Pro paintball heats up as the leagues head toward mid-season. The same big three leagues dominate the world: the NPPL, PSP, and Millennium Series. New action in the UAPL holds new promise with its 3/3 small team format, and a Las Vegas, Nevada, venue.
PSP  The pro breakout formation of Rage. Photo courtesy Rage.  Rage, now sponsored by PMI Inc., will shoot PMI Ultra Evil paint this season. Photo courtesy Rage.  This is the PSP Texas event field layout grid, which teams could set up at home to practice ahead of the event. Drawing courtesy PSP.  PSP referee. Photo courtesy PSP |
Paintball Sports Promotions opened its season with the 2006 Texas Open, February 16-19 at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, Texas, near Austin. Round Rock is known as the sports capital of Texas, hosting many sports events. Austin is home to the University of Texas with nearly 50,000 students. For 2006, the NXL XBall league is part of the PSP, rather than being its own separate entity as last season and before. PSP information: Keely Watson, keely@pspevents.com;www.pspevents.com.
Tim Schroepfer is in charge of PSP rules, and the referees and the new referee training program. Changes this season include having an ultimate judge who is off the field, and who oversees the referees as well as resolves disagreements arising from game play. The PSP's referee certification program included early season clinics in Alabama, Missouri, and Southern California. Registration is online at www.pspevents.com and the cost is $85 per trainee. Classes are limited to 30 with a suggested minimum age of 16. The courses include rules, referee positions, safety, and attitude, with on-field and classroom instructions. Info: clinics@pspevents.com. The PSP's Watson reminds trainees that there is no guarantee of a spot as a judge at a PSP national event following training.
Sponsor Talk NXe signed Chicago Aftershock to a sponsorship agreement. John Bosch, NXe president, indicated his pleasure in making the announcement, in a press release. Shocktech is a master distributor for NXe, and Bad Boyz Toyz is an NXe key retail partner. Visit www.nxepaintball.com; www.teamaftershock.com; www.shocktechusa.com; www.badboyztoyz.com.
DYE Precision Inc. signed Oliver Lang to a multi-year endorsement agreement, as announced February 6, 2006. Lang will use DYE paintball products exclusively, and consult in future product development. He will play for the Los Angeles Ironmen, leaving Dynasty and returning to the first pro team he played for. Dave Youngblood, CEO of DYE, said in a press release, "Oliver's youthfulness, style, and aggressive play align perfectly with our cutting-edge design and unconventional thinking, making him an excellent representative for the DYE brand." Visit www.ollielang.com; www.dyepaintball.com.
Smart Parts Inc. signed the Naughty Dogs professional paintball team to a two-year contract for 2006 through the 2007 World Cup with an option for a third season. The Naughty Dogs will shoot the Shocker and Freak Barrel System, with power from the new Max-Flo Micro 4500 preset air system. A private-label Naughty Dogs Shocker along with an ION Body Kit are in development, and will be sold by National Paintball Supply or the Naughty Dogs Inc. Adam Gardner, president of Smart Parts Inc., said in a press release, "It's a real pleasure to have so many top professional teams choosing Smart Parts...and the Naughty Dogs have certainly been among the top professional teams for the past several years now."
PMI Inc. signed Miami Rage and Str8killas to 2006 contracts, with the teams to shoot PMI's Ultra Evil paint. Rage's Art Mendoza said, in a press release, "We are very excited to be shooting the best paint in the world. ...We look forward to shooting fools with the almost impossible to wipe Ultra Evil."
Smart Parts Inc. signed Comin' at Ya to a two-year contract that starts with the 2006 season and runs through the 2007. Comin' at Ya won the 2005 German Series and 2004 Millennium Series D1. The team will shoot the Shocker and Freak Barrel System powered by the Max-Flo Micro 4500 preset air system. Philip Webb, European affairs director for Smart Parts Inc., said in a press release, "These guys have an excellent reputation throughout Europe and compete at the highest level."
NXe signed Russian Legion to a two-year sponsorship agreement, from 1/1/2006 through 12/31/2007. The team's manager is Alex Solodovnikov. NXe's president, John Bosch, stated in a press release, "The team's commitment to be the best, together with their passion for the game, mirrors NXe's commitment and passion to be the best at what we do." NXe plans custom Russian Legion gear to be released by mid-2006. Visit www.nxepaintball.com; www.russianlegion.ru.
Authority has been signed by VPD, Ground Zero Paintball, and XO Industries for 2006. Authority won the 2005 CFOA. The team, based in North Carolina with home field Adventure Beach Paintball, plans to enter the CFOA, NPPL, PSP, and other events, shooting XO Industries paintballs. VPD's Steve Davidson said, in a press release, "We're very excited to have Authority on board this year. Their presence under the XO banner adds a jewel to the crown of kick-butt teams shooting our Extremely Addictive paintballs." Ellis Lay is the owner and manager of Authority. Info: VPD, 386.437.7220, vpd@cfl.rr.com, www.vengeancepaintballdistributors.com; Ground Zero Paintball, 888.759.2578, www.gzpaintball.com; Authority and Adventure Beach Paintball, 910.653.3363, www.adventurebeach.com.
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NPPL  Sliding into cover! Millennium Series. Photo by Skirmish.com.  The downfield look. NPPL. Photo by Skirmish.com.  Shooting PMI Evil! Photo by Skirmish.com. |
The AFTS, So-Cal's Adrenaline Force Tournament Series will be a Super 7 feeder this season into the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL). With its opener held back in February at Fields of Fury, Acton, California (home of pro Eric Felix), the series moves on through a total of five events. AFTS series owners are Randy Bocelli and Tanya Carter. These are one-day events with various divisions. ID cards required. Registration: www.afts.tv or call 760.241.9097. AFTS sponsors include Kingman, JT USA, Trinity, BringitonPaintball .com, DYE, ZAP, Criticalpaintball.com, Archon Paintball, No Limit, CC Paintball, Jag Precision, Joey & JC Corp, and WPN. NPPL information: call 714.536.9050 or visit www.nppl.tv.
The NPPL continued with another top-quality venue, the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida, for its second stop this season (May 19-21). The playing surface: grass.
Shawn Walker, appointed NPPL general manager, will continue to run the XPSL. He relocated to Huntington Beach, near NPPL headquarters, to facilitate his responsibilities. Programs this season include an extensive membership program with player tracking, ranking, team statistics and benefits to players and promoters. NPPL president Chuck Hendsch said in a press release that "in order for the league to grow, we need to align ourselves with quality individuals who are innovative and have the drive to excel. Shawn has all these attributes and more. We are very pleased to have him on board." Walker may be contacted at 714.536.9050 or shawn@nppl.tv.
NPPL referee training continues this season through the NPPL PRO (Paintball Referee Organization). Instructors usually are Dan Perez and Shawn Walker. The course costs $100 and runs for two days.
The NPPL is a player-run organization that sanctions and governs paintball tournaments and play. Paintball teams compete and are awarded points in five divisions (Professional, Semi Pro, Division I, Division II, and Division III) to determine an overall champion in each division. The NPPL is committed to setting rules, standards, and guidelines for safe, competitive, fair paintball competitions worldwide. www.nppl.tv
Millennium Series Redz International of Medford, New Jersey, renewed its sponsorship of the Millennium Series for 2006, supporting the series for the fourth year. The Millennium Series is known for its use of SupAir inflatable bunkers, astro-turf, and stadium locations. Visit: www.redzcomfort.com; www.redzeurope.com; U.S., Carmen Borgia, VP Redz International, phone 877.873.3432; Europe Lars Herzig, managing director, Redz Europe, phone +49-(0) 6087-989120. Redz's European-based distributor is Paint-Xtreme.
Europe's Millennium Series 7man Paintball World Cup 2006 venue, Prado Beach, is in downtown Marseille. Visit www.millennium-series.com.
The M5 system for the Millennium Series is a "self seeding" event played on Saturday and Sunday only. It replaces DIV. Teams get a minimum of 12 games plus the playoffs. Teams are randomly placed into division of seven for Saturday. Games run on each of two fields next to each other, starting at the same time. Game time: five minutes. Prelims are six games. Teams are re-seeded by score for Sunday play of another six games. Then the top 14 teams play in M5-1, in two divisions of seven and the top two teams moving on. The next 21 teams play in M5-2, in three divisions of seven with the top team moving to the playoffs. The last 21 teams play in M5-3, in three divisions of seven with the top team going on. Visit www.millennium-series.com.
The M7 Champions League format for the Millennium Series reduced the amount of paint a team shoots, and increases the number of teams that can play per day per field. Called XBall lite, this format lets the scoring and game times be adjusted for levels of play and budgets, and uses stopwatches rather than an XBall scoreboard. The game has a 15-minute period and the first team to score five points wins. One point is scored for a valid buzzer ring with the buzzer replacing a flag, coach throwing in the towel, or if a team is assessed a penalty in the last 90 seconds of the game. These are seven player teams with a max of nine players on a roster. Maximum 10 people on the player area. For full rules, check the Millennium Series Web site.
UAPL The new Ultimate Arena Paintball league, shown on WGN, is a 3/3 event with pro teams competing inside a 50x100-foot cage! The Las Vegas, Nevada, setting gives all teams an equal playing field. One all-female team is included at this time. Check local listings to see when the UAPL shows air on WGN in your area. www.uapl.tv
Dynasty After the February announcement of Oliver Lang's move away from the world championship team, Dynasty, an announcement from Dynasty leader Ryan Greenspan said that Dynasty's lineup would include Alex Fraige, Brian Cole, Johnny Perchak, Yosh Rau, Danny Tiljak, Angel Fragoza, Quincy Boayes, and Greenspan himself. "This is a great opportunity for everyone to play more," Greenspan said. Look for a hard attack from Fraige, and expect to see a lot of Boayes this season.
Dynasty Paintball Club LLC issued a press release regarding the announcement of Lang leaving the organization. Dated February 9, 2006, the release stated, "As most people already know, Oliver Lang has left Dynasty to play for the Ironmen and work for DYE. As of the past weekend, Oliver Lang no longer plays, nor is involved in any part of Dynasty Paintball Club LLC. Acting on his own, without consulting any of the members of Dynasty, Oliver made a decision to join DYE and his original pro team, Ironmen. Of course we were all in shock about Oliver's decision, mainly because we have all been so close for several years and we were not given any prior notice, or the chance to negotiate with Oliver. Although some people may have hard feelings, both on our side, as well as fans, Dynasty wishes Oliver the best of luck with his decision, and in his future. Oliver is an amazing player, and his energy and emotional strength will be missed on the field, but Dynasty will continue to be on the forefront of paintball, and we promise all of our fans and our sponsors that we will keep our heads up and give everything we have to continue as the No. 1 ranked team in the world. Thank you to everyone who understands and supports us. -Ryan Greenspan, Dynasty, San Diego, CA.
What Does Rocky Shoot? APG reader Gizmo asked the question, "What does Rocky Cagnoni shoot?" The answer, straight from the pro himself: "I use an 06 Speed with the Tao Dao Board in it. Before that an 05 Speed with same board, before that an Angel Force Fly. ...L8er."
