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CHICAGO LEGEND

Interview with team owner and long time player Dennis Olson.

How does it feel to have just won the Pro NPPL DC Challenge? Deep breath, this has been our goal since 2003 when we started playing the NPPL 7 man format. We began as a D 3 team at the first NPPL 7 man event in Huntington Beach.  We moved up through the ranks and still have four of our original players on our roster. Achieving this goal 8 years later is a feeling I do not want to ever go away.

What was different about this event that gave you the winning edge?  We learn from our mistakes. Every event we play in is a learning experience where we try to make adjustments. Playing in the Pros is tough because all the top teams are scouting your breakouts, positions and strategy. This year in Huntington Beach we took 4^th place and Chicago we took 10^th. The Team was not adjusting our game plans fast enough.  We needed to change it up. So in DC we worked on changing our game plan from game to game and it seemed to throw teams off.

How did you train for this event? Legend plays every Sunday at CPX Sports Park in Chicago. It’s a great training facility and we have good local teams to play against. The difference before DC was Pro Team Edmonton Impact came out to practice us at CPX the week before DC. We did not win a game at practice.  When we got to DC the difference was good refs and good paintballs from the previous events we have attended. We currently shoot RPS Evil at the event and it made all the difference in the world.

How does sponsorship play a role for Chicago Legend? Well, Empire has been our sponsor since the D-3 7 man-days. This year Empire stepped up our sponsorship to include their new hopper, Paintball markers AXE, Paintballs EVIL and uniforms. This plays a tremendous role both mentally and financially. We also have non-endemic sponsors who kick in money. CPX is also a huge contributor to our success. Paul & Mike go out of their way to support everything we do. We love those guys.

What was going through your head during the one on one that basically determined 1^st and 2^nd between Legend and Arsenal? It was out of my hands at this point. Both teams had played great up to this point. We had huge faith in Damian Ryan and felt confident about the way we played. In my mind we had won but it was now up to the Paintball Gods.

Do you have any last words for our readers?

It’s a good feeling knowing where we started 8 years ago playing Division 3 and that all this hard work has paid off. Not many people know who the players on Legend are which goes to show that it’s more about heart and teamwork rather then having a team of superstars. It’s also great to see teams like Uprising in the finals.

There is a lot of new blood coming into the league and it feels good to be accepted and be recognized in the top ranks as a solid team. Legend is looking forward to Las Vegas and to the 2012 season. I’m 48 years old and it’s a pleasure to still be playing this great game.

Interview with Team owner and player Dennis Olson. For more info on Team Chicago Legend go to www.teamlegend.com or like their face book page at Chicago Legend.

NPPL Staff