Seventeen years old and already the front man for the world-class SC Ironmen, Oliver Lang has made enough waves to get our undivided attention for, oh, at least five minutes…
Name: Oliver Lang Nickname: O dog Age: 17 Occupation: Kid Time playing: Four years Team: SC Ironmen Position on team: In the grinder or up-front, whatever you want to call it Guns used: KAPP Cocker, Adrenalin Angel and my trusty old Britney Spears Angel
How did you get into Paintball? I went for my birthday when I was in 8th grade at school. I got hooked with my friend Alex and haven’t stopped playing since.
How did you become a world-class player so fast? I love this sport more than anything (sorry mom). I play every weekend, both days, rain or shine. I can’t remember the last time I missed a day. I’d rather do this than anything else in the world. Every time I play I try to get better and win, and it’s that that led me to be where I am today. I’ve still got a way to go until I’m at my absolute best though. I’m still young.
Quite. You’re the youngest Pro player on the NPPL circuit. Does that scare you? No. I’ve played lots of tournaments, and the only thing that scares me is losing. I feel confident both on and off the field, even as a small little wimpy kid who gets picked on by all the old guys. But I can handle it.
You’re already at the height of Pro Paintball. Where do you go from here? All I want to do is play, win, and become the best paintballer there has ever been.
Fair enough. What were you doing when you were asked to play for the Ironmen? I played for Outta Control (now Team KAPP) and started the Iron Kids at the Great Western Series. We ruled that circuit and won a lot of tournaments last year as Iron Kids, then we won the World Cup 1999 as Outta Control. I was just a stupid kid before I joined the Iro men. Now I’m a stupid Iron Kid. Amen!
So what do you bring to the team as a player? I try to bring comic relief to those old farts with my silly attitude and dumb trickery. But my job is to shoot people and win. That’s my main game plan. Sometimes it works, and other times it blows up in my face - literally.
What do you get from the team (apart from free Paintball gear)? People wouldn’t believe the knowledge I’m gaining from these old guys like Shane, Marty, Benini, Brahim and the master himself, Dave. I’m learning stuff I would have never learned on Outta Control. People give me crap for leaving OC, but I felt that I wasn’t getting anywhere and could become an even better player if I joined the Ironmen. I still learn something new every day.
What do you think makes the Ironmen such a good team? We all have that winning mentality and that’s the bottom line. The right leadership and friendship helps as well.
Which players do you respect the most, and is there a player on the circuit whose style you’ve tried to follow in order to improve your own game? There are a lot of awesome players out there. Everyone at Image has played a big part in getting me where I am today. Not forgetting good friends and the whole Iron Kids posse. There are a few players that really inspire me, but one that stands out is Steve Rabackoff. I saw him pull a move at the first tournament I ever went to and I thought to myself, "I can do that".. From then on, whenever I pulled an awesome move, I said, "I pulled a Rabackoff".
That’s funny, cos we interviewed him too, and he never mentioned you. Anyway, what’s your biggest achievement so far? Man, there have been a lot of cool stories. Most of them come from the Iron Kids archives. Just imagine, 11 punk kids coming to a tournament, goofing off, and beating teams with grown men. They didn’t really like us much (sorry all). We won all the 10-Man GWS tournaments (except the one we reffed), and all the 5-Mans we played except one - congratulations Team Little John (inside joke). I loved winning Mardi Gras and Chicago, which was the bomb! Believe me, there will be many more achievements in the future.
What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you at a tournament? I think the worst thing was Pittsburgh when we missed the finals by three points with a hot gun. I won’t give any names but I’ll give you a clue; his first name rhymes with Ryan and his last name with genie and he works at DYE…any guesses?
Nope, doesn’t ring any bells! Do you have an ultimate goal in your Paintball career? I want to win, win, win, win. It doesn’t matter who, what, when, or where, I just wanna win. And I’d like to shoot Jon Richardson - that guy is The Man. Oh, and to snap shoot like Billy Wing - left-handed of course.
You’ve got a summer job at DYE. Do you plan to work in the Paintball industry when you leave school? If I can make enough money to drive a Hummer or Viper, live in a mansion, and meet beautiful Playboy models, I might just consider it.
On second thoughts, perhaps you’d be better suited to law school. If Paintball became Professional in the true sense of the word, would you sign up? Is that a trick question?? Yes of course!
What’s your message to all the other young players out there? Just play from the heart and try your best. Don’t get all cocky, because there will always be someone bigger and better than you. Remember, I started at the bottom too. Keep playing and who knows, one day I could be playing alongside you - or against you . I’d also like to make a shout out to all my dogs in the LBC in no particular order: Big Richard, Eric C, TL, BC, SK, Yosh, Ryan, Eric Roberts, LB, Salm, NC, B Money, AgentO, Knopcock, Lane, Todd Adamson, Kenny K, Family, Ant Dog, the peps at DYE, and to all the others I can’t think of right now!
