Welcome back for another edition of Spotlight, where players give their views on their own paintball experiences and share tips and advice on the game. This week we have Jillian McCann, from Amherst, NY, to share her opinion on everything paintball.
Jillian’s been playing paintball since May 2014, over five years. She’s been hooked ever since and loves feeling that adrenaline kick in when on the field. Living north of Buffalo, she travels down to Angelica, NY to her home field - GRC Paintball for her fix. Since starting paintball, Jillian has traveled to a pretty good variety of fields, notably NVP, Skirmish, EMR, Capital Combat Zone, Albany Paintball Experience, West Point Training Grounds, Pentagon Paintball and Head Hunters.
We’ve had quite a number of people with a variety of opinions of what their favorite thing about paintball is. Jillian lives for the entire experience; meeting new people, traveling to new places, and most of all, the adrenaline rush. She loves the different kinds of adrenaline rushes, from whitewater rafting to skydiving and as a nurse, she most definitely experiences the whole spectrum. “There’s just something special and different about the rush you get from playing paintball,” she told us.
Next up, the annual choice of which event you most want to attend. Jillian’s answer? Living Legends. She hasn’t been to that one yet and would like to check it off her list. As for preference of woodsball or speedball, she likes both in their own way. As a competitive spirit, she loves the fast pace and challenge of speedball. On the other hand, woodsball offers her a chance to experience different scenario games and travel around to different parts of the country. “Both are completely different, but equal in intensity and enjoyment,” she said. One of the more exciting aspects of paintball is getting to customize your gear setup; Jillian’s choice of marker is the Dye M3 Plus Texas Edition with a custom boomstick.
Paintball is an awesome sport. Every experience is unique and for most, a positive one. Jillian shared her most iconic moment in her paintball career thus far; She was in a 4-Man speedball tournament and took first place in the Novice Division. It was the first time she had ever won something like and the same went for the team as well. Another amazing experience she described was at EMR for Spring Castle 2018. The defending side was victorious and they held the record for the longest time ever. As for distance traveled, Jillian has made it all the way out to Skirmish for ION.
One of the great parts about paintball is that players offers tips and advice to new and even seasoned players on the game. From advice on equipment to strategy, the paintball community is one of the most open and helpful out there. Jillian says to never be afraid to ask for advice and to keep an open mind. She suggests going to as many events as you can so you can better yourself and see what type of paintball style you like most.
Thanks again everyone for reading this week’s edition of Spotlight! Be sure to like, comment or share to possibly be selected / featured in a future spotlight!
Jake Rozsa
Buffalo Paintball