“When you don’t take risks you will never know what you are capable of.”

What an offseason! Lots of changes since coming on board with Valken! We were excited to be able to come over as the Infamous Wrecking Crew, the big game and scenario side of the Infamous Paintball pro team.  This is a huge deal for the guys and I and we are determined to make the most of it.

One of the reasons that we landed with Valken over the other choices in the marketplace was the VPC or Valken Players Choice. This is the best. Seriously!  Instead of being forced to choose from what a particular company sells, you get to take your pick from the best of the best.  Why it took the industry so long to figure this out, but I sure am glad we landed with the people who got it right!

 Being around the Pro’s we had always heard of how good the Planet Eclipse guns were, but you never really know. My first time out with my LV1.1 I was hooked. So smooth and efficient. Ben Sides commented that he hadn’t realized what he had been missing. Members of this crew have such different playing styles – heavy gunners to in your face full attack. We can’t wait to see how the Planet Eclipse line fits in to each role.

 Next we chose the First Strike Hero Tanks. I could not be more impressed. These things are fire!  I mean my 77CI tank weighs less than my old 68 tank. As a matter of fact, my LV1 and new tank weighs pretty close to the same as my previous tank!!!! It doesn’t stop there – the Hero reg allows you to change the pressure with a simple spring sway, and the ability to easily change the position of the fill nipple/ gauge is awesome. I find the length of the 77 perfect. I’ll run out of paint before I run out of air. Add to that you have a tank that never dies! All you need to do is refresh the hydro every 5 years and this thing will keep you in the game.

 In past I have tried mounting a camera to my gun. It always felt awkward pointing it at my teammates. We’ve had some..cough…friendly fire accidents. The new Dye I5 masks means I don’t have to. A camera mount can easily be mounted to the side. No more modification to masks or mounting hardware. Expect some great footage from us this year! As far as the fit of the i5,  it has been great for this crew that have huge heads ( wait…. what?). Comfortable foam, great breathability, low profile, and an innovative strap. I’ll be totally honest, this was the part of the deal that had the most debate, that debate ended when we tried this mask on….If you haven’t given it a shot, do yourself a favor, try one on…it could change your life.

 Some of us have the new VSL loader….some of us also don’t share it much with the rest of the team, I’ve used it briefly and can’t wait to use it more when I don’t have to try and rip it out of Shawn’s hands (He won’t see this will he?)

 I can’t wait to update you guys on all the new stuff as we use it through the season. We’re going to make this blog a regular thing. We think it will be fun for you to see some behind the scenes stuff as we travel around North America. We get to do some cool stuff with this group and the Pro team, and I think you’ll probably like most of it.

Now it’s  time to stop “trying out” our new gear and actually put it into action. I feel bad ( sorry, not sorry) for the opposition at PRZ in Picton, Ontario, Canada this weekend. If you haven’t been there, you need to get there this weekend, it’s unreal and if you don’t have a good time, the problem isn’t the venue. Kyle from Synergy Paintball Events runs one heck of a show!  Last time we were there, the scariest noise was the wind of the near tornado that went through. This time…the scariest noise will be the sound of the Valken Corps fronted by the IWC ripping through the competition. Opposing team….consider yourself warned.

Mark DeSylva, #38 IWC