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| August 19, 2005
Paintball Player BY JACOB SHAFER
Recently named International Paintball Player of the Year, Oliver, age 22, has quickly risen up the ranks of his chosen profession, traversing the globe with his squad, team Dynasty, winning tournaments and leaving vanquished, paint-spattered opponents in his wake. “Ollie has set the bar in this sport,” says Dan Mitchell, a retailer of paintball gear and avid amateur player who has closely followed Lang’s rapid ascent. “He’s head-and-shoulders above most guys and he’s still young—he’s going to get better.” In a comment posted on Lang’s Web site, P8NT Magazine editor and pro paintballer Matt Marshall says Lang “wins so frequently, plays our sport so instinctually, and gobbles up life on the road at such a frantic and furious pace, he’s either possessed by demons or blessed by the gods.” Lang grew up in Marin, and actually garnered a bit of early editorial coverage from the Sun when, at age 12, he led a coalition of Mill Valley middle-schoolers to city hall, demanding a legal place to skateboard. Oliver looks back on his formative years in the county with fondness. “Marin is the most amazing place to grow up. Had I not grown up here, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” Switching his primary athletic focus from skateboarding to paintball at age 14, Lang quickly discovered he had a knack for the sport. Paintball, for the uninitiated, is essentially a slightly altered version of Capture the Flag played on a field that looks like an obstacle course. But what at first appears to be a very simple game actually requires a great deal of strategy and tactical maneuvering—contrary to popular perception, it’s not just a bunch of guys in goggles chasing each other with air guns. “It’s similar to a game of chess,” Lang says. “We spend a day before every event mapping and walking the fields to find the key spots and placing out players. Just like anything, there is a deep realm behind paintball, and the only people who really understand it are the people who are best at what they do.” Oliver’s first foray into professional paintball came with the SC Ironmen. Playing as a backup in his first pro tournament, Oliver stunned the crowd—and his opposition, team Image, at that time regarded as one of the world’s premier squads—by mowing down all five opposing players in one fell swoop. From there, his star rose rapidly. In 2000, he helped the Ironmen win both the World Cup and Series title, the first time any team had swept both of paintball’s top honors in one year. In 2002, Lang, along with a collection of childhood friends, formed team Dynasty. The squad, which has made history by winning paintball’s Triple Crown three years in a row, is now widely regarded as the best in the business. As of this writing, the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) had team Dynasty at the top of the rankings for its Super 7 Paintball World Series. Some have even gone so far as to call them the greatest collection of players in the evolving history of professional paintball. “I think, without question, Dynasty has a lock on the title of ‘best team,’ ” says Mitchell. “They’re not just winning tournaments, they’re innovating and changing the way the game is played.” But being part of a pro paintball team isn’t all about accolades and glory. Dynasty is a collective effort, with each player owning a share of the team. That means all profits garnered from tournament wins and outside promotions are divvied up equally. It also means that lining up sponsors, licensing products and other business-related tasks must be attended to by the players themselves. Lang says they’ve hired an agent—one who also represents a handful of Olympic athletes—to help expand Dynasty’s notoriety and land bigger sponsors. “Being a pro team is very expensive,” he laments. In addition to his involvement in the on-field and business aspects of team Dyansty, Lang has taken on the role of teacher. He leads paintball clinics all over the world and made an instructional DVD revealing some of his strategic secrets. He’s also appeared in numerous paintball films and his likeness recently graced a video game—a sure sign for any 21st-century athlete that they’ve arrived in the big leagues. Having achieved so much success at such a tender age, you might think Lang would be content to rest on his laurels. You would be wrong. “I want to continue to grow this sport, to travel the world teaching paintball,” says the young innovator, his enthusiasm apparent. “The sport is getting bigger every year and I want to be there when it’s on everyone’s TV and you’re watching me play in front of millions of people.” That may seem like a fantasy to some, but Oliver Lang has never been afraid to dream big. Photo by Christopher Dilts. International Paintball Player of the Year Oliver Lang compares his sport to chess—it involves strategy as well as accuracy. |
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For most people, the sport of paintball is something of an anomaly. When asked about it, many aren’t even aware that it’s a sport at all. But for those who understand the subtleties and nuances of the game, and who follow it as religiously as others follow their favorite football teams, it’s not just a sport, it’s the sport. And if you ask people in the know, the player in this particular sport is Marin’s own Oliver Lang. |
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