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The weekend of NPPL DC Challenge came with it a variety of emotions. Many teams spent the weekend grinding it out against one another, battling for a spot on the Sunday bracket. Some teams pulled together and prevailed, while others stared defeat starkly in the face. Sunday, being a photographer on the Pro field this was all too apparent. Teams won and lost in 7 minutes of heated exchange that left a definite winner and loser. I must say it was certainly thrilling to capture that emotion in the frame of my camera; however that was not what left the greatest impression on me that weekend. 

Earlier in the day I was talking to David Archibald (Archie), the owner of Identity paintball, and coach of St. Louis Avalanche. Our topic of conversation ranged from paintball to the food the Pev's staff was serving, but as a teenage boy in an Infamous jersey passed us I noticed Archie's attention had shifted. He then related to me the story that would make my heart sink.

LS Goe is a young man in an incredible circumstance. In 2009, at an early age of 15, LS was diagnosed with T-Cell Leukemia, only one year into experiencing the joys of paintball. This type of leukemia is rarer and more aggressive than the typical leukemia of all childhood cancers in the US. In 2009 only 349 were T-Cell leukemia cases, making this one of the rarest in children. When he was diagnosed his bone marrow was 85% full of cancer, but with great fortune LS achieved remission 28 days later. Even while in remission treatment for this type of cancer for boys is a period of 3 1/2 years. With daily doses of chemotherapy LS has had a pretty rough road from the very beginning, even the doctors have said LS has had more issues than most and some issues they have never seen. “Leave it to LS to make sure you'll never forget him!” laughs his mother Stacey Goe. From the very beginning LS was given the option to be on a clinical, experimental trial where they try different medications all in the hope of making progress against this disease. LS knew the risks but he never considered not doing it. LS stated that if someone could learn from his disease and it helped another child then it was worth it. LS is optimistic and is looking forward to a future as a nano engineer and want to find a cure for this disease, hopefully helping other kids in his situation.

 LS and his mother Stacy had been flown down to the NPPL DC Challenge by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in order to hang out with Nicky Cuba, and watch LA Infamous compete. With their early disqualification his weekend came to a bittersweet ending as his hopes of watching his favorite pro team play crumbled. He resigned to watching the pro games and hanging with Nicky, which while still an awesome experience, was not what he had wanted. As Archie relayed this information to me, I couldn't also help but feel the same despair that was smeared all across Archie's usually grinning face. However he then quickly remarked “But I'm working on something, I'll keep you informed”. 

I quickly went back to the pro fields and began shooting again. From behind the nets, I could see LS and Nicky snapshooting with one another. It was certainly sad to hear this news, but that was life. Things don't always work out the way they are intended, and we all have to deal with that. Why should a paintball event be any different? However I put those thoughts to the back of my mind and continued to shoot the Pro games, occasionally heading over to the practice field to take a few shots of LS and Nicky battling it out. 

During a lull in the games, as the announcer was making some sort of hilariously off color remark about those sitting on the hill to watch the Pro games, Archie appeared on the field. Behind him, pro's from virtually every team imaginable all stood together with a familiar white Infamous jersey I had seen hours before. “This is what I've been working on” he explained. After hearing about the disappointment LS had been subjected to after Infamous's disqualification, Archie wanted to do something. He had gone to a variety of pros and asked them if they wanted to participate in an exhibition game in which LS could partake in. Soon enough, Archie had assembled 8 pros and himself, which included the likes of Nicky Cuba, JRab, Dave Bains, Thomas Taylor, Nick Slowiak, and many many others. Archie surprised him with the game as him and Nicky were on the practice field talking. The announcer's attention shifted to what was taking place on the field. He explained to the crowd how an exhibition game would be taking place, and began the ten second burn. LS's face seemed to be plastered with a smile the entire time he was talking with the various pro's who all were there for him. The game soon began, and just as quickly I started my job as a photographer. With each sharp whine of the shutter a moment in time was captured forever. LS seemed to be having the time of his life as he shot pro after pro with his favorite player of all time, Nicky Cuba.

As the game came to a close with LS hanging the flag and being called clean, I could see the barely containable smirk beneath his mask. Each and every pro came and congratulated him personally.  As he removed his goggles I was soon proven correct. His grin seemed to reach from ear to ear. I knew that he was beyond grateful for what had transpired that seemingly normal day down at Pev's Paintball Park. We ended the game with a group photo, LS's smile apparent the entire time. 

After the game I was introduced to LS's mother. I showed her some of the photograph's I took, and we exchanged information. She and Archie also began to chat, the topic eventually landing on NPPL Las Vegas Paintball World Championships. It seemed as if the family wanted LS to attend NPPL Las Vegas, however it was apparent it would not be possible barring some serious outside help financially. Mike Muniz, another member of Identity offered a solution. He would sell shirts using his clothing company, Fre$h-Paintball.com, and use the profits made from the sales to send LS and his family to Vegas free of charge. Naturally LS's mother was speechless when presented with this offer, stunned by the charitable nature of everyone involved. 

I was even stunned with what I had seen that day. Paintball is a high octane action sport where emotions fly at the drop of a hat. It isn't very often that you see this amount of caring in the paintball world, but that Sunday proved to me otherwise. Paintball people are some of the greatest I have ever met, and care about the sport they play. That includes anyone who's involved. LS is just one more example of this. Paintball is one big family, and when one person is in need, there are always ten, twenty, maybe even a hundred fellow enthusiasts there to help them out. I was extremely thankful to have witnessed LS's game and the joy it brought him, the experience will follow me for the rest of my life.

Zachary Tatum

 A special thank you to the following contributors to the LS exhibition game:

David Archibald, Nicky Cuba, Justin Rabackoff, Thomas Taylor, Nick Slowiak, Damian Ryan, Dave Bains, Archie Montemayor, Tommy McDonald, & Nicole Kinner of Valken.

For more information on purchasing the limited edition LS FRE$H Paintball T-shirt please visit

facebook page for fre$h-paintball.com

All proceeds will be going to LS and his parents Lee & Stacey Goe for the 2011 NPPL Las Vegas Paintball World Championships.

If you would like to be a company sponsor and have your business represented on the T-shirt please visit facebook page for fre$h-paintball.com

Please note the deadline is Sunday October 2^nd.

Also visit the following facebook pages for further details

fre$h-paintball.com

Identity Paintball

Pray for LS