BTO - Basic Tournament Orientation

The BTO - Basic Tournament Orientation is something, which all tournament players have to go though in Singapore to be allowed to play on a field without the centerline. This is because the current Singapore Police regulations state that a paintball field must have a line running through the center of which the players may not cross to the other side. This is to prevent injury and any altercations that may result from close range shooting.

This rule of course does not allow speedball to be played in its proper way. To enable people to play speedball – the members of the PBAS and Red Sevens went to speak to the Police and came to an agreement that the players that wish to play on a speedball field without the center line and play in tournaments - should be ‘certified tournament players’.

Thus the BTO was created to show the police that an effort to educate and register tournament players. This is nothing new because in Singapore, if you want to play golf, you also need to be certified. You need to at least have a handicap or greens license from a Golf Pro. This to ensure that all players know the proper rules and etiquette of golf.

The BTO started off as a half hour lecture on the rules, the history of the game and basic tournament play. After the theory there is a 2-3 game practical. This also happens in Golf here in Singapore - you are required to play 2-3 holes with a Golf Pro before he/she will certify you as a player fit to play in any golf course in Singapore.

Now I personally prefer that we don’t have to put all the new players through the BTO. Because I wish everyone can just walk in and play without having to sit and listen to really basic things. And I find it hard to tell my NPPL D2 player that he has to sit though a basic course on paintball in order to play speedball in Singapore.

However, I do find it is better to have new player go through the BTO because they learn something. And even after the theory session - we find that some people still don’t know what they’re doing on the field. Imagine not having the BTO - things would be worse and people could get injured.

Another thing I want to clear is that the BTO was not created by the Red Sevens for the sake of creating a BTO. I rather not have to stay late to assess new players again and again. But the BTO it is a necessity even though it seems like an unnecessary process. Without it the field would not allow you to play and risk getting into trouble with the Singapore Police.

I know that there are many people who readily ridicule and criticise the BTO - I think that’s most unfair. It is easy for you to shoot your mouth off but you don’t appreciate the amount of work that has gone into the process of getting players like you to play without the centerline.

If you can come up with an alternative idea to be legally allowed to play without the center line - by all means please go ahead and do it. Don’t talk about it in the comments section because talk is cheap. Go and do it so we can all stop having to run the BTO and you can feel justified in getting rid of the BTO.

I think the three people who have organized and run the BTOs deserve some respect for getting you the opportunity to play without the centerline.

It’s unfair to criticize and ridicule the people who have done all the hard work to set up and run the BTO. They met and worked with the police to came up with a solution to playing without the centerline. Without all this hard work - you wouldn’t be playing speedball in Singapore. There wouldn’t be a speedball feild in Singapore.

Respect should also go to the person who conducts the BTO course and takes time out to run though the BTO lecture time and time again with different groups. Every tournament player in Singapore has gone through his lecture. He doesn’t get paid for his time- he does it to help the promotion of the sport in Singapore.

I don’t see anyone else – coming up with another way to allow players to play without the centerline. I do know that there are people who ridicule and criticize the whole BTO process. If the BTO was stopped (because you think its stupid) – then the development of the sport in Singapore will effectively cease in its tracks. Do you critics have an alternate solution to this?

So if you claim to want to help promote paintball in Singapore - wouldn’t it be a great help to the cause if you didn’t shoot your mouth about the BTO and the people who created and run it?