Billy Bernacchia

Let’s start at the beginning; can you tell us how you came to play with Vicious?

After 2009 my team (The NE Hurricanes) decided to drop from pro and play D1. I thought it would be best for me to stay in the pro league. Being a Planet Eclipse player and employee, I was looking for a Planet Eclipse team. When I heard Vicious was going pro, Jacko and I spoke about it and I then spoke directly with Greg Pauly and Carl Bortol and we agreed that I’d play the 2010 PSP season with Vicious.

You had played with the Canes for so long how hard was the off season when you heard the team was dropping down to D1?

Hearing that the canes were no longer going to play pro was pretty heartbreaking. This was the team I had gone pro with in 2005 and now in 2010 it was over. I did understand the reasons why Jeff decided this, the team lost a lot of heart, Son one of our original players lost faith in the team and left to play for philly. While that happened other players were also dropping because of this, like Rob Landry. Now Jeff is trying to build it back up with young new talented players, I hope to see the team back in pro soon.

So the first event with Vicious and you guys came in last place? What happened?

As for the event, It was the teams first pro event and being the new kids into the pro’s we had of course were given a tuff draw. We did however have 4 very close games with the top pro teams in the league, with one ending in overtime against shock.

Before the event I was personally concerned with how the team handled their pits and coaching. After speaking with Greg about it before the event and attending a couple of practices, I learned they handled their team alot different than any other pro teams I have played for in the past. One thing I felt we lacked was a pit coach. I think Greg was putting a lot on his shoulders being the sideline snake coach and also trying to do the pit coach job from the side lines. I truly believe our results would have been way different in our favor if we did have someone coaching the pit. However the team did manage to stay in games because of the talent we had on our roster, those kids do know how to play, but in order to get everything together and close out pro teams, I feel like you really need a one smart coach in the pits taking control, Like a Paul Richards or a Jason Trosan type job.

Did the results after the first event have an impact on your departure?

No, the results of the first event just made me want to work harder and get things evolving with the team.

After the event there was a lot of talk about you and Vicious parting ways, was it your decision to leave or was it mutual?

I think it was pretty mutual. There were big communications problems between me and team management – in the past I’ve had great relationships with my team owners and I talk to them pretty easily. Frank (Avalanche) and I talk every week. Jeff (Hurricanes) and I used to talk all the time, and same with Doc (Raiders). But for some reason, I didn’t feel like Vicious really cared what I had to say. They had their system, it worked great for them in D2 and D1 and Semi Pro, and they weren’t really interested in talking about how to change or improve things. So we stopped talking and the internet started talking for us. There was a ton of he said / she said crap going on. I’d read things on ProPaintball that people were saying and I’d wonder where it was coming from, but it sucked. I never say anything bad about anyone, so to read things that were being written about me, it was just uncalled for. Professional or not, we don’t get paid for this, so I don’t need to be in the public eye. I think both sides – me and Vicious – assumed things rather than talk to each other. I know they think I was out there talking about them. I wasn’t. I started hearing things from people on the team that were being said about me at practices by the owners after I had good conversations with them over the phone. Pat Roberts got cut and when Vicious picked up Gno Benedicto, in a way I was waiting for them to cut me as well. Pat and I being the two new pro’s they picked and from what it looked like they wanted to go back to their ways only not having outside players, which I understand. I didn’t expect them to pull that contract stuff that stopped me from playing Chicago. But whatever, I did sign the contract, so that’s a lesson for me to learn. I personally think the Vicious organization just wasn’t a good fit for me, and it was the right move for both of us to split ways. I just wish it happened faster and I wish outside people didn’t get get involved talking in OT forums and what not. What’s done is done, I wish Vicious the best of luck, I still have some players I am friends with on the team.

So what’s next for Billy B, do you have another PSP team lined up?

Well, actually I just got picked up by Dynasty for the MAO, you can check out the full release at Planet Eclipses blog

http://eclipsehq.blogspot.com/

What are your future goals in paintball ?

My goals haven’t changed much; I still strive to get that championship. I love doing what I do when I go to my local fields and meet new people and change their outlooks on paintball. Clinics and lessons and people playing for their first time have always walked away with a smile. That’s what I like to do to help make paintball into a real professional sport.

Questions from the fans—

No Name- All the teams you have played for which one was your favorite and why ?

Hurricanes, Raiders, Aftermath, Avalanche

I would say the Hurricanes were my favorite because we were like a family and we worked very hard every weekend traveling where ever we had to for a good practice just to become a top 7 man team and we were successful.

Tippman98- What motivates you as a player? and who did you look up to when you were a up and coming player  ?

I am just very competitive and being the best is very important to me so that pretty much motivated me every time I step in the field. I looked up to pretty much all the Dynasty guys

Billy Bernacchia

Thanks Billy for the taking to time to talk to us, and good luck with the new team!

So many people play paintball at locations other than a licensed venue. Thats a fact that we can’t simply sweep under the rug or simply ignore so hey, if youre going to do it follow a few simple guidelines as mentioned below. The article appeared as follows:

Oh No…Did I just say the O word? I guess I did, but hey, for those of us who enjoy all that woodsball has to offer; this essentially is our roots even though it has become something that is frowned upon in certain circles.

From time to time I think it important to return to our roots by holding a smaller, more intimate private game here and there throughout the season. Unfortunately outlaw ball as it has become known, lacks the kind of regulation that should exist in any paintball game. The Mercenaries private plot of land played a part to our season. At this point I would like to encourage all you readers to implement the following and insist certain necessary steps be taken at every outlaw game you attend.

First and foremost establish a good, safe area to serve as the dead zone; such an area should for all intensive purposes be enclosed and well removed from the game area so as not to allow stray fire to enter. A minimum of at least a hand held chrony (personally I prefer the big red chrony such as the Mercenaries possess) should be used to insure all guns are firing at no more than 280 feet per second. Within the dead zone barrel sleeves should be on those barrels, the marker either turned off and safety on. Last but not least strict rules in place regarding the dead zone being the only location during the game where masks may be removed. Should any of the above rules be relaxed at any time? Absolutely NOT! On numerous occasions however we have attended Outlaw games and found them lacking with respect to the above criteria. What to do? in some cases we have managed to council the local players to introduce these standard rules with some success.

At the Home Opener for the Glen Morris Mercenaries private field Sunday February 15th, 2009, members were more than welcome to bring along guests and were responsible for their guests. 15 year old Will V. thoroughly enjoyed his first serious paintball game and was quoted as saying “this was seriously sick!” 30 year old Dave T, another first timer stated “that was a really good time; today’s game got me hooked!” hmmm much the same way as I personally got started 17 years ago. In the six years playing our location we can boast zero incidents. Today, three more people are likely to become a part of the community. For those of us in the scenario community, Outlaw ball is yet another great way of introducing people to paintball in a smaller, friendlier environment.a means of easing people into the game prior to that first big scenario game or tournament.

Lets remember, for those of us deep into the paintball scene a return back to our roots and enjoying the odd game of Outlaw ball is to leave behind the politics, the tournament competition and play paintball just for the rush of adrenaline and sheer enjoyment that this style of game represents and is supposed to be about. You heard me right Outlaw ball, its all good its our roots!

For those of us that already know all about these rules, let this be a reminder, keep it real and above all else. Stay safe!

By Tom Tomcat Cunningham
Team Captain
Glen Morris Mercenaries Paintball

The Glen Morris Mercenaries are a paintball Canadian Rep team located in Brantford, ON Canada. www.glenmorrismercenaries.com

Valken Sports has added to their mobile fleet with the addition of a new show trailer. This gives Valken the opportunity to support more events, bringing the hottest gear and paint to the players.

Valken President and CEO, Gino Postorivo stated, “We’ve had great success with our Valken show-trailers and by adding this state-of-the-art, portable showroom, we can now be in more places at once.”  “Our goal is to provide the upmost support for our dealers’ events by presenting the latest Valken gear and high-quality tournament paintballs, at a moment’s notice” added Postorivo.

Valken Director, Greg Muller said, “Our current fleet consists of multiple, full-line show rigs, climate controlled paint trailers and several, smaller portable showroom trailers”.  “During the past 7 months, Valken’s mobile-showrooms have supported over 30 events  throughout SC, NC, GA, TN, VA, NJ, NY, KY, OK, IL,  IN, MD, PA, MA, FL, CA.”, added Muller.

Next stops on the 2010 support tour will be at  the NPPL DC Challenge held at Pev’s Paintball, August 6-8 and then on August 21^st, the ArchAngel Big Game in Wasauga Beach, Canada and the GFOA series at Dan’s Land Paintball, Jackson Georgia on August 28^th.

Along with over 35 brands and thousands of items, Valken is the exclusive distributor of Redemption, Crusade, Fate, Exile, Sly, Worthington, and GIMilsim branded paintball products.  For more information or to schedule a portable showroom at your next event, please visit www.valken.com or send an email to info@valken.com

San Diego Dynasty and DC Arsenal Join Up Again

DC Arsenal and Tom Fore are back—and in a big way. Arsenal will once again be competing in the NPPL beginning with the DC NPPL event taking place at Pev’s on August 6, 7, and 8. They will also play the NPPL season finale in Las Vegas on October 8, 9, and 10.

Beginning with the PSP Mid Atlantic Open, Arsenal’s JC Whittington will be playing with Dynasty, and Tom Fore will be there to help coach the team.

After Dynasty and Arsenal’s successful venture into the Millennium in 2009, Tom and Dynasty will be teaming up for PSP for the remainder of the 2010 season, with an eye towards 2011. “We had a great time working with Tom last year in Europe,” said Dynasty Captain Alex Fraige. “JC is a great player, and we’re excited to have him and Tom on board, and are looking forward to a successful second half of the season with their help.”

Arsenal owner Tom Fore added, “We are excited about this joint venture and the opportunity to build on the success of our 2009 Dynasty/Arsenal Team.”

I’ve been in the game for over a decade and have been heavily involved in buying and selling paintball equipment (to the point I used it to supplement my paintball costs). I’ve been out of the sport for a little while now but I like being able to put my experience into these articles. I’m writing this as an aid to selling your paintball gear and to give you some insight into how successful paintball transactions are made.

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Paintball is an inherently expensive sport, there are a ton of consumable items being used and there is constant turnover of gear. Occasionally (or frequently) it makes more sense to sell your gear instead of stockpiling it. There are generally two major conditions that lead people to sell their gear: For cash or for something new. More often people are selling gear for cash, either because they want to upgrade or because they need money for other purposes. I’m not going to get into trading in this article because I’ve traded enough to give you honest insight.

The first thing to consider when you are selling an item is to assess what kind of item you are selling. You will either have a common item (the item is widely available) or a rare/luxury item (one that is difficult to come by). These labels come with drastically different approaches to selling and the prices you can expect. The common item is generally a buyers market (follow market trends) and the luxury is always a sellers market (you can set whatever price with limited competition from the market). A few examples of rare/luxury gear: Limited runs of colors, old-well maintained gear, pro-owned or signed gear.

Perhaps the most obvious but challenging aspect of selling your paintball gear is the selling price. When selling an item, it is important to check several prices: retail, local and broad market prices. The retail prices you should be looking at are the prices set by up-to-date, large online stores (Badlands, BuyPBL, etc.). My rule of thumb is that you should expect half of this price at minimum. You are selling a used piece of gear and the buyer will need to consider this factor when debating whether or not it makes more sense to buy from you at a reduced price or for a completely new item from a retailer.

From here you need to check your local sources. These would consist of Tdotballers and GZ or Pro Advantage forums or where there is significant market traffic in the area (I’m considering Ontario/Quebec and occasionally other provinces as local). These prices will be higher than your half-retail number. As a general rule of thumb there is lower competition for prices on these forums than the larger ones. This is where you should get a sense of the flavor of the market (do they have a high internal gear turnover within the community or do they have a broader scope and frequently buy outside of their region?). The best indicator of what your item is worth is on the final measure, the largest market available (I usually check PBNation but there may be Milsim ones you may know of). This market will have the greatest competition for prices and as a result will give you the best measure of how low/high you can go. Be aware of all these prices so when you meet a buyer who has done their homework you can explain why your gear is selling for a fair price (note: it is fair to sell for the higher local price)

There are several important considerations to appraising yourself as a seller (And these are the factors that buyers will judge you by). Reputation is key. There is a reason there are feedback threads, sellers who consistently get positive feedback are trusted and those without are treated with a higher degree of caution. An educated buyer will preferentially buy from a seller with greater feedback. It?s important for you to fall into favor on the selling market. You need to be transparent and honest about the items you are selling at all times if you want to keep a favorable reputation. The condition of the item can be best conveyed with a concise description of the age, usage and pictures of the entire item. You should be prepared to answer any questions the potential buyer has about the item. Remember it?s important to be polite, timely, and patient when answering these questions. Answer all the questions. You want smooth transactions, positive feedback, and people to vouch for your credibility.

The deal itself has three basic stages: the advertisement, the negotiation, and the closing of the transaction.

The advertisement phase is where a lot of good deals are lost and a lot of quick transactions are made. When posting your gear for sale you need a concise and catchy title to your forum thread. “Tippmann for sale”  is a poor title, “Mint Tippmann A5 with red dot FS” is a much better one. If a title doesn’t have all the relevant information people won’t pick it up when they do a search and they’ll skim over it when they’re browsing the forums. It’s also ok to use colorful descriptions (eg) mint) but if the thread doesn’t deliver you?ll hurt your reputation. Include photos! At first glance I generally judge sellers that don’t include photos as lazy or trying to hide something (most people do think along these lines). Photos give buyers something to salivate over which helps with the negotiations. In the body include all the upgrades, modifications, and usage. It’s also important to be clear if you’re FS, FT, OBO (for sale, for trade, or best offer, meaning you’ll decide based on what comes your way).

The negotiation phase is difficult to describe because it is very subjective but I’ll try my best to put it in a framework. It begins when a buyer responds to your thread or sends you a private message. When you are selling a piece of gear you MUST be timely, coherent in your communication and polite. The faster you can swap MSN/instant messaging details the better. Give your contact information in exchange for the potential buyer’s, this establishes a level of trust. It will also give you a faster way to answer questions and establishes that the buyer is interested in a transaction instead of just wishing they had the gear but aren’t committed to the idea of buying it. Deals fail because it takes over 24 hours for people to respond (something better will come along, the buyer will change their mind) to inquiries. Deals also fail because the communication isn’t easily understood or written in a manner that is to the point. The negotiations may include a request to drop the price (for this reason I generally set an expected price slightly above what I’m happy selling it for) to beat a comparable or identical item. Your price flexibility should be based on who you are selling to and which market you are selling to. It is good to state right off the bat (generally in the thread you advertise in) whether there is flexibility in the price. If a person expresses interest but does not have the cash in hand (cash available for the sale) at the time of interest, politely explain that you have noted their interest but people with cash in hand will get priority.

The matter of finishing the transaction is again a personal preference thing. I will discuss a few options and highlight my own style. It is almost always preferable to meet the person face to face if it is a piece of mechanical gear. There are several different styles of payment, again meeting face to face removes any chance for postal mistakes or confusion. When meeting face to face be prepared for the buyer to attempt to drop the price. Being patient and polite is to your advantage. Some people like mailing cash and the item simultaneously. This is not to my style. I am happy to send items COD (cash on delivery) where the buyer pays for the item as it is delivered by Canada Post. This costs a little bit more but it worth the security for more expensive items. Tracking numbers are something I insist on for all mailed items. When the transaction is complete, insist on leaving feedback, this is something that should be agreed upon before shipping. I always asked for feedback as soon as the item was received and used. Don?t ask for feedback weeks after the sale, it?s likely too late. Leave feedback on the buyers thread and state that you will be doing that before a deal is reached. The feedback threads keep everyone accountable.

There are a few special scenarios I wanted to include but didn’t want to understate them in the previous paragraphs.

Flakers are people who commit to a deal and then pull out, usually citing some event requiring the money they would have used to buy the item (I have heard every excuse). Some people chose to immediately post negative feedback about the flaker. I prefer to put it in the actual selling thread. Usually it works like this: deal is agreed upon, buyer flakes, at the time of the agreement I post that the item is sold to the person (using their forum name), when the buyer flakes I post that the item is back up for sale (this implies the buyer has pulled out) as a separate post, the other forum users can do the math. The added bonus is that when sellers are doing background checks on the buyers that their username pings the posts about pulling out of the deal. It’s a good strategy in my opinion because you?re passively posting the situation, usually without provoking a flame war. Don?t ever rule out the idea that a buyer could flake, it’s frustrating but just carry on with advertising.

Selling to teammates. It is unwritten, but it is implied that if your teammate is interested in a piece of gear, you give them the first opportunity to make an offer. This usually means posting it on your team forum. There are benefits to both members of the transaction and the team as a whole. No shipping costs, reliable support for the item and a sense of working within the team. However, the seller doesn’t need to make discounts for the buyer and it is fair for the seller to direct the potential buyer to the price they were hoping to get it for it on the larger market. If a fair amount of time has passed as judged by the seller it is fair to open it up to the larger market. Teammates should leave feedback in the same way as if the transaction was done outside of the team.

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I think that wraps up the gist of selling your gear in the various stages. I’ve tried to keep it simple. I’m aware there are some thin areas in this article so please comment if you would like more detail. I’m always happy to help!

DC Challenge Final Registration

For Immediate Release:

Attention all NPPL DC Challenge teams! The final registration deadline for teams to register to play in the DC Challenge tournament will be on Wednesday, July 27th.

The DC Challenge will be held at the legendary Pev’s Paintball Park in Aldie, VA on August 6th – 8th and looks to be one of the most highly anticipated tournaments for the 2010 competitive season. On top of featuring elite competition across professional and divisional brackets, the DC Challenge will also showcase a number of other outstanding highlights including:

· East vs. West All-Star Game

· Announcement of First Class of the NPPL Hall of Fame

· Vendor Village and much more!

Venue:

Pev’s Paintball Park

Team registration is located HERE

Get your 2010 NPPL player card HERE

The National Professional Paintball League is committed to hosting the highest quality paintball tournaments at the most affordable price. Our vision is to provide you, the player and team, a professional stage to compete on while giving you the best possible experience. We will focus on quality referees and organization while giving you an incredible vibe to have the time of your paintball life.

Come join the Pros and experience the Greatest Paintball Show on Earth.

National Professional Paintball League

www.nppl.com

Produced in the USA the 11C AT-4 offers those who want a realistic means for launching ‘Nerf’ like projectiles, or clusters of paint marking pellets or airsoft pellets a great way to add a new level of reality to their next paintball, AirSoft or MIL-SIM event.

The 11C is available now in two versions, the basic model, as seen in the photos below and a deluxe version which ALSO features a foregrip and fixed sight.

Both versions are capable of launching ‘Nerf’ type projectiles to a range of 100 + yards and small clusters of paint pellets to a range of 60+ yards.

Bring your own paint, or pre-order your paint to ensure your fresh paint is available at the event.

Hells Assault has been designed to offer each player the most fun possible.  In effort to build the sport of paintball in Utah’s region, Desert Edge has partnered with Saints Paintball to offer $5 rentals for the newer players without gear.

Through experiencing the most amazing woods paintball events throughout the entire country, Desert Edge has taken their most favorite scenario elements and tried to mesh them into what looks to be the ultimate scenario experience. Take the feeling of glory from King of the Hill, the adrenaline rush from the Beach Scene of Invasion of Normandy, the thrill of a base assault, and top it all off with the sound of aircraft flying above all the action dropping their own threats on the scene, and you have the First Annual Hell’s Assault.

This multi-phased Attack and Defend format includes Three Villages, Four Commanding Generals, Four Flags, 1 Hill, and ACTUAL air strikes!

From the makers of the “Triad” and “Battlefield Utah,” Team Desert Edge has produced some of the most successful events in the region.  The team prides themselves in being able to reel in the new player, providing an atmosphere every player finds inviting.  Of course, the sportsmanship of the players of the region definitely deserve recognition for the success of the involvement of the newer players.

Hell’s Assault has shown huge interest from dozens of brand new players to seasoned tournament players, and even some of the best commanding generals to hit the scenario fields.

Find yourself in the mix of all the excitement by dropping by the Desert Edge Facebook page.

Full details on the Generals and game format is on-line at www.hellsassault.com

Critical Paintball has come out with a Pro-Seal gasket on their 90 degree swivel and their straight macro fittings that will keep your Teflon tape neatly packed away in your tool kit. About time right? Something so simple as a gasket on a integral part most of us have on our markers.

Features:

- Pro-Seal Gasket: Eliminates need for unsightly and warranty voiding Teflon tape
- Larger Nut: Less likely to round off from frequent tool usage
- Shorter and Lighter Weight
- 90 Degree Swivel
- Only fitting officially pressure tested for paintball use over 1,000 PSI
- Will work with CO2 or Compressed Air

Recently an article appeared on Google News about a pair of youths who started their own Middle School Paintball Club. This was more than enough to catch the full attention of the Catshack Reports eye.

In other articles we have written we have long touted the necessity of a full introduction of paintball into the school systems as the one of the best means of truly legitimizing paintball as more than just a popular pastime.

I cannot help but think that by introducing programs such as this is a double edged sword. If youth were more “informed” perhaps it would lessen the incidents that plague the media when it comes to paintball, you know, the negative publicity when paintball markers are abused.

Introducing Matthew Mayer and Tom Cooke, two young men that have achieved what was previously unheard of! The Catshack Reports took the liberty of contacting both Matt and his Mom Pam Mayer about this fantastic accomplishment.

The boys, Matt and Tom have been neighborhood buddies since they were 4 years old and have been playing paintball together for the past several years. They have visited multiple paintball fields such as Mansion House Farms Paintball, Bear, DE, OA Outdoor Adventure, Chesapeake City, MD; and the former Grave Yard in Middletown, DE (now closed).

After they both graduated 5th grade at Olive B Loss, they entered Alfred G. Waters Middle School (Grades Six – Eight) together. After hearing about the “school clubs” that AGW offered, being boys with a need for physical activity, they inquired about starting a paintball club, their first love.

During the summer of 2009, with a little assistance from Matt’s Mom and Dad they helped Matt and Tom put together a proposal to submit to Alfred G Waters leadership. Christy Payne, the AGW librarian and former Army Sharpshooter herself,  proved very eager to help the boys start the club and lent her assistance.

While at a PTA meeting to introduce the newly appointed AGW Principal, Vic Cahoon, Matt’s mother Pam had a chance to speak with Vic. When Pam told Vic what the boys had proposed, he smiled and said, “give me that proposal….. I play paintball myself and I would love to see a club of that nature at AGW”. So….. the boys had an “in” so to speak.

In March of 2010, they announced the new club and held an interest meeting after school. Low and behold, the AGW library was packed to capacity (after school no less) with interested kids all wanting to take part.

On March 27th, the AGW Paintball Club held their 1st monthly outing at Mansion House Farms Paintball off of Porter Road in Bear. The event was packed out with over 70 students, parents, and teachers enjoying the event. This was the largest group outing to date at Mansion House.

Some of the benefits of the students participation in the sport include learning to work as a team with a diverse group of students representing different ages, grades and interests. The kids learn to communicate, strategize, gets lots of exercise and at the same time have a real blast!

Throughout the school year, the students met once after school and had one outing per month. The club has had several guest speakers address the students. They’ve had folks from Mansion House Farm Paintball as well as the owner from ECX Action Sports in Newport, DE speak to the students. Topics ranged from how to play woods ball, speed ball, and personal safety.

For the 2010-11 school year, Matt is trying to secure “good deals” for the students and plans to expand the locations of where the club plays their outings to give the students a feel for playing at various fields.

Matt’s immediate and future goals for paintball include:

#1 Improve as a player in the various kinds of paintball games and have a successful upcoming season with the AGW Paintball Club.

#2 For the future to attend “the” Penn State University (wondering if Joe Paterno would be up for reffing a game ) and being a part of their paintball team

#3 Matt wants to become a professional paintball player and eventually own his own Paintball establishment.

For the Google News article in its entirety

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20107180348

Here is the news video of the boys discussing their accomplishments

Delaware Online

Images courtesy of Alfred G Waters Middle School

http://agwaters.org/

Writeup in part courtesy of Pam Mayer and  Christy Payne