Welcome Drew Templeton, perhaps one of the more diverse players I have come across on the Pro circuits. Drew as some of you are already well aware plays for not one but two pro teams including Avalanche and Aftershock. What is interesting is that Drew is able to play in any position, not to mention his ability to write and photograph exceptionally well. Lets grind out more details with Drew.
Drew Templeton first played paintball in 1997 at T-Square Paintball in Jacksonville Arkansas. It was he, his dad and one of his friends. The first game Drew ever played had he and his friend pitted against his father.
We asked Drew to provide the Catshack with more details on how it all began as follows:
I remember running to a spool off the break and
peeking my head around it. Before I knew it my dad literally one balled me right in the mouth with a plastic Stingray. At the time I thought this was normal but looking back maybe my dad should have kept playing as well! The next game I went up the tape and had my dads whole side. I remember shooting him and watching him flinch as I shot him. From that moment on I was hooked.
I’ve always competed in one thing or another my entire life. Growing up I played basketball, football, tennis, lacrosse, soccer, golf, you name it. As I got older I stuck to football, lacrosse and basketball. I grew up in a competitive atmosphere at school where nothing but perfection was expected. We won the division one state title in football and lacrosse. I am extremely grateful for this because I know that this is were I got my ambition and my perseverance from. If the only thing that you can be accepted for is perfection then you do whatever it takes to be perfect.
Drew has served with numerous teams over the years starting with his first team in 7th grade! Some of these teams he only guested with for a single event. Arkansas Assassins, Myth, C.O. Factory, Blur, Tippmann Effect, University of Missouri, Diesel, JT All Stars, Voltage, Legend, HK, Philly Americans, Philly Dogs, Avalanche, Aftershock
What would you consider as being the highlights of your paintball experience prior to going pro?
I’d have to say the times spent traveling all over the United States with my 
friends and I to compete in tournaments. All the traveling creates a sense of independence and makes you cultured in general. You get to experience things that most people haven’t at the age of 50. I never thought I’d be tired of going to California before I was even 20 years old!
How long have you been with Avalanche?, when did you sign with Aftershock? …out of the two….what is your favorite format to compete in?
I’ve been playing with Avalanche since half way through the 2007 season. At the end of the 2006 season Ed Poorman and Greg Pauley came to me and told me that they wanted to pick up the majority of Voltage to create the new Avalanche X Ball team. However, at the time I felt that I had opportunities in front of me that would ultimately make me a better player even though it came at the expense of letting my friends down. Even though playing for Philly was amazing I felt that the decision I made was not the right one. I always consider myself to be a person that does the right thing no matter what the cost and I wasn’t going to let this be an exception. I came back to Avalanche during PSP Chicago 2007 after an apology to Ed, Pauley and my team. From that point on we won out winning RCO and World Cup!
After the Avalanche X Ball team disbanded we all needed a new home and Shock is what we found. We’ve always had a close relationship with Shock since we first started playing. Most of us made the jump to play PSP with Shock in the 2008 off season and we are determined to get on top.
I still play seven man with Lanche and I cannot say which team I like playing for more. I do like playing the X Ball format more simply due to the fact that you get to play more paintball. If we could play 10 matches at an event I would be all for it. I love playing paintball and all of the downtime is pretty boring.
Stay tuned as tomorrow is Part II of Grinding with Drew Templeton where we learn a bit more about him, his teams and his new magazine “Grind”
