Kyle Barry of Tampa Bay Damage:
Formerly a New York Outlaw and now Tampa Bay Damage, Kyle Barry shares his passion for the game and his thoughts on playing professional paintball his first season. You may recognize him from the Resurrection Series on PBNation where episodes 1-4 are available now for your viewing! Click the photo!
T: You've been on Tampa Bay Damage for about a season now how do you like it so far?
Kyle: The damage crew is amazing! The six veterans, Jacob Edwards, Jason FK Edwards, Dan Holliday, Timmy Propst, LP Everett, and Bryan Smith showed me so much about paintball and life in the 2015 season i feel like a different person. My rookie year was filled with lessons that will help me for the rest of my life. I look forward in trying to follow in their footsteps and make Florida one of the top states for professional paintball.
T: Wow, believe it or not I kinda did the same thing with this move to Texas. Respect!
Kyle: The hardest journey has the best destinations man!
T: Do you feel any pressure since you've moved from New York into new territory in Florida?
Kyle: Moving to Florida was a pressure itself. I have been giving my entire life to paintball for the past 9 years while trying to be a successful business man as well.
T: I know transitions aren't as easy I'm seeing for myself since I've relocated to play higher division paintball in San Antonio, but how was it for you moving to Florida?
Kyle: When i got to Florida over a year ago i sold my car to get here to play world cup. After world cup I was left with no job, no car, and living in my parents garage. Leaving my team and friends in New York I had all the pressure on my shoulders to not only find another semi pro paintball team but get my life back in order. The pressure to be successful in a new area was extremely intense, but the best of things only comes from the worst of things.
T: You used to teach paintball clinics for kids, talk about that its a pretty cool thing to do.
Kyle: In 2010 a camp arose called JMU Extreme Camp that incorporated paintball. Chris Tucci, an old Power Surge player, his father and myself ran the camp. This was the best paintball experience I’ve ever had! I saw a new group of kids every week, summing up to a total of about 1,200 kids a year. Each kid was required to try paintball, this was a great way to learn how to attract young players to paintball. In the matter of three years I made around 15 strong competitive speed players from the ages of 9 to 14 that ended up competing in a local league. This started a fire inside of me of helping develop this amazing sport of paintball. I want to show the world the competitive side of paintball, and i think everyone will see the amazing side of paintball I see.
T: Was Chris Tucci the same person who taught you the way that added the fuel to the fire to be the best you could be competitively? In the Resurrection series you got the fire in your eyes 24/7 and you show it on the field.
Kyle: I was taught by a teams like Albany Power Surge, New Jersey Jesters, and other high caliber teams in the Northeast.These guys have been with me since I was 13 years old, teaching me paintball and helping me in life along the way. What I saw when I was growing up was a lack of attraction for new competitive players.
The fire in my eyes is my goal showing through I think, I'm not 100% sure. I have so much love for this sport its the only thing I show passion for.
T: Is Tampa Bay Damage finally getting a coach also? Jason (Edwards) has a lot on his plate.
Kyle: Tampa Bay Damage will have a coach this year, a new coach to the pro league. I think this guy will be what our team needs to relieve some stress of the veterans.
T: We talked before and I mentioned that Jason should of let you get more spins on the field, you were on fire every point! Is it more of a seniority thing right now?
Kyle: My playing time is strictly determined by my performance. I am with a team of some of the best paintball players in the world. I am just a sponge trying to get to their level now. When they think I’m ready I will get the playing time
T: Ever get cold feet some days when the pressure's on?
Kyle: Honestly, the only event i got any jitters was world cup. Even in Dallas, my pro debut, I wasn’t nervous at all. How are you suppose to be nervous when your playing along side the Edward brothers? World cup was a different situation. I was told I was starting the first point and my stomach did drop, but after the buzzer sound that nervous feeling became euphoria.
T: Who gets you hyped the most on your team?
Kyle: Jason Edwards is definitely my hype man
T: For those that don't know much of what goes on in the pro world whats your day to day life for Kyle in the working world?
Kyle: In the real world I’m a media and advertising consultant for a company called Valpak. I actually went after the job to learn marketing and advertising methods for businesses to help grow paintball fields. So my day usually starts at 7 am, breakfast and heading to the office. I work till around 5-6 or until i need to go to the gym. The rest of the day consists of watching paintball, training, and putting efforts to help local paintball fields and my sponsors. Recently I put Tampa Bay Damage's final series episode in a local movie theater, hosting a big event and getting support for paintball in southwest Florida.
T: Lastly, any words for those out there who want to take that step to be in your position, you've done some stuff most guys won't.
Kyle: To the people out there looking to be a professional paintball player, be a professional. Take this as any other sport, if you want to be a professional train like a pro. If you are not putting in as much effort as Stephen Curry is in basketball, don't expect to go pro. If we treat this as a PROFESSIONAL SPORT you will be on your path to a professional. You need to train hard, focus on getting better, and never stop striving to be the best. This crazy sport of paintball is not paved in stone, find your way to perform and make your team win. Go outside the box and break the mold of paintball, aim to be the person that makes paintball a billion dollar industry. Aim to be better than the best five players you know. Just remember that all this effort is to be the best at the funnest sport you've ever played, don't stop having fun.
T: Kyle thanks for contribution to my blog and sharing it with the people. Is there anyone you'd like to thank?
Kyle: I would like to thank CJ and our sponsors, Virtue Paintball, Bnkrkings, Macdev, Wicked Sports, and Valken Paintball. Also like to thank everyone that has supported me, the encouraging words are more enthusiasm than you can imagine.
Thank you man for asking me to be a part of this.