GUAM PAINTBALL MAKING A MARK

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By Gus Untalan

When you think of action sports, you think of MMA, Jiu-Jitsu, Motocross, Off-Roading, and almost anything you’d see in the X-Games.  Paintball is an action sport that is on the rise with one of Guam’s team’s competes at the international level.  Team Guam All-Stars (GAS) is currently ranked #1 competing in D2 of the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) with hopes of claiming the World Cup Asia later this month.

Team Guam All-Stars

“It’s a very competitive sport and it feels really good to play at a high level,” says GAS’s Richard Paulino. “It’s fun to play with our friends and teammates in the local tournaments, but playing off-island against teams you’ve seen on TV or the internet or have heard about feels good. It’s a fun challenge and it makes us work hard to earn a spot in the ranks.”

Guam has been sending teams to compete internationally since the early 2000’s to play in the U.S. and Asia.  “We used to just send local teams to tournaments. Last year, we decided to form an all-star team to send the best of our island’s talent,” added Paulino.

Gavin Santos is in full battle in this paintball position. (courtesy photo)

The roster that represents Guam consists of Robert “Ber2” Delos Reyes, Nick Rivera, Richard Paulino, Charlie Baker, Gavin Santos, Troy Mikel, Jon Buasuwan, and new addition to the team, Paul Pangelinan.

PALS D2 is a race-to-three format. The first team to score three points or the team with the most points after the 8 minute time limit wins.  The PALS consists of three legs. Leg 1 was in Thailand, Leg 2 in Kuala Lumpur (usually held in the Philippines) and the final leg consists of the World Cup Asia (WCA) in Langkawi, Malaysia which takes place at the end of the month.

In Leg 1, GAS finished second, losing 3-1 in the finals to the Rockstar Factory team from Canada.  GAS struggled in Leg 2, finishing in sixth place.  With the final leg coming up, GAS would like nothing more than to come out victorious.

“It would mean everything. It would really just be the pinnacle of this two year journey since forming GAS and it would be a highlight to the awesome year we’ve already had,” admitted GAS’s Gavin Santos.

GAS will need to finish fourth place or better to win the overall PALS series.   However, finishing first in the Final Leg will win them both the PALS series and the World Cup Asia.

Team GAS would like to thank their friends, families and sponsors: Dye Paintball, XSports Paintball Field, RUSH Gear, JAL Tech, HK Army, RCT Corp. Pacific IT Solutions, Chex Mix, Nature Valley, XS Corporation, Energizer, Guam Medical Imaging, SelectCare and supporters throughout various fundraisers.

For more info on GAS paintball, you can visit them @ facebook.com/GuamAllStars.

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