Don, what teams have you played for? How did you come to be on Argent Force?

Before Argent I played with a bunch of guys I worked with. We decided to put a team together just for fun to do scenario games, and at a practice at Reality, we got smashed by Argent. I took that personally, and kept showing up at Argent practices, dragging whomever I could find to come with me so I could be a better paintball player. John Smith liked my enthusiasm, I guess, and invited me to join the team. I didn't want to just leave my friends high and dry, so I dragged them with me. Not all of them stuck with paintball, however, and Damon "Mad Scientist" Williams is the only one left. That's how I ended up on this team. I am also a founding member of California Gridlock of the SPPL, though I haven't had the privilege of competing with the team yet. I do coach the team, though, so every person they shoot is directly because of me. When I first got hold of them, they'd just as soon shoot each other as the other team.

What is your role on the team?

Definitely public relations. I go out and put a happy face on Argent for all those poor teams out there that wish they were as cool as us. Seriously, though, I don't have a specific role on the team. I just do whatever it seems to me the team needs, if they want it or not. Whether that is taking on a role that would put Argent in a better position to put paint on people, or just lending my meager gun skills to helping make those moves on the field that puts bad guys in the dead box.    

Don, what is the scenario event that stands out most in your mind?

That's a tough question. I've wasted a lot of my family's money on playing in scenario games, so I had better have something great about every one, right? I could get in trouble if I don't! I think the best time I’ve had was a game put on by prodigal Argent member Seth Rinaldi at Reality back in its prime. It was very small, maybe 30-40 attending, but it was very structured and the story was extremely well told. The missions were all given out before hand and were simply a list of objectives to be accomplished by the end of the day. It was great. The fighting was fierce and we were all run ragged by the end of it. I felt like I actually accomplished something. 

Don, I know you have been the General and a XO as well for scenario games. Tell me what you liked and did not like about these roles.

I still have no idea how I keep getting roped into playing all these roles. I have this really bad habit of volunteering myself for jobs I see others do poorly at, or where I feel I can do it better. That even goes for jobs I never wanted to do in the first place. It's a weakness. Taking on the job of XO or General for a scenario game seriously cuts into, or eliminates altogether, your trigger time. The best times I've had were getting into fights with the bad-guys with the guys on Argent. So taking on a job of that nature has serious drawbacks. But, I'm arrogant, and I think I can do these things better than everyone else, so I take on these challenges to prove myself. I know that my guys on Argent will have a better time if they play for a command staff that knows what they are doing and does the job right. The good part is that I get to make the game better for everybody, including the bad-guys. I make it my priority to facilitate good paintball for everybody else. Sort of like an assistant to the Producer. Sometimes it works out too well, and we get situations like the Waterford game I generalled. But I think that weekend was still fun for most everybody involved, so I still take it as a job well done.      

How does playing these roles make the game different? Tell me about the things that go on behind the scenes that most players never see during a big game. 

A lot more work than anybody gives credit for goes into these games. There is a constant stream of incoming and outgoing information that needs to be administered to get a successful scenario game out to the players. One would think it's as easy as showing people who to shoot at, but that game gets old after a couple of hours. Making it seem different for 24 hours is a monumental task. It requires a very organized and well planned story, book of missions, and someone quick enough on his feet to be able to adapt to the flow of the game. One person can't do that alone, no matter how good they are. It requires a reffing staff that knows what they are doing, 2 sets of command staff, and leaders out on the field. Out of 200 or more people that show up for the game, at least 5-10 of those have to work very well together to make it all happen for everybody else and they're on opposing sides. Who knew, right?    

Don what advice do you have for a Novice paintballers just getting started?

That paintball is like every other sport. It's the fundamentals that separate the men from the boys. How you stand, how you hold your gun, and how you practice will determine your success in this sport. Whether you play tournaments or not, you need to understand and practice the fundamentals if you want to be good. It's more fun when you shoot a lot of people and you don't get shot.   

What do you do for a living?

I am a DVD Author. It means I create the code that makes DVDs function. I have worked on a myriad of different DVDs, from Monster's Inc. and other Disney titles, to Martha Stewart DVDs, and everything in between. It's sexy, sexy work, and the worst part is trying to juggle all of these super models.     

Don, tell me about Monkey with a Gun Productions.    

Monkey With a Gun is a film company started by Patrick Spohrer to make documentaries about extreme sports. You can learn all about his journey into paintball at his website: http://www.monkey-with-a-gun.com. I was introduced to his work by the guys I worked and played paintball with. We went balling on my birthday, and they all chipped in on a DVD for me. The guy at the store suggested PUSH, and not knowing of anything better, they bought it for me. I wasn't expecting much, and I was really looking forward to tearing the Authoring apart. It's what I do to make me feel better about myself. I will hit every button on a DVD I rent or purchase just to find a problem. My wife hates it, but it's who I am. Well, it didn't take long with PUSH. Patrick authored it himself. He's a very talented filmmaker, but an Author he ain't! The film itself, though, just blew me away. I liked it so much; I went out the next day and purchased his other film, Sunday Drivers. It was even better! At the Paintball Expo in Pomona, I ran into Matty Marshall (of Ironmen and XSV fame, all around paintball Icon) and he was trying to get support for an instructional DVD and Book. I'm a big fan of Matty's and thought that I could put my professional skills to work for one of the best players in the game, and someone I felt I had gotten to know a bit through PUSH and Sunday Drivers. I wrote an e-mail to Patrick telling him how much I enjoyed his films, and also detailed carefully how bad his authoring was. I offered my help in authoring his future projects and I don't really want anything in return. They don't have any money, so I'm not taking it. They keep giving me guns, though. I can't seem to stop them. So, that's how my involvement began. I did Cereal Killerz, and that was a huge hit. Heroes for a Day was done all in one weekend with nobody getting any sleep (it was due at the replicator’s that Monday morning!). That is easily his best work to date, and I highly recommend it to anybody who loves paintball. (http://www.heroesforaday.com)      

Anything new that is coming that you could tell us about?  

Patrick is now completing work on CK2, a sequel to Cereal Killerz, due out by World Cup at the end of the year. It will feature Ryan Greenspan and Angel Fragoza of Team Dynasty, Thomas “Troll” Taylor and Jon Richardson from XSV, Tyler Humphrey and Lucian Blackburn of Trauma, Brian “LB” Fow and Travis Lemanski from Infamous, Brandon Mayo from Avalanche, and Constantine Federov from the Russian Legion.     

Don, where do you see paintball going?    

I don't know. Every time I think paintball is ready to take that next step to the mainstream, the wheels seem to come off and we end up right where we were before. I think where we are is probably where we are going to be. We're fringe and I think we need to embrace that. Sure, paintball is still growing, and nobody knows what the future holds... but I for one like where we are. Easy for me to say, though; I'm not trying to make a living doing this. 

Don, what changes have you seen over the years in paintball and how has the game changed?

The only thing that seems to have changed is me. Every year I seem to just pull back new layers of what this sport has to offer. The game hasn't changed, except for the expectations on the Pros. They play 2-3 times as many tournaments as they used to 5-6 years ago, and they are being asked to do nothing BUT play paintball, with nothing in return. That's got to change. For you and me? Nothing has changed!    

How long have you been playing? 

I've been playing since 2002, I think. My first game was at Fields of Fire, the birthplace of Argent Force. Right before my very first game, Damon and I were going to go right. He told me what bunker he was going to, and told me where I should go. I was nervous as all get out. They yell "Game On!" and we both go running. Not 3 steps in, I take a shot to the unprotected part of my forehead. It hurt more than I was expecting, and I didn't even last 3 seconds in the game. I had to go stand on the other side of the net counting all the money I had spent thus far and what I was getting in return. I told myself right then and there that... paintball just isn't for me, but I should wait for my friends before I just head home. Good thing I wussed out and stayed, eh?