WHY NOT US?

Columbus LVL Turns Heads in the Windy City!

Building a professional paintball team is not an easy task, to say the least. The competition – the top teams in paintball - have been together in one form or another, competing and winning, for many years and have their game dialed in. The practice, travel, equipment and paint costs are staggering. “Real” life outside the net and away from the field often gets in the way. But sometimes it all comes together and when it does, it’s an amazing story. Columbus LVL is a perfect example, and their recent success at the NXL Windy City Major, where the team played undefeated through the preliminary rounds knocking off no less than the top team in the league plus other top-ten contenders and battled to a sixth-place overall finish, proves that hard work, dedication and a “WHY NOT US?” attitude can lead to remarkable results!

Challenging the Status Quo

In a professional paintball league dominated by just a handful of top teams who’ve made a career out of settling podium finishes, event wins and series titles amongst themselves with precious few breakthroughs, it’s always amazing to watch when challengers rise up to rattle the status quo! Columbus LVL did precisely that at the recent National XBall League Windy City Major. With all the very best paintball teams in the world in attendance, from multi-event champions like Edmonton Impact, San Antonio X-Factor and Houston Heat to the legendary Dynasty, Infamous, the Red Legion and the Ironmen ready to do battle along with the rest of the league’s hardworking pro teams, there would be no easy games and the road to Sunday would be a rough one. “Motivation for these players has always been easy,” said Dave Pando, who continued, “because the guys all know deep down they can be as good or better than the top teams, we just needed experience to get rid of the nerves.” In Chicago, LVL would get their chance.

The Sunday Club

Making it to that Sunday club, where a big tournament suddenly becomes a small one and legends are born, is a challenge many teams and players spend a career attempting to accomplish, to say nothing of climbing the podium or hoisting gold hardware. Step one is simply gearing up on Sunday while others watch or start long drives and flights home. Checking “making Sunday” off the list – especially in the pro division - wouldn’t be easy for Columbus LVL at the NXL Windy City Major, considering their preliminary opponents included the scrappy TMG Outlaws, a Baltimore Revo team able to battle with the best, a proven contender in Tampa Bay Damage and no less than the top-ranked team in the league, Edmonton Impact.

Midwest Work Ethic

Dave Pando defined the work ethic of Midwest paintball plainly: “Midwest guys know how to be patient and work for what they want.” If ever there was a great opportunity for a hardworking Midwest professional paintball team to rise up and climb another rung up the ladder towards greatness, it was the Windy City NXL, and Columbus LVL stepped up! The team came out swinging and hung 7 points on the Outlaws, defeating them 7-1. Season points leader Edmonton Impact was next, and LVL edged them 5-4 by simply refusing to give up. Tampa Bay Damage was next to step into the ring against LVL, and the game ended 6-1 in favor of the guys in green. In their final preliminary game, LVL would defeat Baltimore Revo 3-2, pushing LVL into the Sunday club undefeated! While the team’s impressive run would come to an end Sunday in the Windy City as the team dropped their match against a surging San Antonio X-Factor squad that would go on to challenge for the gold against Dynasty, Columbus LVL would finish the event in sixth overall. “What happened in Chicago was the (long awaited) result of decades of hard work by these 10 guys…” Dave Pando concluded. “We understand the only way to earn respect is on the field. Winning in our position is a lot more meaningful and that’s how we want it to be.”

Columbus LVL - Doing Whatever it Takes!

Valken is honored to support Columbus LVL and congratulates the entire LVL organization on an impressive Windy City NXL event! We wish the team the very best at the upcoming World Cup and beyond!