The SPBTV Crew: Benny

                      BENNY T

Viper's Battle for Serenity Valley, EMR 2010, pic by spbtv

Bio:  I went to my first paintball game when I was 13 or 14 and quickly got hooked. I took a break for a few years in college and picked it up again late in 2007. In 2009 I started the youtube channel SPBTV and started making videos to get people motivated for games, spread information and started the Train. Harder campaign. The original channel consisted mostly of videos made at home discussing upcoming games, reviewing fields or equipment modifications. In 2010 I moved to Sweden to get a Master's Degree and purchased a Contour HD headcam. Since then I have been posting mostly footage from paintball games all over Europe and expanding the channel to include the other members/contributors and the other sites, such as Facebook and these blogs.

As far as style of play, I've been using a pump-gun for most of the last two years, but I also own a Tippmann 98C and a heavily modded Tippmann A5 HMG that I've affectionately named the Megan Fox. I use her rarely and she is currently in the shop getting some upgrades, but if you're not going to play pump, you might as well go all-in with a fullauto machine of destruction. I am also in possession of one of Tackleberry's own M79 grenade-launchers, which can be used to fire Nerf rockets, grenades or several hundred paintballs. I tend to be the guy with 'too much gear,' running around with a backpack full of extra air tanks, water, and paintballs, but many times this has served as an asset and I have been able to keep my teammates on the field when they would otherwise have to leave to reload. Just Train. Harder. :)

I like running missions, playing medic and motivating those around me to keep going all day.
I've learned the best way to get better at paintball is to play with/against and talk with those more experienced than yourself. Tackleberry, Barney, and Dave Cilio (to name three of the many) are all examples of players who have all taught me a great deal about the game, on and off the field.

Currently I am playing in Sweden at AC Paintball with a team called BFP. In two years here I have logged more games at AC than at any other paintball field in the world. BFP and the other teams who play at AC, (The Rock, The Unit, Tåårta) have become a great community and we have been able to travel all over Sweden to some amazing fields. I look forward to many more games with BFP as the UWL will soon be coming to Sweden.




Awards:

MVT at West Point, 2008

Viper VIP Invitational, Sherwood Forest, 2008

Best Player Overall in Jämsa, Finland, 2008
MVPs at Hornet's Nest and West Point, 2009
Master Blaster & Assault Ribbons at Kilsbergsbataljen #8 in Stråssa, Sweden, 2010
Viper MOFO award at EMR with the 518th Brigade from upstate NY, 2010
2nd Place, Division 3, Sugar Daddy's reball 3-man tournament, 2011

I love paintball and I plan to keep on playing, expanding SPbTV as opportunities present themselves.

-Ben Thompson