How did the idea of putting together Mutiny come about?

Over the course of several years, Tholey and I became frustrated with how the pro teams we were playing for were run. We grew tired of making all of the personal sacrifices necessary to be competitive pro paintball players for organizations who did not have their players’ best interests in mind. After several years with multiple teams, the same recurring theme was present. The majority of these teams would cash in on solid sponsorship agreements each season. However, rather than forwarding on the product and money to operate the team at a competitive level, the owners would sell off the majority of the product and pocket it. From there they would run the team on absolute fumes. Season after season of underfunding, losses and disappointment quickly take a toll on your mentality and motivation as an athlete. We finally became fed up with the situation enough to take a leap of faith and try doing things ourselves. We talked about it for about half of a season, and then when the opportunity presented itself we jumped.

What did it take to build a team at the professional level?

First and foremost a core group of guys that weren’t intimidated by the challenge. Super loyal players who believe in each other and are not selfish are hard to find. Luckily for us we had a solid group of players who had all played together at some point or another. All of the guys believed in Tholey and I, and what we were trying to do. We believed in them too.

What is it like for you guys to be going against long established teams?

It’s exciting. We’ve all played for many of these other teams in the past. We have a history and relationship with their players, coaches and owners. We know that they’re gunning for us. We know they would love to see nothing more than for this team to fall apart, dissolve and go away. It creates a very intense rivalry, especially with established Midwest teams because we haven’t been shy about telling the world why we left and why we’ve started our own team. It probably upsets the other owners to hear me say the things I say to the public, but I speak reality and refuse to censor it otherwise. These established teams define our motivation to one day be a powerhouse franchise.

Do you feel like the team has come together over the first season?

Yes I do. We’ve struggled this year more so than last year so far, but we’re trying to make the proper adjustments on the fly. Everyone on our team has become much closer to one another. We’ve been fighting an uphill battle with no real end in sight. Between lack of sponsorship, smack talk on the internet and general paintball politics we’ve definitely chosen the path less traveled. Not only has it made all of the difference for us, but it’s also fused together a group of fiercely loyal brothers. We know that the only way we survive is by not giving up and believing in one another. We are all that we have.

What were some major hurdles that you had to overcome as a team? and how did the team handle them?

The most major hurdles revolve around sponsorship revenue. Competitive pro paintball teams are not cheap to maintain. We picked a time in paintball to start this project where the odds were severely stacked against us. The economy was down, paintball sales were way down, sponsorship budgets were nearly non-existent and a new undercapitalized league was forming that we were a part of. It has taken a tremendous amount of hustle and sacrifice from all of the guys to keep the ship afloat. We’ve handled our financial situation as best as we can so far. Most of our guys work multiple jobs. Tholey and myself work our own respective jobs along with the additional job of raising as much support and sponsorship for the team as possible. All we can do is keep grinding, start performing consistently like we did last season,  get on the podium this year and hopefully more support will find us.

What tournament series does Mutiny currently attend?

We currently participate in the Pro division of the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL).

Are there any plans to play X-Ball?

We dabbled in Xball at the Chicago PSP event in ’09. We seriously considered it this past off season too. However, as a team we believe in the 7-man format. We believe in playing for a league that is owned by the players rather than a group of manufacturers. Ideally we would like to play both leagues, but considering the fact that we can barely pay our bills for 7-man in the here and now, I don’t think it’s very realistic that you’ll find Mutiny playing Pro in the PSP without the addition of some serious financial backing.

Recently you’ve picked up a new player, Dan Norcross. How did he get chosen for the position?

We picked up Dan for several reasons. Tholey has been working with Dan for several years now trying to groom him for the Pro division. We had our eyes on him because Tholey had been in my ear about him from day one. We had our roster put together for the first season. After we lost Adam Geis in the off season, we had to strategize on how we were going to adjust our personnel and who we were going to pick up. Dan showed up to our try outs and played well, and the decision was made to pick him up for 2010.

What has Mutiny accomplished so far?

A lot in the sense of how little support we’ve had from the industry. However, it’s not the kind of accomplishments that mean anything to the rest of the world. We have a lot to prove still. The only thing we’ve accomplished so far is playing on Sunday three out of the four events in 2009. As far as 2010 is concerned, we’ve struggled to perform in Huntington Beach and Chicago. We’ve got to pick up the pace in DC for sure.

Where do you see the team at in 5 years?

I see the team being fully sponsored, well funded and highly competitive. I see it being an outlet in the Midwest for kids who aspire to be great players and are willing to put in the time. I see the team being one of the strongest brands in paintball.

Indianapolis isn’t exactly known for professional paintball, what teams do you practice against?

Last season we primarily practiced Chicago Legend at our home field, The Paintball Plex. We travelled to DC and practiced Arsenal once last season as well. This year we’ve been practicing Chicago Legend at our home field, and then we’ve been traveling to the NPPL’s early and practicing some of the other pro teams right before the event. The teams we’ve been practicing right before the events have been Edmonton Impact, LA Infamous, Chicago Legend and Tampa Bay Damage. Also, when we’re not able to practice pro teams we do have some divisional teams that we practice against: Farside Kids, Palm Beach Vipers and FUSE.

Being that not all of your teammates live in the same state, does everyone fly in for practices? how often do they occur?

Our team has grown more scattered across multiple locations this season. Most of our guys drive in for practice, and some of them fly. We typically practice as a team against other pro teams for 4 days in preparation for an event. This means we usually have a weekend practice with a pro team before the event, and then we fly into the event early and practice all of the other teams that arrive for two days of practice right before the event.

Be sure to check out the team’s website for more information.