I wanted to let some time pass before I commented on being inducted into the New England Paintball Hall of Fame. Before anything else, let me thank Boston Paintball, Anthony Vitale and Lori Miller for their efforts on behalf of the NE paintball community. Paintball is a sport without a history. We don’t remember, let alone acknowledge, the ones that came before us. Without knowing that backstory, how can we put our own achievements into context? Having an awareness of those that came before, and what they did, allows us to frame our own goals, efforts and exploits. The Hall of Fame serves to provide that narrative. I don’t want to make too big deal of this. Paintball is a small community. Tournament paintball smaller still. So when such a modest and more or less isolated group starts giving itself awards, it should be viewed with some degree of cynicism. On the other hand, I don’t want to make too light of this. The HoF is meant to memorialize achievement; your induction symbolizes recognition, and it’s nice that after 20 years of hard work there’s some appreciation. In that vein, I can only accept this honor as a proxy for the many very talented and dedicated individuals who worked with me on the Hurricanes. I myself woefully lack any of the necessary skills to attain success in this sport. My talent, and the role I’ve taken, is in facilitating the excellence of others; empowering those around me do what they do to the best of their ability to do it. Without exceptional people to work with, I would only have gone as far as my own talents could take me, and this post would be both unnecessary and unwarranted. A small army of people worked in the trenches, often unrecognized, to achieve successes that were regularly attributed to me. I can’t name everyone. I won’t even try. Suffice it to say the players were some of the best in the history of New England. Not just in terms of their on-field ability, but their heart. The Hurricanes, from early on, wanted to prove the world wrong. We never wanted to be a part of the pro community. We wanted to beat the pro community and stand at the top. The players pushed each other, and me, to accept nothing less than a 100% effort. Our coaches, almost to a man home-grown, sacrificed their playing careers to help the team excel. It was their skills and vision that helped us grow past where any other local team had gone and into becoming legitimate pro contenders. Finally, everyone from the Front Office, who not only helped carry the team, but often carried me. Throughout it all, I was getting the credit. To this day I get the lion’s share of the credit. But I don’t deserve it. The credit goes to all of those who ‘bled blue’. They made the team a success and they made me one. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle. Paintball is what I do. Being honored with induction into the HoF is not the culmination of paintball “career”, but one step on the journey. I plan to keep doing what I’ve been doing, hopefully adding a little more value each time I start anew. I am honored to be inducted into the HoF as a stand-in for the Hurricanes organization, and I look forward to the day when I see my teammates represented and recognized in the same way.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 03:36:42 +0000
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