As always, it was perfect weather to have a tournament at Paintball Arena! 18 teams from across Long Island and travelling from upstate NY and Pennsylvania competed in the Arena's second 5-Man tournament of 2003. Competition began after the captain's meeting on Saturday night. Preliminary rounds were finished and play-offs held on Sunday.
The competition was top notch. Misfit Toys are an experienced tournament team and impressed everyone with their skill and sportsmanship. 2003 has also seen a rise in the number and ability of Long Island area teams, so there was no shortage of aggressive, fast-paced play.
All teams played 8 games in the preliminary rounds.
In Division A, the NY Raptors led the pack, beating recent tournament winners Mantis Kids and Skullhead in intense games. Misfit Toys also posted 6 wins and were feared opponents.
In Division B, Strong Island blew through all that stood in their way, proving that they're bound for the A Division in the next tournament. Crash Test Dummies, Natural Disasters, High Impact, and Bada Bing also attracted extra spectators.
A number of younger teams deserve a shout for entering the B Division and mixing it up with bigger, more experienced opponents. These kids showed a lot of heart and represent the future of local tournament paintball. The Arena will be hosting several Young Guns tournaments during the summer of 2003, so that these teams can compete at their own age level and shoot for bragging rights as tournament champions...
Games were played on the Arena's full length tournament field, in which nets are raised to combine the usual two fields. A snake provided the clear advantage on one tape 50, while the taco was positioned at the other tape 50. Most successful games were based on owning the snake, but some teams won by pushing the other positions instead.
FINALS
The top 4 teams from each division played each other in a round robin format finals.
Making it to the finals in Division A were the Raptors, Misfit Toys, Skullhead, and Mantis Kids. The Raptors went in as top seed, but lost their groove. Misfit Toys and Skullhead both looked sharp, but it seemed that the Toys would take the prize as they played their last game. In an upset, Mantis Kids played them to a draw, with one live player remaining on each team as time ran out. However, by stealing first pull from the Toys, Mantis bumped them from first place by 2 points. Skullhead thus continues a successful 2003 season with another tournament win, and $1,500.00!
B Division finals saw Strong Island post 3 clean wins each in the 90s. Natural Disasters have come a long way in a short time and are definately a team to watch for the future. They won 2 of their 3 finals games with scores in the 90s. Crash Test Dummies and High impact also played hard in some close games, finishing 3rd and 4th.
Paintball Arena would like to thank tournament sponsors ZAP, DYE, and IPS for providing some great prizes; the NEW YORK DOGS for awesome reffing, and all the teams for stand-up play and a great tournament. Hope to see you all at the ISLAND CUP...
SKULLHEAD WINS DIVISION A, STRONG ISLAND WINS DIVISION B
PAINTBALL ARENA 400 PATTON AVE, WEST BABYLON, LONG ISLAND, NY 11704 (631) 694-2707
