First off, what made you decide to do this interview?

I’m honored that someone wants to interview me
Secondly I would like to answer/correct alot of peoples opinions about me.

How long have you been playing paintball and how did you get started?

I started playing when I was 11 (1999/2000) back at the Adventure Zone. I first played in a buddies back yard. I used his spyder (something). I was hooked from the get go. So I went out to Gander Mtn and picked myself up a JT (I forget the model). I brought it home and couldn’t get the damn thing to turn on. So I returned it for a Tippmann 98. I Installed the flatline barrel and thought I was king shit. I used that for about a year. After that I upgraded to a Spyder Electra DLX. Slapped a boomstick on it and I could have sworn I was able to pick people off from 100 yards away. It was probably closer to 50 however. So I played woods ball up until 03 or so. That’s when I took interest in speed ball. So I grabbed my good buddy Tom and a local player Andy and we created “Hostile Ground”. We played every weekend on Adventure Zone’s hyper ball field. While we were practicing another local player (Keegan Jones/ Team “Evolve”) picked me up for a few Polar Bear tournaments. They were my first. I thought we could have done better so I entered Hostile Ground in the next event. We probably played around 15 of those Polar Bear events. Some we won, others we didn’t make the cut to Sunday. But regardless we still played with heart and tried our best.

I graduated from Apple Valley High School in 06. We had our senior party (lasted all night) and from there we played our first 5 man polar bear. After that I think we started to get some local attention because we quickly had enough kids for two lines. We always entered one because of money but would bring sometimes 10 guys to a 3 man.

We played with those guys until 07 when we all sort of fell apart. Believe it or not one of our players is in Prison for being a pedafile. But that’s another story that we don’t usually bring up, lol. Guys were going to college, getting more serious with their girlfriends, etc. So I decided to give MN Pro Paintball a try. I went to Aaron Tholey’s clinic back when Vintage was around. I really looked up to him and thought it would be the coolest thing to play with him. So I ended up joining Vintage for the short 5 months they were still with Pro. I grew close with Trevor “T” and my loyalty stayed with him along with Ames at MnPro.

I wasn’t really a dedicated player back then. I lost a little interest in playing with them. Because unless you were a solid player, they wouldn’t give you any respect. I had to prove myself to them and stand out. Trevor was really the only one who could see the inner “Skill” I guess I had. The reason I quit playing with the org is because I was getting tired of playing with the hopeless kids that were not there to get better but to be part of a team.

I played with Exclusive for a while. We played an MWPPA that we ended up taking 1st at. Ames said that he would share the winnings with the team but for some reason didn’t. Now it wasn’t much to begin with but the team was falling apart anyway so I took that as an excuse to leave. The coach at the time, Paul, really tried to get me to stay and play the national events with them. I didn’t have much interest in that because I couldn’t be away from work for that long, as well as  a girlfriend(s) to tend to…

It was just 3 years ago when Hostile Ground finally came back to the scene. I would play open play at pro all the time and see my buddies Tork, Nick, and Andrew (pubes) playing there. Sometime I would have old HG players show up and we would play against those guys and have some fun. We decided to join forces and start playing together. Been doing it ever since.

What was paintball like back when you started, and how has it changed for you over the years?

Paintball was alot less stressful back then. There were no “clicks”, no “groups”. It was all just a bunch of noobs going out to play open play. Sure there was always the experienced players beating up on the noob players but that’s what made it fun. I didn’t learn anything until I started playing speed ball. Now a days people like to talk rather than play. They will argue online, try to see who can talk the most shit but not do anything about it. Even though it was only 6-7 years ago, people didn’t act like they were the best of the best. Everyone got along. (Keep in mind this was at the Adventure Zone).

Why do you play paintball?

It’s an obsession, really. I’m in the middle of moving all my stuff over to my new house. I bought a house for my Fiance (until this Saturday, then she will be my wife) and our baby that’s on the way. As I pack I realize that for every 1 item I have, whether its something electronic, a tool, etc… I have about 5 paintball items. It’s ridiculous how much paintball has effected my life. I swear, I will be playing this sport until I’m old and gray. My next goal in paintball is to get my Son involved. He starts his training this winter (he will only be 3 months old then, but you have to start them young, lol). But I play for the thrill and to help others. I want our local scene to grow. At the rate its going now it’s not looking to good.

What is your home field, and what does it have to offer?

I want to say my “Home” Field is the Adventure Zone. Because that’s where I started and played for a number of years. But I haven’t been there for over 4 years. I have played at MN Pro and Air Assault countless amounts of times so I really don’t know. All the fields have the same thing to offer. A place where you can shoot up your friends. They all have kind, respectful, and helpful employees. Some know more than others but they’re all there to help you. For me it all depends on who treats the customer better. I don’t like to be treated as someone with full pockets because that’s not who I am.
What teams have you played for in the past? And who do you play for now?

I play/played for:
-Hostile Ground
-Evolve
-Vintage
-Exclusive/TCP

Currently I play for my team, Hostile Ground

How often do you practice per week and how far do you have to travel to practice?

Recently with the house, wedding, baby, etc. I play about once every other week. In the last 4 months.. I have played PSP chicago, open play at MN pro, AA tourney, and Practice at AA the day before the tourney. MN Pro is only 5 minutes down the road. Air Assault is about 45 minutes but well worth it. Especially in the winter. FOD on the other hand is right in my back yard (at my parents house).
I’ve heard that you have your own field, is it just for your friends and team? Do you ever invite other teams out to scrimmage?

Correct. We call it FOD. We got it because alot of my guys like to talk shit online. Not only does it give my team (in the end, me) a bad rep, it also get’s them banned. MN Pro is really convenient due to its location. Because the field is not as nice as it once had been, and because they banned a few of my players, we bought our own field. It’s really not as expensive as people think. You can buy your own bunkers, new or used, for about as much as someone will pay for 1 season of play at a public field. We just so happen to have enough land to be able to support something like that. In the summer we try to practice every weekend. But like I said, lately we haven’t been able to because of my schedule. After this weekend we should be back on full force. We have had a few teams down to scrimmage. We have hosted Time Machine once, Reapers Hand twice, and Massive multiple times. We are more than happy to allow other teams to come play as long as they aren’t dicks. This is on private property. I don’t want to have to worry about stuff getting stolen, people trashing the yard, breaking paint on the drive way/house, etc. So every team that has come down has been very respectful and are more than welcome to come back. If there are any other teams who are interested, they could always get a hold of me on PBNation. I also only allow people that I have played with or talked with to come down. I don’t allow strangers or random people to play. It truly is a private field. We don’t make any money off of it by allowing teams to come play.
You’ve made a lot of videos on youtube featuring the latest and greatest gear that you’ve bought, what made you decide to do that?

I first did it to show someone on nation now nice the Luxe shoots. That led to me comparing how nice the geo and ego9 shoot. After getting so many subs and so many people commenting saying that they like it, I figured that I might as well. I enjoy helping people. By making these videos I help alot of people figure out which gun to buy. I am not biased, I tell my opinion on a gun.
A lot of people want to know how you can afford to buy all of the guns you own, what markers do you currently own?

Ah… The question I see hundreds of times a week. What people don’t realize is that in order to get ANYTHING in this world, you have to earn it. I work 60+ hours a week at my parents company. R&D Batteries, Inc. Located in Burnsville, MN. Just because it’s its a family business, does not mean I get any more privileges. I started working there when I was 12 (under the table). I was officially put on the payroll at age 14. I worked as a boxer in the shipping department every day after school from 7th grade to my senior year. Between 7th grade and my senior year I learned alot. I learned how to manage people and how to conduct business deals. Because of that, I replaced our shipping manager in 08. I worked under him for about 4 years. He was caught stealing so we fired him on the spot. That’s when I took over. I currently manage 8 guys. I work my ass off for what I have in life. Most people if not all people on Nation, Youtube, MNPig, your hATe board, etc. All think that me and my team get our stuff handed to us. They couldn’t be more wrong. I’m a strong republican (love it or hate it if you will). I was raised to believe that you earn what you get in life. Not to get stuff handed to you with no sweat off your back.

We have a few newer players that we picked up at our tryouts. One of them said to me the other week “Man… People are so wrong about you”. I asked him what he ment and he said “They think you get all your stuff for free, or that you have enough money to buy whatever you want”. The truth is, like I have been saying, I work very hard for my stuff. I don’t have as much money as people think. Some people think that having a $1,000.00+ gun makes you rich… Just wait until those people have a mortgages, kids, wives, car payments, etc. You can’t sit through life playing COD in your room while laying on your belly. You have to go out, get yourself a job, and start a life.

Currently I own the SL91, a Geo2, a Ego10, and a Dye NT.

You own an SL91, how much did you pay for that? Do you regret your decision to buy it at all? Do you think you’ll ever sell it?

The other question people always ask. Yes, I own an SL91. I paid $7,000.00 for it and have regretted it ever since. That $7,000 would come in handy REALLY well right now. With the wedding, the baby, furniture, etc. Money is very tight for me right now. I would sell it for the right price. I have had people ask me online if they could buy it. I have had the SL91 pending several times. For priced between $6,500 and $10k. None of them have gone through with the deal. If anyone is reading this and would like to purchase it, Let me know. I would also like to trade it for store credit
Of all of the guns that you own right now, which one do you use the most and why?

For the longest time I thought the NT was a blessing from above. That gun feels so great in the hands and shoot amazing. BUT, after using the geo2 during this past AA event, I have to now say that the Geo2 is my favorite gun. I plan on using that for months to come. It feels more natural in the hands. I have always owned a PE gun since the SL66. Great shooting gun! Not a bad price either.
What was your greatest achievement so far in your paintball career?

I would have to say.. Playing PSP Chicago. I always wanted to play a national event. It’s too bad we didn’t do as well as we could have. But some of us (me) didn’t play for weeks before that. We almost made the cut to Sunday. The team above us had one match that was a few seconds faster, that’s what caused us to miss Sunday.

What was the best prize package you’ve ever won?

Hopefully it’s going to be 5 Geo2′s

Air Assault has THE best prize packages around. You can’t go to a national event, play a D4 bracket, and win 6 grand worth of guns. I do believe back in 07 HG played a MWPPA that we took 2nd in and won $1,000? But that event got done around 2AM so I can’t really remember, lol.

What suggestions do you have for new players?

Don’t think. You don’t need the best gun out there to be a better player. All you need is experience. It’s like driving a car. You will probably do somethings wrong during your first drivers training but as you put on more miles,  you learn. Don’t expect to be the next Oliver Lang over night. What do you think needs to happen in Minnesota to develop divisional teams that will be able to compete nationally?

I think we need to work together more. Any team can go play at a national level if they were only dedicated enough. People need to practice and get better. Also support your local fields/stores. They are only here to help us and keep the sport around. Without them, where else would we play??

Outside of paintball, what do you do for a living?

Shipping and Receiving manager at R&D Batteries.

Check out his YouTube channel