at least 2 hours and sometimes as much as 5 hours, each night from Wednesday to Saturday. After a couple days, it seemed all we did at home was shower and change to come back to Marv Jensen again.
Alyssa, Kylie and Myself all played in this tournament. The girls ended up being in a combined division, and played a Round Robin format, even playing each other.
Alyssa has progressed a ton as a multi bounce player. She played all single bounce opponents, and held her own for quite a while. She would run around and get to balls that we would have thought down. She warmed up so seriously before each match, and practiced until she was ready to begin the games. During the games, her little legs kept pushing and pulling her all over the court. She got some incredible shots and played very well. While playing Kylie, she actually won 1 of the games, and lost 1 to Kylie. Before the tie-breaker was started, and after realizing it was after 9pm, we decided to call off the last game. Alyssa scored 1 more point than Kylie and was labeled the winner. What a night. 3 games were played by the girls, and all were way tired.
Kylie had trouble getting into the games, as she faced boys a lot older than herself, and didnt have the multi bounce to fall back on like Alyssa did. She did play well, and has improved so much. She can stand up against the boys, but gets a bit nervous and shys away from some of the shots, causing her to loose her cool and get her head out of the game. It was amazing to see some of the shots and gets that she was able to pull off. She enjoyed the tournament and realized that we all need to practice a bit more. We will be pitting the 2 girls against each other in our famliy games, and play them like real games witha ref and all.
I played alone on Thursday night, with none of the girls having a game that night. I played in C division. My first game, i was so off and so cold that I could only muster 4 points. My opponent was one I had played previously, in another tournament. I had beaten him in 1 game, and lost in 2 other games. The same thing happened this time. I truly thought i had him in the tie-breaker, as I had control of the game (I felt) for quite a while, but ended up loosing the momentum and lost the game. So, I was out of the regular tourney, and shunted into the Consolation round. My next game could have been Friday or Saturday. We went Friday to watch the girls play, so found out when my game would be. It was slated for Saturday at noon. If I won that game, I would play another game at 3pm on Saturday. We awoke Saturday, got all ready, took my powershot to get jazzed up for the game, got dressed, and make the trek up to Mark Jensen, to find out that my noon game was really just a 3pm game. Bummer. When I did get onto the court, I was ready to play, having watched 3 hours of play previously. I ended up winning the Consolation final in 2 games. I won a can of new racquetball's, yeah!
We love playing this sport. We love interacting with the community and love watching other players compete. Some of the games are intense, and we learn alot simply by watching others play. In the end, I hope that these activities brings our family together, and helps us stay active, learn to compete, gain skills that can be used in many other aspects of our lives.
This week, we had the Spring Smash tourney. I played at Marv Jensen for almost 6 years while working at ACS. So, this facility, above all others, feels like home for me. Which is good, since we spent at least 2 hours and sometimes as much as 5 hours, each night from Wednesday to Saturday. After a couple days, it seemed all we did at home was shower and change to come back to Marv Jensen again.
Alyssa, Kylie and Myself all played in this tournament. The girls ended up being in a combined division, and played a Round Robin format, even playing each other.
Alyssa has progressed a ton as a multi bounce player. She played all single bounce opponents, and held her own for quite a while. She would run around and get to balls that we would have thought down. She warmed up so seriously before each match, and practiced until she was ready to begin the games. During the games, her little legs kept pushing and pulling her all over the court. She got some incredible shots and played very well. While playing Kylie, she actually won 1 of the games, and lost 1 to Kylie. Before the tie-breaker was started, and after realizing it was after 9pm, we decided to call off the last game. Alyssa scored 1 more point than Kylie and was labeled the winner. What a night. 3 games were played by the girls, and all were way tired.
Kylie had trouble getting into the games, as she faced boys a lot older than herself, and didnt have the multi bounce to fall back on like Alyssa did. She did play well, and has improved so much. She can stand up against the boys, but gets a bit nervous and shys away from some of the shots, causing her to loose her cool and get her head out of the game. It was amazing to see some of the shots and gets that she was able to pull off. She enjoyed the tournament and realized that we all need to practice a bit more. We will be pitting the 2 girls against each other in our famliy games, and play them like real games witha ref and all.
I played alone on Thursday night, with none of the girls having a game that night. I played in C division. My first game, i was so off and so cold that I could only muster 4 points. My opponent was one I had played previously, in another tournament. I had beaten him in 1 game, and lost in 2 other games. The same thing happened this time. I truly thought i had him in the tie-breaker, as I had control of the game (I felt) for quite a while, but ended up loosing the momentum and lost the game. So, I was out of the regular tourney, and shunted into the Consolation round. My next game could have been Friday or Saturday. We went Friday to watch the girls play, so found out when my game would be. It was slated for Saturday at noon. If I won that game, I would play another game at 3pm on Saturday. We awoke Saturday, got all ready, took my powershot to get jazzed up for the game, got dressed, and make the trek up to Mark Jensen, to find out that my noon game was really just a 3pm game. Bummer. When I did get onto the court, I was ready to play, having watched 3 hours of play previously. I ended up winning the Consolation final in 2 games. I won a can of new racquetball's, yeah!
We love playing this sport. We love interacting with the community and love watching other players compete. Some of the games are intense, and we learn alot simply by watching others play. In the end, I hope that these activities brings our family together, and helps us stay active, learn to compete, gain skills that can be used in many other aspects of our lives.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
2009 UVU rball tourney
I entered into the UVU tournament, after Preston and Mike asked me if i was gonna play. I was gonna take a week off, and not play, since I had played in the Luck of the Heights tournament the week prior, and am still playing in a tourney next week (Marv Jensen Spring Smash). But after getting asked by multiple people if I was playing, i decided to support the tourney. Plus, being in UVU, was closer than most tournaments.
My first game was Wednesday night. I was excited to play, but leery, because I was still sore from a workout previously. I worried it would hinder my play. But forged along anyway. My first game, I lost. I didnt play well at all. But after being warmed up, I played much better the second game, and won. Onto the 3rd game. This one, i musta flipped my 'play crappy mode' switch, and lost. I wish i could figure out the magic that allows me to play so well one game, and soo poorly the next game.
So, now that I lost my first game in C Division, I was in the consolation round. My next game was to be on Friday night, almost the same time as my daughters play. However, the way that the draw worked its way out, I didnt have to play on Friday, but again on Saturday morning.
Only Alyssa could come to my Saturday game, as the rest of the family was busy with other things. So, we went down there to UVU, Alyssa and I, and attempted to find a place to park. It happened to be at the same time as some 'Run' event sponsored by UVU, and parking was atrocious. It took my 20 minutes to find a place where I could actually park. We finally made our way to the courts, and I warmed up. I was able to bring in my wireless headphones this time, and listen to them as i warmed up. I havent done this for quite some time, and it was nice to not have wires inhibiting me again. So, I warmed up, got in some great shots, got a sweat going, got moving. I felt good. I started playing my first game, and scored 2 points, while my opponent went on to score 15 points, regardless of the flailing that I did in and around him. I just stunk it up. Shots that are money makers for me, would come up 10 feet short. Frustrating.
In the second game, I turned a new leaf. I did really well. Alyssa recorded the event, and while I was watching this second game, I actually heard some spectator say 'wow, where did he pull that shot out'. I assume this was reference to the obvious history of the first game shenanigans. I ended up winning that game. And onto the third game, where I was able to pull out a win. Now I had a chance to play for the final of the consolation round. I could be the winner of the loosers.
This next match was to start at noon. Just an hour away. My arm and shoulder were pretty sore, so I tended to my wounds, even found some ice nearby to put on them. This helped me feel better. I rested and got ready for the next game.
The opponent was someone I had played before, but didnt think I played well against. During the first game, I kept up for quite awhile, even leading for a bit. I was feeling good, but obviously not 100%. I kept in the game about half the points, before I started hurting pretty badly, and everything went downhill from there. I lost the first match, and during the second match, I couldn't have played any worse, had I stood outside the court and just watched.
3 games on Wednesday. 5 games on Saturday. I won 3 of the 8 games. I must win more games in order to win... haha.
I did have a great time. My shoulder and arm are not suffering today as much as I thought they would be. Maybe I'm getting stronger after all, but am not entirely strong enough yet. I will keep working on it, and trying to get better. I would like to get up into the B Division someday. Maybe next year? I need to have a goal to get better. I do play so that I can be in better shape, and believe that this is being accomplished. I also like the social aspect of the game, and have made incredible friendships thru my play. This game has also strengthened us as a family, as we all participate in games and practice. It puts my kids and me on an even playing field when we coach each other. The strength of character it is building in my daughters is incredible. They have confidence to play, socialize, and even take on responsibilities as coach, referee and judge in tournament matches. Its great to see how much they have grown in the past few years, and I believe that his sport, and our participation in it has been a positive influence on us in many ways.
We will continue to participate. Play. Train. And grow. Both as racquetball players and people.
My first game was Wednesday night. I was excited to play, but leery, because I was still sore from a workout previously. I worried it would hinder my play. But forged along anyway. My first game, I lost. I didnt play well at all. But after being warmed up, I played much better the second game, and won. Onto the 3rd game. This one, i musta flipped my 'play crappy mode' switch, and lost. I wish i could figure out the magic that allows me to play so well one game, and soo poorly the next game.
So, now that I lost my first game in C Division, I was in the consolation round. My next game was to be on Friday night, almost the same time as my daughters play. However, the way that the draw worked its way out, I didnt have to play on Friday, but again on Saturday morning.
Only Alyssa could come to my Saturday game, as the rest of the family was busy with other things. So, we went down there to UVU, Alyssa and I, and attempted to find a place to park. It happened to be at the same time as some 'Run' event sponsored by UVU, and parking was atrocious. It took my 20 minutes to find a place where I could actually park. We finally made our way to the courts, and I warmed up. I was able to bring in my wireless headphones this time, and listen to them as i warmed up. I havent done this for quite some time, and it was nice to not have wires inhibiting me again. So, I warmed up, got in some great shots, got a sweat going, got moving. I felt good. I started playing my first game, and scored 2 points, while my opponent went on to score 15 points, regardless of the flailing that I did in and around him. I just stunk it up. Shots that are money makers for me, would come up 10 feet short. Frustrating.
In the second game, I turned a new leaf. I did really well. Alyssa recorded the event, and while I was watching this second game, I actually heard some spectator say 'wow, where did he pull that shot out'. I assume this was reference to the obvious history of the first game shenanigans. I ended up winning that game. And onto the third game, where I was able to pull out a win. Now I had a chance to play for the final of the consolation round. I could be the winner of the loosers.
This next match was to start at noon. Just an hour away. My arm and shoulder were pretty sore, so I tended to my wounds, even found some ice nearby to put on them. This helped me feel better. I rested and got ready for the next game.
The opponent was someone I had played before, but didnt think I played well against. During the first game, I kept up for quite awhile, even leading for a bit. I was feeling good, but obviously not 100%. I kept in the game about half the points, before I started hurting pretty badly, and everything went downhill from there. I lost the first match, and during the second match, I couldn't have played any worse, had I stood outside the court and just watched.
3 games on Wednesday. 5 games on Saturday. I won 3 of the 8 games. I must win more games in order to win... haha.
I did have a great time. My shoulder and arm are not suffering today as much as I thought they would be. Maybe I'm getting stronger after all, but am not entirely strong enough yet. I will keep working on it, and trying to get better. I would like to get up into the B Division someday. Maybe next year? I need to have a goal to get better. I do play so that I can be in better shape, and believe that this is being accomplished. I also like the social aspect of the game, and have made incredible friendships thru my play. This game has also strengthened us as a family, as we all participate in games and practice. It puts my kids and me on an even playing field when we coach each other. The strength of character it is building in my daughters is incredible. They have confidence to play, socialize, and even take on responsibilities as coach, referee and judge in tournament matches. Its great to see how much they have grown in the past few years, and I believe that his sport, and our participation in it has been a positive influence on us in many ways.
We will continue to participate. Play. Train. And grow. Both as racquetball players and people.
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