MAXING

'Maxing' is (ancient) paintball slang for a total victory. You can only achieve a 'max' with a perfect win - eliminating the entire other team, grabbing their flag first, hanging their flag in your team base and doing it all without losing a single one of your own players during the process.

Shortly after Paintball Retailer - the magazine I edited - folded, I needed a source of income. There were no books about paintball currently on the market, I'd written plenty of advice columns and articles and tournament paintball was coming on strong. It seemed like a market made in heaven. I gathered my notes and started writing and the result was MAXING: A Guide to Wining Tournament Play. It sold for $24.95 a copy, shipping included, and I lived off the proceeds for more than a year.

Here's the original cover and table of contents. That's Ron 'Sparky' Stark on the cover, one of the original Werewolves and a founder of the Imperial Guard, our offensive-defensive unit. I'd often hide behind Ron as we ran into an opponent's flag station. He was so big, the other team rarely saw me.

He's also the one who hung the Rabid Chihauhau nickname on me.