Utah Qualifier Competition Update
by Jordan F. Ricks on May 20, 2007
Western Teams Clash at Utah’s Velocity Paintball
Woodsball teams from six western states waged battle on the fields of Velocity Paintball, May 20-21, and forged friendships off the field during the 2006 Scenario Paintball Players’ League™ (SPPL) Utah Qualifier in Slaterville, Utah. Formerly unknown teams gained respect and recognition as a dozen impressive 10-man squads competed for fun, substantial prize packages, and an invitation to the SPPL National Championship Tournament (NCT)
in Oklahoma.
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| 2006 Utah Qualifier Champs – Team Run (Utah) |
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| 2006 Utah Qualifier Sportsmanship Award Winner – Approximately Pi (Colorado) |
• Regional Winner: Team Run (Utah)
• Second: Color Blind (Utah)
• Third: Forest Fire (Washington)
• Fourth: Suppressor (Wyoming)
• Fifth: Malad Elites (Idaho)
In keeping with the growing tradition of the SPPL, the sportsmanship displayed by the participants at the Utah Qualifier was nothing short of impressive. As Jim “Cornstar” Corn, member of Team Run and 7-year pro tourney vet of teams such as Bob Long’s Ironmen, Bushwackers, Fury, and others commented, “Playing in this [SPPL] tournament was like playing in the good ‘ol days. It brought all the fun back into the game.”
Summary of First Round Games
Team Run 169 pts. VS. (801) Fanatics 15 pts.
Team Run wasted no time in their charge for the regional SPPL crown by dispatching an experienced 801 Fanatics team at the onset of Game 1. The two Salt Lake City teams featured friends and familiar faces squaring off against each other, but when the game started, each squad set out to dominate the other.
The 801 Fanatics reached the swing base first and raised their flag one minute into the match, just seconds before Team Run unleashed a furious storm of paint. The 801 squad could only hold the base for three minutes as Team Run peeled off the defenders one by one with a blitz of precise shooting. The high-octane offense of Run swept through the swing base, barely pausing long enough to hoist their flag, before continuing their offensive onslaught.
As 801 pulled back into the “town” where their main base was located, players from Team Run advanced to the small wooden structures at the perimeter of the village. Jim “Cornstar” Corn and Bryce Bingham, both former players on Bob Long’s Ironmen, darted from the woods to a small, mock “outhouse” in the town as Team Run relentlessly pressured their opponents. Corn hoisted Bingham on his shoulders who then raised up over the plywood wall to fire on his opponents.
“Toilet turret!” they shouted as Corn rotated to allow Bingham a variety of shots. This was obviously not a maneuver they had practiced while playing for the Ironmen, but it was effective nonetheless.
Team Run controlled the field for the majority of play and located one capture objective canister (Instant Resurrection) to claim a 169-15 victory.
Color Blind 111 pts. VS. Suppressor 54 pts.
On Field Two, Dale “Pegleg” Price and his teammates of Color Blind (Utah) had their hands full with a strong Suppressor team from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The momentum of the game swung back and forth between the teams during the opening half of the action-packed match, but Color Blind eventually grabbed control of the field and pulled off a 111-54 win.
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| Second Place: Color Blind (Utah) |
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| Fourth Place: Suppressor (Wyoming) |
Kilted Spartans 109 pts. VS. Hellfire 76 pts.
The little-known Kilted Spartans of Wyoming made a strong first impression at the Utah Qualifier with a hard-fought 109-76 win over a talented team Hellfire, from Mesa, Arizona. Both teams bolted for the swing base as the opening siren echoed across the two SPPL playing fields at Velocity Paintball. In addition to the fire team assigned to capture the swing base, Hellfire also dispatched two “scouts” to scour the field for the three capture objectives. Within seconds, Hellfire raised their flag at the swing base, and shortly after, one of the scouts discovered a canister and promptly delivered it to his team commander, Romeo Filip, as outlined in the SPPL rules.
The game initially unfolded as Hellfire anticipated. Their strategy and team speed immediately paid dividends and put them in a position to control the game’s first moments. But their foothold to control the match was precarious – at best – and the determined Kilted Spartans meticulously picked away at Hellfire’s swing base defenders. After a 10-minute shootout, the Spartans effectively pried the base from Hellfire’s grip, and the remaining defender pulled back to the Hellfire main base. The Spartans cautiously swooped in and raised their flag.
In addition to the fall of the swing base, the Arizona woodsballers had inexplicably overlooked the raising of their flag at the onset of the match. (Strangely enough, this happened with several teams throughout the tournament.) Halfway through the 60-minute game, the matter was rectified, but Hellfire had lost 30 valuable points in the process.
Though the Hellfire scouts had found a second canister, team leaders Filip and Mike Storm knew that it still may not be enough to overcome the point deficit, and they agreed to assault the Kilted Spartans’ main base. Hellfire quietly approached the base from the east, through the thickets of tall marsh grass and dense woodlands.
Despite the surprise offensive, the Kilted Spartans held off the attackers for several valuable minutes. But, similar to Color Blind in the previous game, Hellfire eventually broke through the lines to overrun the base and raise their flag. But the flag only flew over the base for 1-minute before the Kilted Spartans retained control, and Hellfire would have to be content with a “moral victory”. The score sheet reflected a mere 1-point addition to Hellfire’s score, but it was a valuable point for the team to build on in preparation for their next game.
The young Kilted Spartans team from Wyoming had scored an impressive victory in their first appearance at a major national paintball tournament. Players from both teams mingled afterwards and extended genuine well-wishes and enjoyed recalling some of the game’s war stories.
Approximately Pi 111 pts. VS. Hell’s Assassins 59 pts.
Approximately Pi, the Sportsmanship Award winners from Colorado, made their SPPL debut facing off against another team of great sports – Hell’s Assassins – a young, resilient team from Pinedale, Wyoming.
As the game opened, both teams quickly set up defensive positions at the main bases, while Hell’s Assassins captured the swing base just five minutes into the match. The Assassins collected 55 points from maintaining control of the swing base for the duration of the match, receiving one point for each minute that their flag remained raised.
Approximately Pi was not successful in their attempts at grabbing the swing base, but they smartly combed the field and retrieved two valuable capture objectives – the “Intel” and “Instant Resurrection” canisters. Though Hell’s Assassins dominated much of the game’s battles, the two canisters combined to add 60 points to Approximately Pi’s point total.
Halfway through the match, Hell’s Assassins successfully overran their opponent’s main base, but Approximately Pi countered six minutes later to regain possession of the base. After their successful counter, Approximately Pi then set out to return the favor by attacking the Assassin’s main base, briefly raising their flag for two of the game’s final 10 minutes.
Ultimately, three costly “dead man talking” penalties (though innocent in nature) were too much for Hell’s Assassins to overcome, and Approximately Pi walked away with a 111-59 win.
Desert Edge 170 pts. VS. Forest Fire 53 pts.
Team Desert Edge, arguably one of Utah’s top 10-man scenario teams, rolled to a 170-53 victory over team Forest Fire, a strong team from Washington, in the first round of the 2006 SPPL Utah Qualifier. Danger Dan and his crew of Utah paintballers wasted no time in achieving their early-game objectives, raising their flag at the swing base two minutes into the contest, where it remained for 58 minutes. Desert Edge also reeled in 60 points for holding their main base for the entire match.
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| Third Place: Forest Fire (Washington) |
The Washington-based scenario team successfully retrieved the “Instant Resurrection” capture objective and also eliminated the opposition’s commander once, but Desert Edge scored two “commander kills” and captured the “Intel” and “Airstrike” canisters to beef up their point total to 170 – good enough to put them in the “points” lead after the first round of play.
Neither team was penalized in the well-played game that featured steady action, skilled play, and outstanding sportsmanship – from both teams.
Malad Elites 158 pts. VS. Strength & Honor 60 pts.
One year ago the Malad Elites and Strength and Honor, both from small farming communities Idaho, were virtually unknown in the scenario paintball world. Today, the sportsmanship of both of these teams is recognized (and respected) by fellow paintballers throughout the country.
Though the Malad Elites were the 2005 SPPL Utah Region defending champs, the Idaho ‘ballers still entered the Utah Qualifier tournament as a “long shot” to repeat their previous year’s feat. Teams such as Desert Edge, 801 Fanatics, Color Blind, and Team Run were all expected to topple the reigning champs, so the Elites assumed the familiar “underdog” role and quietly set out to go about their business.
In their first showing of the tournament, the Elites took on familiar in-state foes, Strength and Honor. The Elites burned only two minutes of the game clock before raising their flag over the swing base where they promptly set up an unyielding defense that held the base for the 58 minutes.
After Strength and Honor established a defense of their own around their main base, their gunners tested the Malad defenders who were holding the neutral base, but were unable to make any headway. Though Strength and Honor snatched up the “Instant Resurrection” canister (worth 30 points), the Malad Elites captured the other two canisters.Shortly after the halfway point of the game, the Malad Elites crashed through the thick brush surrounding Strength and Honor’s main base, designating the site for the remainder of the game’s battles. The Elites captured their opponent’s base at the 33 minute mark of the contest, but Strength and Honor battled back to raise their flag once again. However, the Elites’ fire team was relentless in their assault and overwhelmed the remaining base defenders just two minutes later to seize the base once again and hold it for the final 7 minutes of the match.
The aggressive play of the Elites was not without cost, however, as Strength and Honor scored three commander kills during the intense match, resulting in a total deduction of 45 points for the Elites, bringing Malad’s score down to 158. Strength and Honor received just one minor penalty (paint check) that cost them five points, while the Malad Elites received no penalties in their first contest of the tournament.
Special Thanks
Congratulations and thanks to the participating teams and SPPL sponsors.
| 801 Fanatics (Utah) Approximate (Colorado) Color Blind (Utah) Desert Edge (Utah) Forest Fire (Wyoming) Hellfire (Arizona) | Hell’s Assassins (Wyoming) Kilted Spartans (Wyoming) Malad Elites (Idaho) Suppressor (Wyoming) Strength & Honor (Idaho) Team Run (Utah) |