In the film the main character is caught cheating and banned for ten years. I laughed when I heard it, and immediatly knew this was fiction. Forgive me if thats all I know, I have not actually watched it. He becomes a pariah to the sport even after those ten years and is not easily forgiven, in fact he has to "earn" his way back into the respect.
One of the early paintball videos, from over a decade ago, showed a certain player looking both ways, and then rubbing up against a tree, probably to remove a hit. Now, the video was known enough, but has since disappeared, and I cannot seem to find it, or the articles relating to it, nor did I frankly ever see it myself, I am going off third hand (or is it fourth?) accounts. Those who know what I'm talking about might do better. The story continues that in a captains meeting later on there is some discussion about what to do about it, and finally one player comes up and defends said cheater noting that, perhaps, everyone at that level had already done it at one time or another. This is not to say cheating was prevelant then. How do you punish someone for something you may have done once, when the only difference is they were caught on tape? At the time, and when I first read the article related I felt it was the right thing from the person who had made that defense. We've all screwed up at sometime and done something we are not proud of, sometimes we have to let it slide and all that.
Somewhere cheating has slipped its way into our game. The last tournament I played at some little kid (and I mean under fifteen I'm sure) informed one of my players who was calling him out on cheating that "the game was over and it didn't matter" or some such. In fact he was right to some degree. I have played countless games against people I am comfortable with, who I call my friends, who after a game will discuss how its just "disappeared" or, you would never beleive that bounced - mostly because it didn't. In fact cheating is openly embraced and discussed by those at a certain level.
Leave the character flaws that lead to cheating aside. Even the excuses that some of us have used to justify it. What if the reaction was different? What if, when offered clear proof that someone cheated we did shun them, we did ban them from the sport at all but the shadiest of fields for a decade? What if we did treat cheaters as umm... gasp cheaters. I argued once that wiping was like holding in football, it happens. I was wrong then, as others pointed out its more like making the rim on your opponents basket too small for the ball to go through. Skill does not overcome it. What if paintball players had not in the "early" instances turned a blind eye to those who would cheat? How much different would the game be if those that were caught had been removed for a decade, had paid a real price?
One of the early paintball videos, from over a decade ago, showed a certain player looking both ways, and then rubbing up against a tree, probably to remove a hit. Now, the video was known enough, but has since disappeared, and I cannot seem to find it, or the articles relating to it, nor did I frankly ever see it myself, I am going off third hand (or is it fourth?) accounts. Those who know what I'm talking about might do better. The story continues that in a captains meeting later on there is some discussion about what to do about it, and finally one player comes up and defends said cheater noting that, perhaps, everyone at that level had already done it at one time or another. This is not to say cheating was prevelant then. How do you punish someone for something you may have done once, when the only difference is they were caught on tape? At the time, and when I first read the article related I felt it was the right thing from the person who had made that defense. We've all screwed up at sometime and done something we are not proud of, sometimes we have to let it slide and all that.
Somewhere cheating has slipped its way into our game. The last tournament I played at some little kid (and I mean under fifteen I'm sure) informed one of my players who was calling him out on cheating that "the game was over and it didn't matter" or some such. In fact he was right to some degree. I have played countless games against people I am comfortable with, who I call my friends, who after a game will discuss how its just "disappeared" or, you would never beleive that bounced - mostly because it didn't. In fact cheating is openly embraced and discussed by those at a certain level.
Leave the character flaws that lead to cheating aside. Even the excuses that some of us have used to justify it. What if the reaction was different? What if, when offered clear proof that someone cheated we did shun them, we did ban them from the sport at all but the shadiest of fields for a decade? What if we did treat cheaters as umm... gasp cheaters. I argued once that wiping was like holding in football, it happens. I was wrong then, as others pointed out its more like making the rim on your opponents basket too small for the ball to go through. Skill does not overcome it. What if paintball players had not in the "early" instances turned a blind eye to those who would cheat? How much different would the game be if those that were caught had been removed for a decade, had paid a real price?

yes you walk that trigger

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