\u201cI thought going to Cape Town to play paintball was awesome, but to think I\u2019ll be overseas is just amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
These are the excited words of Matthew van Blerk (19), from Delville, whose love and dedication to a relatively unknown sport has seen him selected as part of the South African u-19 paintball team representing the country at the Paintball World Cup in Paris in September.<\/p>
\u201cThis is the first year that national and provincial paintball teams are being recognised,\u201d Matthew said.<\/p>\n
Matthew is excited to head to Paris to face international teams.<\/p>
\u201cLocally, our biggest tournament is 50 teams but overseas there are over 300, with 11 people on a team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Matthew, a matriculant at Jeppe High School for Boys, started playing paintball at the age of 14 after he attended a friend\u2019s birthday party.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved paintball because it reminded me so much of the army games I used to play in my own backyard with my best friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just better,\u201d Matthew said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
Matthew explained that while at the party an experienced paintball player asked if he wanted to play against him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time I didn\u2019t know he was \u201csand bagging\u201d, which is when an experienced player takes on an unexperienced player to make themselves feel better.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe shot me to pieces, and I remember thinking I need to play this game and get that kind of gun and shoot him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Deciding this was the sport for him Matthew sold his motorbike to buy his first paintball kit.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunnily enough I bought the kit from the same guy who shot me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
From there Matthew started his own three-man team called Uprising, and then tried out for and joined the five-man team Pandemic.<\/p>\n
When asked what position he loves the most, Matthew doesn\u2019t hesitate, \u201cI love to play in the snake.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy, because the spectators are able to see me more, which I wanted, but more importantly because its where the action is,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spend most of the game on your belly in the dirt taking fire, which is great because the more people fire on you the less there is on your team mates.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about the expenses involved in the sport Matthew admitted that it is a very expensive sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s a small relatively unknown sport it can be hard to get sponsors so my parents and I had to pay for practices and tournaments,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Potential sponsors can call Matthew\u2019s mother, Janine van Blerk, on 083 293 2231 to find out how they can get involved.<\/p>\n
When asked if he\u2019ll continue the sport after high school Matthew said: \u201cI plan to play the sport and my current position as long as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
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