Our boy Prince on what it takes to go pro nowa days

Every kids dream is to go pro. Or at least for most of us that play paintball competitively it is our ultimate goal. What is being pro? What does it take to be pro? Being in the game for about eight years, I have a good sense of what it takes to go pro. I pretty much went up through the ranks and earned the privilege to compete with the best teams in the world. Sure you can buy your way in to the pros, but that is not what most of us who play on the professional level did to make it where we are now. There is no secret to it. It is plain old simple hard work, dedication, and heart.

First, you got to put in your time. Do not expect to become pro overnight, unless you got the ten grand to blow away on a pro spot! Practice as much as you can and play against people who are better then you. You do not get anywhere beating up on noobs every weekend. You do not want to be that guy who walks around thinking they are the shit at their local field, but when they come out and spar with some real ballers they are nobody. Get on a local team and play as many local events as you can. Get as much experience under your belt that way you will be able to get noticed by other upper divisional teams to move up the ranks. Second is dedication. Being a pro paintball player you have to make a lot of sacrifices. You need to learn to how to balance your real life with paintball. Be prepared to put paintball as one of your top priorities if you plan on playing pro. At the professional level, paintball if more than just a game. We live for this shit! We grind every weekend and we miss a lot of school, and work when it comes time to compete. I work and go to school full-time and believe me, it is not easy balancing life and paintball!

If you want to play pro, you must have heart. I have seen a lot of people who had a ton of potential to become a great pro player, but they lacked heart. Some made it and fell off and some did not even get the chance. You need to have that drive in you to even stand a chance to make it to the pros. Not only does this apply to paintball, but also to anything you decide to do in life. Always give it your all and love what you do.

-Prince