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field in 1987. This became the model for all
future national and international paintball
tournaments. The Air Pistol Opens morphed into the World Cups, held at our field
from 1990 through 1993, when it was then
moved to Florida. Only 15 teams participated in that first event where $80,000 was
given as cash prizes to the top teams. By
the time we moved to Florida, that number rose dramatically to where in 2001, 456
teams (216 ten man and 240 five man) were
in attendance.
traveling tournament
teams and grew into
one of the best. The
nucleus of the team
hung together, and
as the years past, the
friendships deepened.
I have to note that we
were, to say the least,
not refined, and some
of the antics can’t
be discussed here in
detail, since certain
statute of limitations
haven’t yet run, but I
feel safe in discussing
a few.
There was the bottle rocket war in our
rented cars traveling 80 miles per hour
when Ground Zero (the team formed by
the Blasters and the East Coast Eliminators)
played in a tournament at Badlandz (Renick’s field). We were on our way to Bandlandz when some of the locals on the road
took umbrage at our antics. We saw one
taking down a license plate (had to be the
car that I was driving... just my luck).
We drove into the compound, saw Gary
Noblet from Aftershock who was head
judge on one of the fields, and told him that
I began publication of Paintball Sports
Magazine in 1989, and it was a mainstay in the cops were right behind us, my car had
the industry for 20 years. Some of the giants to “disappear” in 30 seconds, or we were
toast. Gary pulled his truck out from the
in the industry, then and now, wrote for
Paintball Sports, and the pictures included, path near the field, I pulled in, Gary pulled
behind me, and the police pulled into the
especially in the earlier editions, I would
compound seconds later and proceeded to
describe as priceless. (I’ve got to get them
check the license plate numbers of every
scanned).
car they saw. They didn’t see mine, and they
left, but we knew they were “laying chick”
What were some of the most fun times
for us on the road that afternoon. So when
you’ve had in the game?
The Master Blasters formed nearly 30 years games ended, we piled 11 guys into the
other car (car, not van!), and made our way
ago. They were among the earliest of the
january 2014