NXL Nashville 2016 – Feelings of defeat

Nashville was a tough loss to swallow. I personally played at a 5 out of 10 if I were rating myself, maybe even worse. I was prepared, focused, conditioned, and mentally ready to come in and help my team win. Sometimes that isn’t enough and this time, it wasn’t. We had excellent practices leading up The post NXL Nashville 2016 – Feelings of defeat appeared first on Marcello Margott.

Nashville was a tough loss to swallow. I personally played at a 5 out of 10 if I were rating myself, maybe even worse. I was prepared, focused, conditioned, and mentally ready to come in and help my team win. Sometimes that isn’t enough and this time, it wasn’t. We had excellent practices leading up to the event. As a team we wanted more than anything to come in and prove that missing Sunday in Dallas was a fluke. Everyone was hungry and gave 100% each time we got to the practice field. We stayed late, went through the process and put in the extra miles. We knew we had to if we wanted to compete. These other teams are getting really good and we have to make sure we don’t let them outwork us. Our mindset going into Nashville was incredibly positive and we were hungry to win.

From the first point to the last our matches went nothing like practice. We weren’t cohesive, there was little flow, and hardly any rhythm to our game. I got to play behind Kyle this weekend and at practice we were connecting so well it seemed effortless. There were only a few glimpses of that though at the event as we couldn’t ever seem to get on the same page. If he didn’t get shot early, I would. If I didn’t get shot early, he would. We were struggling to connect on our side which was hurting out line but regardless we squeaked into Sunday to match up against Infamous who had been playing well all weekend. We had the feeling that at any moment things will just start to click for us and everyone will be firing at the same time, which would then make us virtually unstoppable. The heat was unbearable, the humidity was suffocating and having a deep roster was going to seriously play into our favor if we could get everyone to clock in systematically. Unfortunately what could have been our key to success ended up being our own kryptonite.

I did not perform at the level I expect myself to for my team. With how good all of the teams in the league are now every single player on Dynasty has to play at their absolute best if we want to win and I was unable to bring that level of play to the table last weekend. There were multiple situations where I was the first to get shot in crucial situations. Too often it was a 3 on 3 or 3 on 2 even with us having the body advantage and I would be the first to walk off the field. That is simply unacceptable and something I have prided myself on NOT doing over the years. Paintball is a team sport and one player is never the complete reason for a win or a loss but I do know that I have to play better if I want to help my team win. I am used to being a leader and the best way to be able to bring motivation to my brothers in blue is by performing at a high level each and every time I step onto the field. They don’t need me to give some motivational pre game huddle speech. They have heard it all, they invented it all. Dynasty has done it all, what they need from me as one of the younger players on the team is to lead on the field by consistently performing at a high level and not making mistakes in crucial situations.

I wanted to rip my jersey in half as I sat there with it tucked over my head, hiding my face from the cameras. Another 6 weeks of preparation, dedication, hope, belief, energy, and action all for another disappointment. It hurt and for a few minutes I felt like I didn’t have the answer, like there wouldn’t be an answer and that I was unsure of how to overcome this obstacle that has been preventing us from winning. But then it clicked, we are DYNASTY. This team is not only a group of professional paintball players, but professional winners. Sometimes we get so caught up in thinking that you’re supposed to be rewarded from your hard work right away or that success is supposed to be resurrected as soon as you feel its deserved. Sometimes it doesn’t work that way and the toughest test presents itself. The longer you fail the tougher it is to keep fighting for what your goal. This is where the true test of will, passion, dedication and self respect come into play. I am excited for this challenge. The talent in professional paintball teams are at an all time high and I am thankful for this opportunity to evolve. Most importantly I am excited to figure out how I can be more effective, more efficient, and an overall bigger threat on the field. I need to demand more attention from my opponents by imposing my will on the other team. I haven’t done that yet this season and it’s time to get back to playing dominant paintball. Rather than waiting for results to come, it’s time to go take the results we desire. I can’t wait to get back to practice with my team in a few weeks and get ready for the next event. See everyone in Cleveland.

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