SPPL 2008 Qualifier Recap
by Ian "Lo" Ebersole on Mar 04, 2009
The SPPL has taken the new year by storm, with more qualifiers, a refined rule set, and massive prize packages. In this issue, we’ll be giving a brief recap of each of the 2008 Qualifier events this year, and a preview of what you can expect from the World Championship in Georgia.
The season began with an event at Low Country Paintball in Ludowici, Georgia. Also the home of the upcoming SPPL World Championship, the Low Country field has been a player favorite for years, and for good reason. Billy Smith of Low Country and his staff have consistently put on great events, and the field is one of the premier venues in the southeast. The SPPL was proud to return to Low Country in 2008.
The first major event of the year did not disappoint, with great games between the local Black and Blue Krew and the legendary Bad Company (BC) Army in the Elite division. In the Masters division, the GTF All Stars fought for the swing flag against Rebel Force Pirates and Riff Raff, while Xtreme Behavior, GTF Corps, and PBW all competed in the Rookie division.
As paint flew through the palmettos and players crawled through soft cover of all types, Black and Blue Krew, GTF All Stars, and Xtreme Behavior were all able to come away with their division championships. GTF All Stars also won the Sportsmanship Award honor. (Detailed coverage of the Georgia Qualifier can be found in our previous issue. Check it out, if you haven’t yet!)
The Sportsmanship Award has been a key component in the SPPL since the origin of the league. Awarded by a common vote of the players and referee staff, it reflects the courtesy and actions of a team on and off the field, and is arguably the most prestigious award at the qualifier level. Beyond the ramifications of being designated the most sportsmanlike team at a given qualifier, the award also carries with it a prize package equivalent to that given for first place. Partially because of the presence of this award, and partially because of the caliber of players attracted to SPPL events, the level of sportsmanship present is, as a rule, impeccable. This year has even seen a large number of teams taking first or second place in their division and winning the sportsmanship award simultaneously. In the SPPL, nice guys don’t have to finish last.
To open the month of May, the SPPL returned to its birthplace for the Utah Qualifier. Held at the Retribution field, home of the 2005 SPPL Qualifier and Finals, players from Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Nevada gathered to trade paint, Nerf rockets and post-game stories at a furious pace. Despite mud which made the already challenging steep slopes of the field even more difficult, teams battled tenaciously for every flag and every capture objective. The Retribution field also offered a number of unique structures and wooded areas to play in, specifically designed and chosen for the format, which added to the event.
Competing in the Elite Division in Utah were ForestFire and Run, two teams who had faced off against each other in Utah in previous years. The Masters division included a plethora of teams including Desert Edge, Montana Inertia, the Chupacabras, the Autobots, Eternus Doxa and Team Heat, while the rookie division saw the likes of Feel the Paint, Black Light Company, Suicide Kings and Shadow Legion. In the final matches, ForestFire, Desert Edge, and Black Light Company were able to come out on top of their respective divisions, with Feel the Paint from Colorado’s western slope taking home the sportsmanship award of the event.
Next, Jayson and the SPPL crew traveled to sunny California, and the TAAG paintball field in North Fork. ForestFire returned to the Elite division at this event, alongside the Forest Demons Elite squad and California Regime, a team comprised mostly of veteran SPPL players from California Gridlock. The Masters division also saw a returning team from the Utah qualifier, the Chupacabras, as well as a new team, the Elite Mercs.
Despite the small turnout, and issues which forced a few teams to play short of a full roster, this event was a great step for the SPPL into the paintball hotbed which California has become. The very competitive Forest Demons team was able to overcome the stiff challenge of ForestFire and Regime to take the first place prize package back north, while the Chupacabras were able to utilize their SPPL experience to scare up a win against the Elite Mercs squad. For their tenacious play despite being outnumbered, and their sportsmanship the Elite Mercs were rewarded with the Sportsmanship award.
Oregon has always been an event with a huge turnout, and this year was to be no exception. Despite gas prices and economic woes galore, the event held at Splat Action Paintball filled to 17 teams. The Rookie division featured 6 teams, including GangGreen, Devils Herd, Leap Frog, Black Sheep Squadron, a rookie squad from Forest Demons, and a squad from the Suicide Kings. Meanwhile, 8 teams made a run on the Masters title, from SPPL staple teams like the Irregulators, Forest Demons, and the Chupacabras to Team Nemesis, Havoc, Strength and Honor, and the Shattered Angels. And to round out the event, ForestFire, Forest Demons Elite, and the Able Company Immortals all battled in the Elite division.
As the weekend began, anticipation was heavy in the air. The Splat Action field has often been praised as one of the best fields for the SPPL in the country, and the competition and camaraderie both promised to be second-to-none. Old friendships and old rivalries were renewed, and the sportsmanship present was amazing to see. GangGreen, a very strong team, was able to clinch the rookie division, with Devils Herd and Forest Demons Rookie close behind. In the Masters division, the Forest Demons beat out a experienced Nemesis squad for first, while the Irregulators took third. And in a rematch of the California qualifier, the final match for the Elite division resulted in a Forest Demons victory over ForestFire. Black Sheep Squadron took home the sportsmanship award.
The next SPPL major event came to Illinois, and CPX Sports south of Chicago. The recent host of the Living Legends game also stepped up the challenge of hosting an SPPL qualifier, and passed with flying colors. With four teams in attendance, the event was shortened to one intense day of play, taxing for all teams, but incredibly full of paint-slinging action. Failure to Flatline, the Heretics, and Gideon Force all competed in the Masters division, and Adrenaline Attack made the trip across the border to play in the elite division. Failure to Flatline began their strong season with a win at this event, beating out an excellent Heretics team and Gideon Force. The Heretics, long proclaimed ambassadors of the sport and one of the most involved teams in the Chicago area, were awarded the sportsmanship award for the qualifier.
The prize packages for the 2008 season have been incredible, and are only bound to get better at the upcoming World Finals event. Featuring prizes generously provided by Tippmann, Vforce, Stiffi, Planet Eclipse, Smart Parts, Maddman Paintball, APE, Fireball Energy Drinks, and Qloader, the prize packages are valued at over $175,000 for the season, an unprecedented amount in the arena of woods paintball. These prizes are awarded for first- through third-place finishes in the Elite and Masters divisions, in addition to the sportsmanship award. Also, all divisions including the Rookie classifications receive trophies and medallions for first- through third-place finishes.
The Cousins Paintball hosted New York event took place July 26th and 27th. Back for the first step toward defending their 2006 and 2007 World Championship titles was Smart Corps. These seasoned SPPL veterans would face the challenge of the OTP Saints in the Elite division. Competing in the SPPL’s Masters division were teams Black Eagle Squadron, 110 Paintball, and NY Spin Down. Playing on one of the original woodsball tournament fields was a unique experience for most players, as they covered the same ground and worked the same angles as the original Ironmen, and that significance was not lost.
Smart Corps has been undefeated in the SPPL so far, and this streak was not broken, as the players from Pennsylvania defeated the OTP Saints for the Elite title. In the Master’s division, Black Eagle Squadron and 110 Paintball faced off for the championship match, and were both met with a deluge of rain. With masks fogging and markers hiccupping, the Black Eagle Squadron was able to defeat the 8-man 110 Paintball team for a victory. However, 110 Paintball did not walk away any less laden in prizes than their competition, as they were awarded the recipients of the Sportsmanship award.
Two weekends later, the SPPL came to Drop Zone Paintball near Lawrence, Kansas. One of the best respected and longest standing fields in the state, the Drop Zone field was an excellent mix of forested and urban terrain which allowed a great number of game plans to be used. A single-day event, this qualifier featured Almost Famous in the Elite Division as well as Ghost Recon and Black Light Company. Playing in a constant, soaking downpour of rain made this qualifier more challenging than others, with markers refusing to fire and masks fogging at every turn. Nevertheless, the teams adjusted, and the sounds of markers blazing and Nerf rockets flying through the air overcame that of the torrent.
As teams challenged each other for the swing base and the central objective, it was clear that the experience and skill of the Almost Famous team befitted their classification in the Elite Division. For the final match, Black Light Company and Ghost Recon squared off, equally drenched, equally tired, and equally prepared to give their all for one more hour. Black Light Company was able to get the early edge in territory, especially on the lower side of the field, but Ghost Recon dug in and continued to cause problems on the more heavily wooded upper side of the field. After the halftime switch, Ghost Recon continued to press their advantage in the upper woods, finishing the game by entirely blowing the right flank of the Black Light players open, and pushing 4 players to the BLC main base. However, this last push was not enough to turn the tide of BLC’s territorial dominance, and the game went to the team from Colorado. For their assistance and post-game advice to both of the up and coming teams, Almost Famous rightfully earned the Sportsmanship award and added to their already substantial prize package.
Michigan has consistently been an anchor event for the SPPL, and the teams from the Great Lakes Region once again proved their love of the SPPL format, as the Great Lakes Rangers, Smart Corps, Malignant Force, Delta Ops, Gideon Force, the Heretics, Failure to Flatline and Achilles all made appearances, Failure to Flatline with a pair of squads. Smart Corps returned to fight for a second first place finish in the Elite division, challenged by the Great Lakes Rangers, while the remaining teams competed for a Masters bracket title. Hell Survivors hosted this event, and as they have done so many times in the past, contributed to a great event with accommodations and a reffing crew that is seldom matched in the paintball world.
Once again, the Smart Corps steamroller could not be stopped, even by the Great Lakes Ranger crew. This first place victory by Smart Corps places them in the contention for a third run at the world championship with the maximum amount of national ranking points from events played going into the Finals. In the Masters division, Failure to Flatline and Failure to Flatline 2 took the first and second place finishes, with the Heretics taking a hard fought third place. Failure to Flatline also showed why they are such great representatives of the sport by taking home the sportsmanship award.
As of the time of this writing, the Tennessee and World Championship events have not occurred. However, teams such as BC Army, Xtreme Fanatics, Rebel Force Pirates, GTF All-Stars, Underground Mod Shop, Ghost Squad, Flying Monkey, Good Fellows and Crowley Ridge have registered to play at the Bear Claw hosted Tennessee event. The World Championships are also proving to be an excellent event, with 14 of the top teams around the country registered, and more to come as the day draws closer. As it stands, the Elite division will see intense competition from Black and Blue Krew, BC Army, ForestFire, Forest Demons, Regime and Smart Corps, while the Masters division will feature GTF All Stars, Forest Demons, Adrenaline, Rebel Force Pirates, and Riff Raff. The Suicide Kings from Nevada and Black Light Company from Colorado also will be making a run at the Rookie Division World Championship.
Georgia:
Elite Division:
1st Place: Black and Blue Krew
2nd Place: BC Army
Masters Division:
1st Place: GTF All Stars
2nd Place: Riff-Raff
3rd Place: Rebel Force Pirates
Rookie Division:
1st Place: Xtreme Behavior
2nd Place: GTF Corps
3rd Place: PBW
Sportsmanship: GTF All Stars
Utah:
Elite Division:
1st Place: ForestFire
2nd Place: Run
Masters Division:
1st Place: Desert Edge Yin
2nd Place: Desert Edge Yang
3rd Place: Montana Inertia
Rookie Division:
1st Place: Black Light Company
2nd Place: Suicide Kings
3rd Place: Feel The Paint
Sportsmanship:
Feel The Paint
California:
Elite Division:
1st Place: Forest Demons
2nd Place: Forestfire
3rd Place: Regime
Masters Division:
1st Place: Chupacabras
2nd Place: Elite Mercs
Sportsmanship: Elite Mercs
Oregon:
Elite Division:
1st Place: Forest Demons Elite
2nd Place: ForestFire
3rd Place: Able Company Immortals
Masters Division:
1st Place: Forest Demons Masters
2nd Place: Team Nemesis
3rd Place: Irregulators
Rookie Division:
1st Place: GangGreen
2nd Place: Devils Herd
3rd Place: Forest Demons Rookie
Sportsmanship: Black Sheep
Illinois:
Elite Division:
1st Place: Adrenaline
Masters Division
1st Place: Failure To Flatline
2nd Place: Heretics
3rd Place: Gideon Force
Sportsmanship: Heretics
New York:
Elite Division:
1st Place: Smart Parts
2nd Place: OTP Paintball
Masters Division:
1st Place: Black Eagle Squadron
2nd Place: 110 Paintball
3rd Place: NYSpin Down
Sportsmanship: 110 Paintball
Kansas:
Elite Division:
1st Place: Almost Famous
Masters Division:
1st Place: Black Light Company
2nd Place: Ghost Recon
Sportsmanship: Almost Famous
Michigan:
Elite Division:
1st Place: Smart Corps
2nd Place: Great Lakes Rangers
Masters Division:
1st Place: Failure to Flatline
2nd Place: Failure to Flatline 2
3rd Place: Heretics
Sportsmanship: Failure to Flatline