Warriors paintball hits the mark

In their first year of existence, the Kahnawake Warriors paintball team is already showing good results in the Capital Paintball Series, a competitive league based in Ottawa.

Although the team itself is new, many of the players are not.

“Most of the team had played some level of competitive paintball about 15 years ago,” said Thawennontie Thomas.

“Some of us played together, some of us played on different teams, but for one reason or another, it kind of phased out. Life goes on and it gets away from us and we stop playing.”

Some of the players are in their late 20s, 30s, and even 40s, but they decided to make paintball fit back into their lives this year.

“We were a couple of guys with a shared passion for the sport,” said Thomas. “We decided to go play some recreational ball, and all of a sudden we decided that we loved it so much that we wanted to do it on a competitive level,” said Thomas. Ottawa was the closest league they could find, so they joined up.

Along with the veterans were some new players, who showed they were able to keep up throughout the season.

“A couple of guys were brand new. They had some interest and had a good level of athleticism,” said Thomas. “It was incredible to see these guys’ journeys from just starting out to operating in this high-intensity environment. To see their growth, to see how far they have come this year and this season was incredible.”

The season has not always been easy, according to Thomas.

Fortunately, the high costs associated with going to events were shouldered in part by business sponsors. But the drive to Ottawa every time there is a tournament, along with the need to stay in good shape throughout the season to compete in the high intensity environment, were challenges for the players.

“Like any sport, it’s very competitive. It requires a lot of explosive energy. It’s high intensity. Once the buzzer goes off, you have to run and gun and run down to your bunker, guys are making dives down to their bunkers, they’re sliding on their knees,” said Thomas.

He said games could be as short as 30 seconds or as long as five minutes, but every moment is spent being active physically and mentally.

“The attention to detail, the coordination, the communication, and the athleticism required to operate within those five minutes is absolutely incredible,” said Thomas.

“It gets your blood flowing, it feels incredible. We love that rush.”

There is also the pain factor of getting hit by a paintball - although Thomas de-emphasized how much it affects regular players.

“It doesn’t tickle, but in some games you just get lit up, four, five, six times. You get used to it,” said Thomas.

“I think it hurts more when you get shot and you have to walk off the field than the actual physical pain associated with the shot - more of a blow to the ego.”

According to him, this is the first time in 15 years a team from Kahnawake has been represented in competitive paintball.

“To do paintball at a competitive level and represent our community, it’s very profound for us,” said Thomas.

They plan on doing it all over again next year, only this time in a higher division, because of their sharp performances this year, with the possibility of growing the team and getting more players.

“The sense of growth, not only of the guys and their individual skillsets but of the team, is incredible,” said Thomas.

In their first year, the team finished third overall in a 15-team division, only six points behind the second-place team.

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