Delta leads the way! True to that meaning, the Delta Paintball Team strives to live up to its motto: To be the best. What makes this team click, and how did it grow into its leading role today? Josh Foote, Major General of the Delta Paintball Team, New Jersey division leader Jeffrey Swaim, and the team's head forum administrator Gary Cooper offer a look inside this leading scenario team.
Action Pursuit Games: Where did you get the name Delta Paintball Team?
Josh Foote: The founding fathers were watching a movie that focused on the elite US Army counter terrorist group, the Delta Force. By naming our team after them, we feel that we are honoring their sacrifices that they endure to protect our great country.
APG: When were you formed?
Jeff Swaim: Some time around 1999. Back then we were just six guys running around the woods. We loved it. Around 2002 we had our national vision: to be the best woodsball players. It seemed way too ambitious back then, but we wanted to conquer the paintball world. Our original six weren't initially friends. After a few games, though, we could tell we all shared a common personality type. We were all aggressive, funny, and slightly insane.
APG: What pulled the team together and keeps it together?
Jeff: We started out as friends from a New Jersey high school. Soon we had friends from work and other areas of our lives. It was about our senior year that our basic philosophy of the team changed.
We wanted to be larger, know each other, and have cohesion. We opened our membership to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware. We wanted the team to be large, but for everyone to know each other and be friends. With only these four states, we'd be assured that the farthest games would only be a few hours drive away.
We've met some people and gained some out of state members through our website, and the team just took off. We're now five times our original size, and each of our members are friends. We all know each other through paintball, it's quite amazing!
APG: How many players do you have?
Josh: More than 40, all hailing from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania (and Delaware). The ages range from 14 to 58. We have three females, members in every branch of the US military (one serving in Iraq with the Marines) and eight members of the Delta Youth Program.
APG: The Delta Youth Program?
Josh: It helps the younger players become more active in paintball. We teach patience, tactics, and fair play. These players are the future of our team and paintball in general. We want to leave the paintball community better than when we first started playing.
Gary Cooper: They are junior high and high school kids that are new to the sport, and very interested. We teach them safety and help them practice in the field and working with the team.
APG: What is your team slogan?
Josh: "Delta leads the way!"
True to its meaning, we lead the charges right in the thick of the battle. On our logo is "The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be." That is something we strive to live up to.
Jeff: It's a great motivator in the middle of the night, when you're alone in the darkness and you hear someone whispering "Delta leads the way." You know you're surrounded by teammates, and you're right back on track.
APG: What is the team's philosophy?
Gary: We strive to take a group of people and make them play together in such a way that we can rack up points and flow as if we all grew up in the same house. Delta paintball Team strives for success through teamwork.
APG: What sort of events do you prefer?
Josh: We play as many big and scenario games as we financially can. We all work part-time jobs as the majority of the team is in high school or college. We try to make it to one big game every two months, year round and we practice at least once a month in the fall and winter. During the spring and summer seasons we practice two to three times every week. We have decided to start entering tournaments.
APG: What role does DPT take on the field?
Josh: We push to be a highly aggressive assault force. We have special squads for base defense, engineers, medics, and Special Forces. We train to know exactly what is required in scenario games.
APG: What gear do you use?
Gary: Some of our players carry Armotech markers, a lot of us own (Tippmann) A5s and
(Kingman) Spyders, and our speedball fanatics charge in with (WGP) Autocockers. We use a variety of custom and unique equipment way before it hits the market. We're always glad to let curious bystanders (or victims!) check out our gear!
Jeff: We use paintgrenades, paintcannons, paintmines, and all sorts of stuff. It's so much fun to launch a paintgrenade into hordes of people. We have a "double trouble A5," which has its own following after our last scenario game.
APG: What sponsorships do you have?
Jeff: We have several, all due to our scenario games.
Josh: Scepter Combat Systems, which has supplied us with 5 SCS 4000-A paintgrenade launchers. Cops911.com supplied us with special "grenadier" vests, and vests and gear for specialty devices. Atomic Ordnance sponsors us with paintgrenades and other merchandise. Jasse Paintball, Quick Shot Paintball, and Swaim Arts Entertainment, too..
APG: What must new players do to earn membership?
Josh: They not only join a team, but a brotherhood. That is why we are very selective. One standard ritual is to get the new recruits to play against members. This lets natural leaders to shine through. Younger members have to play in two official games a year, whereas it's four for "full" members.
| DELTA PAINTBALL LEADERS
Major General Josh Foote
Colonel Bill Behm (New York)
Colonel Jeffrey Swaim (New Jersey)
Colonel Dan Rose (Pennsylvania)
Captain Gary Cooper (Forum administrator) |
Gary: A thorough beating with a burlap sack of doorknobs and you're in! We're looking for dedicated players. Skill comes from playing with the team.
APG: What is your signature maneuver?
Josh: We take the role of shock troops.
Gary: If we told you we'd have to send you to the dead box.
Jeff: We like to play Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" as we drive onto the field grounds. It boosts team moral. We combine both milsim and speedball tactics. It has the mentality of milsim, with the speed and aggression of speedball. It gives us a fast paced and confident style that is really hard to beat.
APG: What special virtue sets you apart?
Josh: The team is more of a brotherhood than anything else. Trust is a major factor. We are friends off the field. We all hang out, and do other things besides paintball.
Gary: The milsim aspect. We all wear the same uniforms and patches, we have an elaborate rank system that shows both experience and player ability, and we encourage inner competition for rank to weed out those who need more practice.
Jeff: We're the kind of team that has scenario game camping rituals where you have to jump the fire in your underwear or something. Yeah, that's us!
www.deltapaintball.com
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