|
|
Who are the Hellions? We are an elite tactical
scenario paintball team organized under the United States Army Special
Forces' Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA) team concept. We felt it
would allow us to better utilize every player's individual expertise
and
personal skills in the field--when it matters the most. Each
member of the team brings a unique blend of professional and
recreational
experience with them to the field, including previous military and law
enforcement experience. Either acting independently or as a unit, we
have played in all seasons and climates, on recreational woodland
fields everywhere from New Jersey
to Texas and from Minnesota
to Arkansas.
The Hellions were originally organized in 2004 by a small group
of friends who shared very similar taste in paintball. Each one
of us had grown up with the sport and had played for a number of
years. That meant we all had the notion that paintball was meant
to be played in the woods wearing camouflage, not running around
inflatable barricades in neon jerseys. Perhaps it was due
to our individual life experiences which included military service in
some and law enforcement in others, but we each wanted something more
out of the sport. We desired a professional-looking team that
paid more attention to details and realism than the standard blue
jeans and tiger striped t-shirt crowd generally care for.
Everyone agreed that, although it cost a few extra dollars to achieve
the right image, the difference would be clearly evident the very
moment we
stepped on the field.
Last year, the team went through a reorganization and
recruitment period. That was when we adopted the Special Forces
ODA team organizational structure and developed a military-styled
team uniform. It not only changed our appearance and how we
saw ourselves, but it also changed the way other players viewed
us. We were fortunate enough to receive a significant number
of people expressing interest in joining. We were
able to choose only those few highly skilled players who we really
felt fit the team and the team fit them. We feel that level of
selectivity was the vital component that helped us build a strong,
comprehensive unit. Since that time, we have become fairly well
known in the Upper Midwest, even appearing in
Paintball 2Xtremes magazine and our own line of trading cards.
Most notably, last season we accumulated 3 Most Valued Team awards, 3
Most Valuable Player awards, 1 Sportsmanship award, 1 Mission
Completion award and about 15 swelled egos.
Our primary sponsors for the 2007 season are CPX Sports Tippmann
and the Fraternal Order of Police. The Hellions named CPX
Sports--
formerly known as Challenge Park Extreme--our home field after
our stellar experiences at their last few major scenario events.
They have an unprecedented Home Field Advantage sponsorship program
that they are offering to all regional teams of eight or more players
that includes an unbelievable number of freebies, discounts
and promotions. We highly recommend it to any Midwest
area team who have not already signed up. Through a partnership
with CPX Sports, Tippmann became our latest sponsor and are in the
process of outfitting the team with their new X7 markers. The
FOP sponsorship came unexpectedly after members of the Hellions
assisted a local Police lodge in a fund raising effort.
What has been the secret of our success? The Hellions follow
General George S. Patton's three principles to victory:
"Audacity. Audacity. Audacity." "Attack rapidly,
ruthlessly, viciously, without rest,
however tired and hungry you may be, the enemy will be more
tired, more hungry. Keep punching." The Hellions
attended ten major events last year and are very pleased with the
results. The 2007 team calendar is still under works, but it
already features a half dozen
CPX and Wayne Dollack scenarios as well as a tentative plan to hit the
Oklahoma D-Day event this year. Anyone interested in
more information about the Hellions can visit our web site at
Hellions.net or contact the Unit Commander, Lonnie "Grendel"
Colson, at
grendel@hellion.net.
|
