Read the exclusive interview with our very own Ami Helge.

Before Ami Helge moved from the US to Sweden to hook up with rushhour.se she worked for a famous paintball magazine. She is for sure a very interesting person, read her life story here on rushhour.se

How are you doing?

Good

Short and concise. Let us start of from the beginning. Lets see, can you please tell me a little about where you are from?

I am from the USA, a small town in the middle of nowhere, Missouri. I am married to my best friend Mats, a swedish guy. We dont have any children per say. Just 3 very spoiled cats, Adde, Fabbe and Sebbe. I study here in Sweden to learn the Swedish language, graphics design and photography. My only hobbies are photography, my family and paintball. I am a geek by nature.

I think Its cool to have a fullblooded american in rushhour.se, but let me ask, how did you end up in Sweden at first place?

Simply put, Love. Mats and I met on the internet in a paintball chatroom and became friends. We talked, emailed and messaged for almost a year. Then he came to visit me in the US. And as the cliche goes. one thing led to another and that led to a marriage proposal after about 6 months. We only lived in the US for about 9 months before we decided to pack up everything and move home to sweden.

Alright, thats a love story of a kind. We are all very happy you ended up here in Sweden, perhaps we should thank Mats for that? But how did you get in touch of paintball at the first place.

Got a few lifetimes for me to tell that story?

I would let you know if I had. But can you please try to tell it short and concise?

I started my own company in 1999. I had a very very high stress level with no outlet to reduce it. A guy I was dating told me about paintball. It sounded kinda scary at first but I said to myself what the hell, What have I got to loose?

He took me out to the field to the guys he practiced with and I watched a few games. Then I gave it a try. My frist time I did quite well, only putting shame to the boyfriend.

So in retrubution I was put on the opposite side of the boyfriend. I got shot up really bad but they were quite surprised to see and hear me say, who is ready for round two?

I guess it was the rush because I never felt the 20 welts that were on my body untill 2 days later I was hooked at first shot.

It almost sounds like you are telling me of a first time drug trip or something. Now to the question we cant and wont avoid. Can you please tell me some about how you started to work as photographer and reporter for a specific and famous paintball magazine in the US?

Again the cliche, one thing led to another. I had gotten in contact with Jessica Sparks, editor for Action Pursuit Games and had played a few times with her. She asked me to write a little bit about myself from the perspective of a chick playing paintball, and it just kept going from there.

I ended up sending a sample to Paintball 2 Xtremes and they kept asking for more. I took my love for photography and added it to the love of writing and they blended so well. I was with PB2X for 3 years. In the past 8 years I have been in paintball I have written on a regular basis and guest basis for 8 different publications

I was present for the very first XBall tournament called the Nations Cup, I have hung out and interviewed the top players in the paintball world. Ive played for and against some of the brightest paintball stars and if we had not moved to Sweden I would have been playing for the Femme Fatales.

Awesome, can you mention a few examples of these famous paintball stars?

Dynasty, Max and Alex Lundqvist, Chris LaSoya, Bob Long, Avery Amaya, Rocky Cagnoni and Ollie Lang

Wow, thats amazing, in what PB2X number can we read your first article?

February 2003. I have all of them here. Every single article Ive ever wrote.

Cool, I would like to read them all some time. I have also heard the rumor that youre enganged to a specific marker as well, is that correct?

Yeah, my first marker was a customized WGP STO, it costed nearly 1500 dollars, after 6 months I bought my first WDP Angel. And again very custom only 1 of 5 made in that color and cut. I wont say how much that one was but it was then that I discovered my love for WDP and Angels. Havent went to another marker since. I have a sponsorship with WDP, I have had it for like the past 4 years, its a special one, not team related.

Alright, there we got the marker question as well. Now, let me ask before I lose it, how did you end up with the wonderful crew behind rushhour.se?

By accident really

Was it the unreliable cliche again?

I had not been able to play for the past 2 years due to an illness, but wanted to stay near paintball. I had talked a few times with Henrik Lundmarker on the fotosidan.se website then he suddenly asked if I wanted to help with a new website. It was rushhour.se. Jens and Grön were thrilled to have me come aboard.

Alright. So back then it was just the four of you. As you are an indispensable source to the whole project, I gotta ask, how long ago was this approx?

6 months ago maybe. I am very new to Rushhour

Okay. what is the target you are aiming for right now with rushhour.se and your studies?

My goal personally is to be able to bring rushhour up and beyond the level of its competetion. As for my studies I hope to become a graphic designer that can work in advertising or be able to start my own advertising and photo studio here in sweden.

That really sounds like a worthy and great target to fight for. Im getting a bit jelous here. Now lets move on to the more simple questions. Who or whom are your biggest hero or heroes in the wide world of paintball? Except the rushhour crew of course.

I actually have two. One male and one female. As for the male my friend Max Lundqvist. As for the female my really good Friend Bea Youngs Paxson Both are wonderful ambassadors to paintball.

Seems to be a nice mix of friends you have got there. What does any ordinary week looks like in your shoes?

Hmm. four days a week i study at home for my Graphics Design classes and 1 day a week I spend 2.5 hours in a classroom learning swedish. I spend time in the evenings finishing up my diploma in Photography via distance program from the USA. On the weekends I help my husband and his family in their shops here in central Växjö, Sweden. I spend a great deal of time with my husband and our three cats.

Okay, that seems to be a nice way to use your shoes. Now, Im gonna start rounding this of by asking the question everybody seems to have troubles with answering. What do you wish for christmas?

Oh hell. I think that would have to be a whole other interview in itself. But to give a general buying area it would have to be something for my camera or photo studio.

Thats always on my wishlist as well. But what are you most looking forward to at the rest of the year, except christmas eve of course?

Being done with Swedish as second language B and Komvux so then I can apply to a graphics design program at a swedish univerisity.

Okay. The next quick question, What is your motto?

you are going to die on this one. You say bitch like its a bad thing.

Haha, did you really make that up by yourself?

No, I had a tshirt that said that. I adopted it and it just fits and has fit for quite some time. another that fits me is, just watch me, because so many people in my life told me I cant do something or couldnt accomplish.

There is no such thing as a bad motto I guess. This seems to be the last question this time, when and where were you as happiest?

The past 5 years with Mats and here in Sweden.

The lovestory cliche again. Thanks for your time to letting us know you a little better, I hope it didnt take up too much of your study time. See you on rushhour.se