Today we welcome a team in from the biggest city in the world, New York City. Hailing from the biggest city you would think this is a team that is all work all the time. You would be surprised to know that this is more of a family based team, after speaking to Katy the proud wife of one of the team captains and official team helper you will understand their outlook on life and the game.
The team was started by Ali and Frank who were certainly not what you would call friends. Long before they became team mates and co-founders of the team they were dueling rivals from other teams, playing against each other on multiple occasions. This instilled a fire when they saw each other for a while. Eventually they both earned the respect of each other after playing against each other while still on their former teams, but a friendship bloomed when they started playing on the same side. Since April of 2008 they have been playing together and noticed the passion they both shared for this game. Under this love for the sport the team of 5 Boroughs was born. Building on the love of the game and a year later they have a great team of gentlemen who share their love and passion for the sport of paintball and they have built up the trust with each other you need to become a cohesive unit on the field.
The team’s families are a big part of the success as they continue to play, practice and compete. To be successful you need to be able to trust your team mates and it is pretty self evident these guys have that trust. On and off the field they are always a unit, even when they lose a game. There is no quit in this team at all. Ali says, “I am glad how the sport is growing more and more as teams start to develop. Us, as a team play hard and drill hard hoping that one day this sport will become on of the biggest sports in the world, hoping one day to be an Olympic sport.â€Â It is with this I believe the team will continue to grow and get better as their seasons roll.
It is a great sight to see another team that has their families at the field as mine are with me on most occasions when I make the trip. My young children are future ballers as I am sure the children of 5 Boroughs will be also. Taking the time to include their family into the sport they are all so passionate about is a great way to promote the sport in your local areas. There is a certain feeling you get when you are playing and your spouse and children are watching. I cannot express myself in words on what this feeling is like, closest I could say is proud but that does not quite do it. You play harder knowing that your family is there rooting you on. It does not matter to your children if you win or lose either. They are proud of you just for getting out there to play. Expressing your love of the game to them is passing the torch.
You can and will find the team practicing on most weekends at NYC Paintball in Long Island City, New York. But they do not just work on their skills only; they help out other teams and newer players every chance they get. They are building a young guns team the Frank takes the time every Sunday. On top of helping the team tries to help out with reffing too. Drilling is a way of life with any speedball team and no different with these guys. They drill Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays to keep their team up on their basics. Hard work is what makes this team different than most of the other amateur teams out there today. They know they have to put in the work needed to get better. With that work and experience will come wins. With those wins the team will grow from division to division. I would not be surprised to see these guys ruling one of the divisions of the bigger leagues in the near future. Break away from reality, enter the field of paint and you will soon see what these guys love so much.
Roster:
Ali – Back/Mid
Frank – Back – Dorito
Eric – Mid
James – Snake
Kenneth – Mid
Sponsors:
NYC Paintball
Macdev
You can follow the team on myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/5boroughspbteam
5 Boroughs Paintball – “Support our team, wear our paint.â€
By Paul Forcier
