Small town B.C. paintballer snipes his way to World Cup competition
Dawson Creek's Nick Ellison is traveling to Florida to compete in biggest paintball tournament in the world
Paintball might not be an Olympic sport, but it takes a lot of technique, training, and skill to get to the top.
Just ask Nick Ellison from Dawson Creek, B.C., who will be competing alongside a group of his buddies at the 2016 NXL Paintball World Cup in Florida.
The 19 year old is entering the global competition after several years of playing with his amateur team in Alberta. And he says getting to the high level of the game takes a lot of training
"We call it glueing together," he told host Robert Doane on CBC's Daybreak North.
"You play with he same group of people all season, you get better with each other — and you practice a lot."
Ellison will enter the tournament on a team with friends from Alberta. They form just one of nearly 500 teams in what's billed as the largest paintball tournament in the world.
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A 'beautiful' experience
Ellison expects the games to be a little different than what he's used to.
For one, it won't be freezing cold outside.
"I think it will be weird to play in that much heat — but it'll be fun," he said.
Ellison says he'll be playing on a "beautiful" field, filled with bunkers and mounds, and be geared up from head-to-toe while paintballs fly towards him at 300 feet, or 90 metres, per second.
While the thrill is familiar for Ellison, the trip will be something completely new. The paintballer has never competed outside of Alberta, and he's excited by the size and scope of the tournament.
"The experience is going to be my most favourite part — going down there, seeing all the big vendors and the pros, and watching the pros play — I've never seen anything like it before," he said.
The 2016 World Cup of Paintball runs from Nov. 3 to 6 in Kissimmee, Florida.
With files from CBC's Daybreak North
To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled: Small-town B.C. paintballer snipes his way to World Cup competition