Aight, it's been a long day. Been a good day, too. But a long day. We arrived in Phoenix from Tampa (via Atlanta) around midnight Arizona time Wednesday night. Collected our bags and enjoyed a bit of drama trying to collect our rental. ("This reservation isn't in your name, sir. Give me your driver's license, a credit card and your left foot, please.") Since nobody had dinner we hit the drive thru at a Jack-in-the-Box on the way to our hotel. ("I'll have a number 9 medium with curly fries and a root beer." "Will that complete your order?" "Not even close--") We rolled in around 1:30 am with a team text message letting us know we needed to be in the lobby at 6 am ready to go. Our first match of the day--at 8 am vs. Heat--was part of the last half day's prelims to be made up from the Galveston rain out. We played well enough to pull out a tight win not because we were playing particularly well but because the guys don't let the situation or the score get into their heads and they've been down before and know what it takes to pull games back. Next up for us is Upton 187 who played some tightly contested matches in Galveston and thumped Viscious earlier that morning. This is their first event as pros. With the Infamous win over Legion we were confident we knew how the seeding would break down and focused on improving from our first match. With a good win over 187 we were ready for "Sunday" play.
Before the first quarter-final match started we'd already been on site for seven and a half hours. We stayed in the shade as best we could and constantly encouraged the guys to drink more fluids. There were questions early on exactly how the quarters and semis would be seeded. Divisional has a formula but some of us (myself included) lobbied for a simple formula where the higher seed from bracket A would play the lower seed from bracket B and vice versa--but that ain't what happened. The reason for the suggested formula is to assure fresh match-ups and avoid circumstances like those that occurred when Infamous and Heat played a second match of the day against each other in the quarters. And the Ironmen played Thunder--a team they had also already played in Galveston. Hopefully common sense will prevail by Chicago. (I don't hold out any hopes for this weekend--at least in that respect.)
Moving into the semis was Ironmen and Heat. We played the 'Men and Dynasty played Heat. (Despite the fact the divisional formula seeded the "Sunday" teams for match-ups it doesn't re-seed after the quarters. Instead assigns the winner of the 3/6 match-up to the 2 seed and the winner of the 4/5 match-up to the 1 seed regardless of quarter-final results.)
The finals was us & Heat--who did a great job reaching the finals in their first pro event and will likely be a power to be reckoned with in the foreseeable future. By the finals we were working like a well-oiled machine and pulled out a couple of wrinkles we hoped Heat might not be expecting and took a somewhat misleading 7-1 win--most of the points were hotly contested--for our third PSP pro victory in a row.
And that was just Thursday.
PSP Phoenix begins tomorrow.
Showing posts with label event commentary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label event commentary. Show all posts
Friday, April 20, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
MS St. Tropez-Cannes Open: The Venue & Event, part 2
The matches play to the schedule aided by the field design and the tendency of the Eurokids to play a style of paintball I'm guessing they think mimics aggressive American paintball. In general it's more like inexperienced D4 kids running down the field after a kill or two than a well schooled D1 or professional team. (More later.) That isn't of course universally true but suggests that while the European players have high standards of technical proficiency--and many do--that there generally remains a disconnect between individual player ability and cohesive team or line play. (I only saw SPL & CPL play, too.) Throw into the mix the style of reffing and the result makes for some entertaining (if you're not playing) quasi-paintball action much of the time.
The Eurokids have adopted reffing policies of near or zero tolerance and claim to be convinced that the result is both fairer and better for the game. While I am all for refs both knowing the rules and applying them to the game(s) being played strictness isn't synonymous with consistent. The hallmark of a truly professional reffing corps is consistency. And that level of consistency was not on display. (Yes, I know the Eurokids pride themselves on their officiating prowess but for as long as I've been in this game that pride has more often than not been taken in the absence of such claims than in its presence. And that ain't gonna win me any friends.)
Consequently the combination of 3 prelim matches, a lack of coordinated team play and zealous if inconsistent officiating frequently turns what ought to be competitions won or lost on the field into something less than that--and it's too bad given how many things the MS seems to otherwise be doing well.
One of the MS board members suggested to me there were high hopes of returning to the venue next year given the time & effort put into preparing the site. Of course he also suggested that when the site had originally been scouted the wily French had fooled them by showing them accommodations other than those many if not most of the attendees stayed in. Which seems only fair--if you choose to believe it--as the MS fooled us into believing we'd be playing on the Cote d'Azur--which, in a nominal sense we were but about as far from a Malaga type venue as Provence offers.
In fairness to the MS it didn't seem like most of the participants had any issues with the venue or accommodations--but then I don't speak any of the myriad "foreign" languages in evidence either. And I suspect those with the ability to do so made alternative arrangements well in advance already being well-schooled in what to likely expect. For us it was a first time experience with a sometime steep learning curve. Live and learn. Beyond that the differences weren't profound. The language was sometimes a struggle. As was the fact the whole society seems to operate at a much more relaxed pace, shall we say. And apparently there is no word in French for customer service, only a Gallic shrug (or sneer) and an attitude like they are doing you a favor by taking your money. And by our standards a lot of it--money, that is. Europe is--newsflash--expensive. (That of course isn't the Millennium's fault.)
On the scale of those who once rated venues by their parking lot proximity to sporting monuments or the latest "Growing the Game" metric the St. Tropez-Cannes venue was definitely lacking. By the standards of cash-strapped, winter-bound Europeans getting a head start on Spring, perhaps not. While the Cote d'Azur has the potential to offer MS participants an HB-like experience this venue was not it and never will be.
The Eurokids have adopted reffing policies of near or zero tolerance and claim to be convinced that the result is both fairer and better for the game. While I am all for refs both knowing the rules and applying them to the game(s) being played strictness isn't synonymous with consistent. The hallmark of a truly professional reffing corps is consistency. And that level of consistency was not on display. (Yes, I know the Eurokids pride themselves on their officiating prowess but for as long as I've been in this game that pride has more often than not been taken in the absence of such claims than in its presence. And that ain't gonna win me any friends.)
Consequently the combination of 3 prelim matches, a lack of coordinated team play and zealous if inconsistent officiating frequently turns what ought to be competitions won or lost on the field into something less than that--and it's too bad given how many things the MS seems to otherwise be doing well.
One of the MS board members suggested to me there were high hopes of returning to the venue next year given the time & effort put into preparing the site. Of course he also suggested that when the site had originally been scouted the wily French had fooled them by showing them accommodations other than those many if not most of the attendees stayed in. Which seems only fair--if you choose to believe it--as the MS fooled us into believing we'd be playing on the Cote d'Azur--which, in a nominal sense we were but about as far from a Malaga type venue as Provence offers.
In fairness to the MS it didn't seem like most of the participants had any issues with the venue or accommodations--but then I don't speak any of the myriad "foreign" languages in evidence either. And I suspect those with the ability to do so made alternative arrangements well in advance already being well-schooled in what to likely expect. For us it was a first time experience with a sometime steep learning curve. Live and learn. Beyond that the differences weren't profound. The language was sometimes a struggle. As was the fact the whole society seems to operate at a much more relaxed pace, shall we say. And apparently there is no word in French for customer service, only a Gallic shrug (or sneer) and an attitude like they are doing you a favor by taking your money. And by our standards a lot of it--money, that is. Europe is--newsflash--expensive. (That of course isn't the Millennium's fault.)
On the scale of those who once rated venues by their parking lot proximity to sporting monuments or the latest "Growing the Game" metric the St. Tropez-Cannes venue was definitely lacking. By the standards of cash-strapped, winter-bound Europeans getting a head start on Spring, perhaps not. While the Cote d'Azur has the potential to offer MS participants an HB-like experience this venue was not it and never will be.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
MS St. Tropez-Cannes Open: The Venue & Event, part 1
Like the PSP the Millennium is still looking for its own version of Huntington Beach, an iconic season opening event. This year that search brought us to the south of France, to the world famous (and culturally iconic) French Riviera--an extended stretch of coastal communities, sandy beaches, azure sea--celebrities like Prince Ranier and Gina Lollobrigida--that was once the unrivaled playground of the rich and famous. Naming your event the St. Tropez-Cannes Open purposefully evokes that riviera of wealth and privilege. The Provence region of France is also home to tens of thousands of ordinary folks living in proximity to a tourist and resort mecca whose past glories are fading. And then there was the venue.
Between St. Tropez and Cannes is St. Raphael. A few kilometers inland up the DN7 near the town of Puget Sur Argens is the Oasis Village resort. It is part RV park and part trailer park, part permanent residences and part seasonal residences. It turns out that ‘bungalow’ in French means wheeled abode built at four-fifths human scale. What it failed to convey was that the walls are paper thin and the unit water heater was the size of a large coffee can or that the mattresses are approximately 4 inches thick when vigorously fluffed. (Feel free to make your own joke there.) Or that a level floor may be a goal but was not a necessity. On the plus side everything was clean and fresh towels materialized daily. The setting was rustic.
The venue was on a patch of scraped ground at one end of the Oasis Village property and accessible by road or winding paths through the Village. There were four fields; 2 sets of 2 fields side by side. Closest to Oasis Village were the CPL & SPL fields. Closer to the road were the divisional fields and in-between was the vendors set-up, a small food court and the paint trailers. The ground is a dusty brownish-red, as finely ground as an artist's natural pigment. The vegetation is numerous shades of green trending toward the dark and mysterious greens of the dense pine canopies that look like prickly mushroom caps. The landscape could as easily be somewhere in California or even New Mexico. Visible from the VIP are the distant exposed ochre and brick rock formations of the foothills of the Alpes-Maritimes. There's no hint of the not-too-distant sea in the strong breezes that sweep across the venue.
The apparatus of the field set-ups reflect lessons learned in places like Charleroi and Malaga where high winds and pelting thunderstorms (rising seas) tore fields apart and mangled steel supports. The current system is highly portable, compact and most importantly, allows for the netting to be lowered or raised within minutes. The resulting set-up is perhaps a compromise of sorts compared with the current PSP constructions which could almost be permanent installations. Even so it seems a worthwhile compromise as it delivers savings in transport, storage costs, time & labor along with the capacity to survive bouts of severe weather. (In light of the recent damage wrought in Galveston it's a system the PSP might do well emulating in the future.)
The pits too are a model of efficiency and utility. Placed similarly to those of the PSP the Millennium offers two PSP-sized pits at each end with each pair of pits separated by a chrono station. Each pair of pits is also serviced by an air station. Given that two matches are running alternately (but at the same time) the design and size contribute significantly to the league's ability to run simultaneous matches on time and without incident as a general rule. (Likewise tiny, poorly thought out pits at HB produced a very chaotic environment by comparison and compelled less efficient--although still functional clock management--at least on the grandstand field.)
Over the last couple of years the layouts designed for Millennium use have targeted fast paced aggressive play as their ideal--and since the Eurokids generally wish to emulate all things American--don't even bother denying it--it has served the MS well. It helps keep matches moving. It provides extra windows of time in the schedule and helps keep the Millennium wheels greased. The logistics of the multi-game also contribute to minimizing the size and expenses related to providing the tournament venue and at this point in time the league and its reps have the process down to a virtual science. While I appreciate the efficiency of it all I still don't care for broken up matches in terms of the lost energy and suspense of continuous match play.
Between St. Tropez and Cannes is St. Raphael. A few kilometers inland up the DN7 near the town of Puget Sur Argens is the Oasis Village resort. It is part RV park and part trailer park, part permanent residences and part seasonal residences. It turns out that ‘bungalow’ in French means wheeled abode built at four-fifths human scale. What it failed to convey was that the walls are paper thin and the unit water heater was the size of a large coffee can or that the mattresses are approximately 4 inches thick when vigorously fluffed. (Feel free to make your own joke there.) Or that a level floor may be a goal but was not a necessity. On the plus side everything was clean and fresh towels materialized daily. The setting was rustic.
The venue was on a patch of scraped ground at one end of the Oasis Village property and accessible by road or winding paths through the Village. There were four fields; 2 sets of 2 fields side by side. Closest to Oasis Village were the CPL & SPL fields. Closer to the road were the divisional fields and in-between was the vendors set-up, a small food court and the paint trailers. The ground is a dusty brownish-red, as finely ground as an artist's natural pigment. The vegetation is numerous shades of green trending toward the dark and mysterious greens of the dense pine canopies that look like prickly mushroom caps. The landscape could as easily be somewhere in California or even New Mexico. Visible from the VIP are the distant exposed ochre and brick rock formations of the foothills of the Alpes-Maritimes. There's no hint of the not-too-distant sea in the strong breezes that sweep across the venue.
The apparatus of the field set-ups reflect lessons learned in places like Charleroi and Malaga where high winds and pelting thunderstorms (rising seas) tore fields apart and mangled steel supports. The current system is highly portable, compact and most importantly, allows for the netting to be lowered or raised within minutes. The resulting set-up is perhaps a compromise of sorts compared with the current PSP constructions which could almost be permanent installations. Even so it seems a worthwhile compromise as it delivers savings in transport, storage costs, time & labor along with the capacity to survive bouts of severe weather. (In light of the recent damage wrought in Galveston it's a system the PSP might do well emulating in the future.)
The pits too are a model of efficiency and utility. Placed similarly to those of the PSP the Millennium offers two PSP-sized pits at each end with each pair of pits separated by a chrono station. Each pair of pits is also serviced by an air station. Given that two matches are running alternately (but at the same time) the design and size contribute significantly to the league's ability to run simultaneous matches on time and without incident as a general rule. (Likewise tiny, poorly thought out pits at HB produced a very chaotic environment by comparison and compelled less efficient--although still functional clock management--at least on the grandstand field.)
Over the last couple of years the layouts designed for Millennium use have targeted fast paced aggressive play as their ideal--and since the Eurokids generally wish to emulate all things American--don't even bother denying it--it has served the MS well. It helps keep matches moving. It provides extra windows of time in the schedule and helps keep the Millennium wheels greased. The logistics of the multi-game also contribute to minimizing the size and expenses related to providing the tournament venue and at this point in time the league and its reps have the process down to a virtual science. While I appreciate the efficiency of it all I still don't care for broken up matches in terms of the lost energy and suspense of continuous match play.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Last Word on HB
Okay. It turns out I'm being taken to task by a few regulars who were generous enough to send emails instead of posting comments--and the bulk of those concern the announcing at HB. Which was (apparently) atrocious. To a man (or woman) the objections are consistently the same. Paintball ignorant, not informative of the actions on field, possibly drunk announcing, heavily shilling sponsors, generally annoying & at times rude and inappropriate sexual comments. (Could it be time to change Pev's nickname? A single letter will do the trick.)
I didn't remark on any of that because I wasn't exposed to most of it. I'm commenting now because I discovered a thread in the HB forum at PBN late last night saying much the same. If the comments have merit the NPPL needs to deal with the situation directly. Like it or not, that is the voice of the league (insert your own joke here) and I can't imagine that is the image the league wants to project to the public or the paintball community at large.
I didn't remark on any of that because I wasn't exposed to most of it. I'm commenting now because I discovered a thread in the HB forum at PBN late last night saying much the same. If the comments have merit the NPPL needs to deal with the situation directly. Like it or not, that is the voice of the league (insert your own joke here) and I can't imagine that is the image the league wants to project to the public or the paintball community at large.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
HB Thursday & Friday
We flew in Wednesday night. All of us except Timmy who arrived Thursday morning at John Wayne. At the venue we picked up some paint and two bags of pods from Galveston transported by our friends at CP. Then it was off to Whittier Ranch to get some field time practicing the HB layout with Infamous. Turns out Whittier Ranch is really a working ranch--just off the 605 in Whittier. Manure to spare. When we arrive Infamous and Legend have been there for an hour or two already along with divisional team TCP Machine. By 3:30 pm we've run through our paint and are beginning to feel comfortable with our lanes, breakouts and general game plans. Communication will need to improve but we're a lot closer to ready than we were before.
Returning to the beach--and the venue--we worked through the registration process--which remains just another NPPL revenue stream but at least it's more efficient than the Millennium process was last week--and then we walked the grandstand field as the sun dipped toward the Pacific horizon. Divisional games were played for much of the day Thursday. We heard field two, beside the pier, was closed for a time due to paint bouncing off props and over the netting onto the pier. There was talk of raising additional netting to protect the pier and passersby. There was also a minor surprise on the field itself. The newest set of NPPL props (from Adrenaline Games) have shrunk and once again, it looks to be a decision made by the manufacturer without consulting the affected league. Full-sized Cans are about five-sixths the size they were before. The same holds true for the Mayan Temples, the Cubes and even the Wings. Otherwise everything looks to be in order although there's no sign of how or where the webcast cameras will be positioned. (Sometime Thursday night or early Friday all that was taken care of though I heard during the day on Friday that there were issues early Friday with the broadcast being down or inaccessible.) Well, everything except the pits. The pits are at one end of the field and there's less space in each one than in a comparable PSP pit yet each is expected to serve 2 7-man teams plus staff at the same time. It has proved over the course of the first day's play to be workable but only just. Each pit has a flat screen displaying game data like score, time outs, time to play and the countdown to game on clock. Similar but larger screens are on display for the grandstand incongruously zip tied to supports made out of two by fours. The info is there but it's hard to see at any distance.
The weather reports say Friday will be the warmest and nicest day of the weekend. The morning begins cool, overcast and hazy. Our first match is at 10 am. When we arrive Dynasty is playing Vendetta. We're scheduled to play at 10 am in the third set of the morning against Arsenal. The Race 2 format as translated by the NPPL is a solid improvement over the traditional 7-man format. And as the teams and officials get acclimated the schedule allows for a little laxity in running the turnaround between matches. Even so every now and again a team burns a time out in order to get all 7 players on field for their next breakout and more than once teams started down bodies. Despite the occasional blip the whole runs smoothly.
I still don't know how Sunday will break down for the Pros but it doesn't matter as long as you keep winning. Also no word yet on the data collected from the Virtue chips or the stats promised from that data. At the moment it doesn't really matter.
Today's game play saw 2 teams from each bracket go 2-0. In one group Dynasty & Infamous went 2-0 and in the other it was Damage & Impact. 2 teams in each bracket also went 0-2 leaving 3 teams in each group at 1-1. Nothing is setled yet so there remains hope for those teams that started slowly. In three matches on Friday teams reached 5 points.
Throughout the day's play we kept making minor changes and our game improved as the points accumulated. We enter Saturday's play confident but not overly so. Things can shift from match to match and even point from point but we had a strong showing to begin the event. The plan is to build on that beginning and continue getting better.
Among the pro teams the word is two teams are shooting GI Sportz while eight others are shooting RPS with the remaining four teams are shooting Valken. Another curiosity is the rumor that the league is insisting that on site vendors not sell Dye products. It has been confirmed by a few but I hesitate to claim that is really what's happening as it sounds so outlandish on its face. There is also talk the banning isn't limited to Dye but also includes Kee stuff as well. If true what's the point for some regional retailers to support the league if some percentage of their stocks can't be sold on site? More if hear anything further. And more tomorrow on the results of the Pro prelims.
Returning to the beach--and the venue--we worked through the registration process--which remains just another NPPL revenue stream but at least it's more efficient than the Millennium process was last week--and then we walked the grandstand field as the sun dipped toward the Pacific horizon. Divisional games were played for much of the day Thursday. We heard field two, beside the pier, was closed for a time due to paint bouncing off props and over the netting onto the pier. There was talk of raising additional netting to protect the pier and passersby. There was also a minor surprise on the field itself. The newest set of NPPL props (from Adrenaline Games) have shrunk and once again, it looks to be a decision made by the manufacturer without consulting the affected league. Full-sized Cans are about five-sixths the size they were before. The same holds true for the Mayan Temples, the Cubes and even the Wings. Otherwise everything looks to be in order although there's no sign of how or where the webcast cameras will be positioned. (Sometime Thursday night or early Friday all that was taken care of though I heard during the day on Friday that there were issues early Friday with the broadcast being down or inaccessible.) Well, everything except the pits. The pits are at one end of the field and there's less space in each one than in a comparable PSP pit yet each is expected to serve 2 7-man teams plus staff at the same time. It has proved over the course of the first day's play to be workable but only just. Each pit has a flat screen displaying game data like score, time outs, time to play and the countdown to game on clock. Similar but larger screens are on display for the grandstand incongruously zip tied to supports made out of two by fours. The info is there but it's hard to see at any distance.
The weather reports say Friday will be the warmest and nicest day of the weekend. The morning begins cool, overcast and hazy. Our first match is at 10 am. When we arrive Dynasty is playing Vendetta. We're scheduled to play at 10 am in the third set of the morning against Arsenal. The Race 2 format as translated by the NPPL is a solid improvement over the traditional 7-man format. And as the teams and officials get acclimated the schedule allows for a little laxity in running the turnaround between matches. Even so every now and again a team burns a time out in order to get all 7 players on field for their next breakout and more than once teams started down bodies. Despite the occasional blip the whole runs smoothly.
I still don't know how Sunday will break down for the Pros but it doesn't matter as long as you keep winning. Also no word yet on the data collected from the Virtue chips or the stats promised from that data. At the moment it doesn't really matter.
Today's game play saw 2 teams from each bracket go 2-0. In one group Dynasty & Infamous went 2-0 and in the other it was Damage & Impact. 2 teams in each bracket also went 0-2 leaving 3 teams in each group at 1-1. Nothing is setled yet so there remains hope for those teams that started slowly. In three matches on Friday teams reached 5 points.
Throughout the day's play we kept making minor changes and our game improved as the points accumulated. We enter Saturday's play confident but not overly so. Things can shift from match to match and even point from point but we had a strong showing to begin the event. The plan is to build on that beginning and continue getting better.
Among the pro teams the word is two teams are shooting GI Sportz while eight others are shooting RPS with the remaining four teams are shooting Valken. Another curiosity is the rumor that the league is insisting that on site vendors not sell Dye products. It has been confirmed by a few but I hesitate to claim that is really what's happening as it sounds so outlandish on its face. There is also talk the banning isn't limited to Dye but also includes Kee stuff as well. If true what's the point for some regional retailers to support the league if some percentage of their stocks can't be sold on site? More if hear anything further. And more tomorrow on the results of the Pro prelims.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Galveston D2, part 2
Here is part 2 of Mike McGowan's report on D2 divisional play in Galveston.
I will say that there is a HUGE difference between Race-To-5 points and Race-To-4 points. Game 3-2 is match point in D3. Just getting to the meat of the match in D2. The ebb and flow of the game starts to become a factor. Several teams would go up 2-0, only to lose the match. Whether CEP D2 vs. Vipers in the Prelims or Prime vs. Boom in the Quarters. I'd say, and many agreed, that this was the most fun a layout that has been created. Allowing for not only attack, but on all three sections of the field.
As familiar as the undesirable weather was for a paintball tournament, the D2 division did get to experience something unprecedented. Playing Quarters to Finals on the PSP Pro field with Pro officials. All on Paintball Access Webcast vision. The difference in officiating is dramatic. They are less forgiving. There are more of them. They are scary. I will also say that they are highly professional and all of them were very polite and explanatory. They would also just as politely throw a major or minor flag, which by comparison at the divisional level, might appear to be a lessor infraction. I can say that Boom and Prime may have paved the way with 3 Majors and 4 minor penalties. Presumably, these guys are professional refs with long-ago playing experience. The refs in D2 are decent refs with recent player backgrounds. They seem more forgiving for hits on the loader and pack. If you're still rolling that gun in PSP Pro, you've got confetti coming your way. All the majors I saw in the Boom vs. Prime match were indeed justified. Just as your margin for error playing-wise undoubtedly decreases at the Pro level, so it does with the Pro officials.
I'll also say there is a fundamental disconnect between those that understand the Professional division and the Divisional. The announcers could not figure out how penalties were assessed. Minor penalty is one plus one. Major is one plus two. If there are not enough bodies left, then they are pulled off the box for the following point. So, if one man plays with an obvious hit and there is no one else, 3 will be left on the box for the ensuing point. Perhaps, us divisional teams are to blame by not lasting long enough. Teams only being known if they are a Pro feeder team. Some day I hope it'll be like MMA, only instead of being out of "Black House", or the Miletich camp, or American Top Team, they'll say, "Revo out of PAP", or NJJ 2 under New Jersey Jesters program.
The Quarters saw PB Vipers, PR1ME, and Zone quickly scraped from the field. PR1ME got up early but were clearly mentally unprepared for the match, gaining lots of penalties. Boom capitalized. According to Mike Hinman, Revo "outclassed" Vipers, while Todd Martinez questioned the "discipline" and "competitive" nature of the Vipers as well. For how young a team they are, I'd expect them to be a top-four force some time this season. There is a also a perfectly captured pod paint-throw on footage. Hilarious. Zone looked athletic, but earned early penalties as well. They'd be trounced by Elevation. The only close Quarters game was Coaltion edging out Siege 3-2 playing patient paintball. This is the only game I saw Coaltion play on the webcast. They zoned up, crossed up, and laned up. Occasionally taking corners off the break, but more often doubling back bunkers and allowing teams to run into their guns. Siege almost tied it up with 3 secs remaining. By their scores, this appears to be how Coalition played the whole tournament. Most of their games being narrow wins to time. This trend continued against Boom, 4-3, in the semis.
For the one and two spot, I'd be curious to watch the Coalition vs. Revo match. Revo was ambitious on the snake side all tournament and willing to hold. Revo dominated every team, with a combined tournament 25-10 point margin with one 2-3 loss in the prelims. Perhaps guys from Maryland came in unprepared for a slow grind after so many easy wins. But it came to be a 3-1 victory for the team from New Mexico. They've won D4 PSP 5-man and a pair of D4X, one in AZPL, the other in the WCPPL. They didn't lose a single match the entire Texas tournament. Apparently there was a miscommunication or lack of time and the consolation game between Boom and Elevation for 3rd place was never played. Both teams listed as "Forfeiting" the match-up. By hearsay they were each given 3rd place prize and 3rd place points for the event. That might be unprecedented. The fog of war against the elements I suppose. Maybe the elements assisted Coalition's patient play (by slowing down their opponents as well). But a zero-loss tournament speaks for itself. Congrats Coalition, you gloriously bamboozled the preseason alignments.
It was a miracle the event was finished at all, not just the D2 Division, which had the first fields to be ripped up from the winds. Despite the majority of the field coming from East of the Rockies, several teams from the West side of the nation found success in D1 (Pirates) and D2 (Coalition). The WCPPL birds haven't ceased their chirping on ProPaintball.com And why not. They took down two top finishes. But I'm not sure anyone was really provoking them to begin with anyway.
Mission accomplished for the PSP, but everyone is hoping for normalcy in Phoenix. We'll see if that alters the results for the D2 Division.
I will say that there is a HUGE difference between Race-To-5 points and Race-To-4 points. Game 3-2 is match point in D3. Just getting to the meat of the match in D2. The ebb and flow of the game starts to become a factor. Several teams would go up 2-0, only to lose the match. Whether CEP D2 vs. Vipers in the Prelims or Prime vs. Boom in the Quarters. I'd say, and many agreed, that this was the most fun a layout that has been created. Allowing for not only attack, but on all three sections of the field.
As familiar as the undesirable weather was for a paintball tournament, the D2 division did get to experience something unprecedented. Playing Quarters to Finals on the PSP Pro field with Pro officials. All on Paintball Access Webcast vision. The difference in officiating is dramatic. They are less forgiving. There are more of them. They are scary. I will also say that they are highly professional and all of them were very polite and explanatory. They would also just as politely throw a major or minor flag, which by comparison at the divisional level, might appear to be a lessor infraction. I can say that Boom and Prime may have paved the way with 3 Majors and 4 minor penalties. Presumably, these guys are professional refs with long-ago playing experience. The refs in D2 are decent refs with recent player backgrounds. They seem more forgiving for hits on the loader and pack. If you're still rolling that gun in PSP Pro, you've got confetti coming your way. All the majors I saw in the Boom vs. Prime match were indeed justified. Just as your margin for error playing-wise undoubtedly decreases at the Pro level, so it does with the Pro officials.
I'll also say there is a fundamental disconnect between those that understand the Professional division and the Divisional. The announcers could not figure out how penalties were assessed. Minor penalty is one plus one. Major is one plus two. If there are not enough bodies left, then they are pulled off the box for the following point. So, if one man plays with an obvious hit and there is no one else, 3 will be left on the box for the ensuing point. Perhaps, us divisional teams are to blame by not lasting long enough. Teams only being known if they are a Pro feeder team. Some day I hope it'll be like MMA, only instead of being out of "Black House", or the Miletich camp, or American Top Team, they'll say, "Revo out of PAP", or NJJ 2 under New Jersey Jesters program.
The Quarters saw PB Vipers, PR1ME, and Zone quickly scraped from the field. PR1ME got up early but were clearly mentally unprepared for the match, gaining lots of penalties. Boom capitalized. According to Mike Hinman, Revo "outclassed" Vipers, while Todd Martinez questioned the "discipline" and "competitive" nature of the Vipers as well. For how young a team they are, I'd expect them to be a top-four force some time this season. There is a also a perfectly captured pod paint-throw on footage. Hilarious. Zone looked athletic, but earned early penalties as well. They'd be trounced by Elevation. The only close Quarters game was Coaltion edging out Siege 3-2 playing patient paintball. This is the only game I saw Coaltion play on the webcast. They zoned up, crossed up, and laned up. Occasionally taking corners off the break, but more often doubling back bunkers and allowing teams to run into their guns. Siege almost tied it up with 3 secs remaining. By their scores, this appears to be how Coalition played the whole tournament. Most of their games being narrow wins to time. This trend continued against Boom, 4-3, in the semis.
For the one and two spot, I'd be curious to watch the Coalition vs. Revo match. Revo was ambitious on the snake side all tournament and willing to hold. Revo dominated every team, with a combined tournament 25-10 point margin with one 2-3 loss in the prelims. Perhaps guys from Maryland came in unprepared for a slow grind after so many easy wins. But it came to be a 3-1 victory for the team from New Mexico. They've won D4 PSP 5-man and a pair of D4X, one in AZPL, the other in the WCPPL. They didn't lose a single match the entire Texas tournament. Apparently there was a miscommunication or lack of time and the consolation game between Boom and Elevation for 3rd place was never played. Both teams listed as "Forfeiting" the match-up. By hearsay they were each given 3rd place prize and 3rd place points for the event. That might be unprecedented. The fog of war against the elements I suppose. Maybe the elements assisted Coalition's patient play (by slowing down their opponents as well). But a zero-loss tournament speaks for itself. Congrats Coalition, you gloriously bamboozled the preseason alignments.
It was a miracle the event was finished at all, not just the D2 Division, which had the first fields to be ripped up from the winds. Despite the majority of the field coming from East of the Rockies, several teams from the West side of the nation found success in D1 (Pirates) and D2 (Coalition). The WCPPL birds haven't ceased their chirping on ProPaintball.com And why not. They took down two top finishes. But I'm not sure anyone was really provoking them to begin with anyway.
Mission accomplished for the PSP, but everyone is hoping for normalcy in Phoenix. We'll see if that alters the results for the D2 Division.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Galveston D2, part 1
Given the length of the submission I am dividing it into 2 parts with minimal editing. I hope to see some robust comments rating, praising and even critiquing the report so that Mike (and others, myself included) have a better idea next time what y'all would like to read about in divisional coverage. Both the pre-season D2 rankings and this report are by Michael McGowan of Prime.
We all knew the weather was coming. It rained and gusts blew. No surprise. From the looks of the things the weather was actually better than predicted. Many believe the paintball gods are simply merciless, or powerless, when it comes to controlling the weather. Others have waxed and waned on the PSP's inability to select solid venues. Already talks have begun to change the venue for next season. Historically, March is by far one of Galveston's driest months, close behind February or April. It rained zero to negligible amounts in the same dates in years prior. Last season saw no rain. However, according to the Almanac, scattered thunderstorms and high winds (the most recent being abnormally high) are almost always predicted.
Improvements were made from last season. The parking situation was rationalized. Fields leveled, especially the Pro field. The ant situation much more taken care of. Though, after the rain, fire ants were finding their way into my Exalt pants. Sub-aquatic fire ants were lighting fire to my calf with their teeth under water. I couldn't believe it. But let's not forget why this venue was also chosen for paintball reasons. Texas has numerous teams in the PSP and would be next in line for paintball population density with the other venues. Most teams are from the east coast. Not the west. Which makes the results at Galveston all the more interesting.
The D2 Division in Galveston unfolded rather similar to the VFTD pre-season rankings. Save for some glaring surprises of the undefeated Coalition victory and the letdown of Greg Pauley's ac402.com. GP admitted via ProPB Smackbox to enjoying the event, having fun playing again, and looking positively on the future of the team's less experienced players. Many presumed Boom would struggle more than they did with their team being gutted by Aftershock. I can tell you from playing opposite them that this was not the case. I will say however that I did not experience a big jump from D3 to D2. Well, there aren't any "bad" teams. Essentially, with 18 teams you go to where the Ocho cuts were last season in D3. There are no "trap" games. Everyone is pretty solid and there to win. Teams hold their lanes better. You have to create your gaps more than simply wait for them. If you don't hold your gaps, people will inevitably take advantage. So the margin for error goes down. But I don't believe anyone saw another team on the field and said, "Whoa, these guys are on a D1 level."
The D2 division was made up of eighteen teams split into three brackets. I'd argue the first bracket, made of Boom, PR1ME, Elevation, was the most competitive. Three teams making it to the Quarterfinals with lower margins of victory. The "soldiers" award certainly goes to the third bracket. They played all 4 of their prelim games on Saturday. At night. From 7:30PM to well past 11:00PM. Lights were brought in. Conventional wisdom is that at night, difficulties (or even unethical play) increases. Laning goes down. Nighttime with mud? Those lanes simply disappear. I'm not convinced it mattered. The teams that attacked won the day in the third bracket. Both Revo and Vipers were flooding the snake side. Vipers being a younger team, this is no surprise. With youth and less experience, they played to their strengths of speed and relentless attack. Getting up the field quickly. CEP, notorious as a program for their patience, may have gotten hurt from the elements. But I saw some wicked fast players on their squad as well. They would go on to garner the uncoveted "first place in the cut" award with 9th place. Last Call may have struggled regardless, but perhaps the elements furthered them to a dismal 4-20 point performance for dead last. They should be given the opportunity to play D3 Race-To if they so request.
We all knew the weather was coming. It rained and gusts blew. No surprise. From the looks of the things the weather was actually better than predicted. Many believe the paintball gods are simply merciless, or powerless, when it comes to controlling the weather. Others have waxed and waned on the PSP's inability to select solid venues. Already talks have begun to change the venue for next season. Historically, March is by far one of Galveston's driest months, close behind February or April. It rained zero to negligible amounts in the same dates in years prior. Last season saw no rain. However, according to the Almanac, scattered thunderstorms and high winds (the most recent being abnormally high) are almost always predicted.
Improvements were made from last season. The parking situation was rationalized. Fields leveled, especially the Pro field. The ant situation much more taken care of. Though, after the rain, fire ants were finding their way into my Exalt pants. Sub-aquatic fire ants were lighting fire to my calf with their teeth under water. I couldn't believe it. But let's not forget why this venue was also chosen for paintball reasons. Texas has numerous teams in the PSP and would be next in line for paintball population density with the other venues. Most teams are from the east coast. Not the west. Which makes the results at Galveston all the more interesting.
The D2 Division in Galveston unfolded rather similar to the VFTD pre-season rankings. Save for some glaring surprises of the undefeated Coalition victory and the letdown of Greg Pauley's ac402.com. GP admitted via ProPB Smackbox to enjoying the event, having fun playing again, and looking positively on the future of the team's less experienced players. Many presumed Boom would struggle more than they did with their team being gutted by Aftershock. I can tell you from playing opposite them that this was not the case. I will say however that I did not experience a big jump from D3 to D2. Well, there aren't any "bad" teams. Essentially, with 18 teams you go to where the Ocho cuts were last season in D3. There are no "trap" games. Everyone is pretty solid and there to win. Teams hold their lanes better. You have to create your gaps more than simply wait for them. If you don't hold your gaps, people will inevitably take advantage. So the margin for error goes down. But I don't believe anyone saw another team on the field and said, "Whoa, these guys are on a D1 level."
The D2 division was made up of eighteen teams split into three brackets. I'd argue the first bracket, made of Boom, PR1ME, Elevation, was the most competitive. Three teams making it to the Quarterfinals with lower margins of victory. The "soldiers" award certainly goes to the third bracket. They played all 4 of their prelim games on Saturday. At night. From 7:30PM to well past 11:00PM. Lights were brought in. Conventional wisdom is that at night, difficulties (or even unethical play) increases. Laning goes down. Nighttime with mud? Those lanes simply disappear. I'm not convinced it mattered. The teams that attacked won the day in the third bracket. Both Revo and Vipers were flooding the snake side. Vipers being a younger team, this is no surprise. With youth and less experience, they played to their strengths of speed and relentless attack. Getting up the field quickly. CEP, notorious as a program for their patience, may have gotten hurt from the elements. But I saw some wicked fast players on their squad as well. They would go on to garner the uncoveted "first place in the cut" award with 9th place. Last Call may have struggled regardless, but perhaps the elements furthered them to a dismal 4-20 point performance for dead last. They should be given the opportunity to play D3 Race-To if they so request.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
PSP Galveston Recap
First up is the rules recap. (I'm doing this stuff first 'cus it's incredibly boring and dull and if I put towards the end of the post y'all would probably skip it.) Those of you with a masochistic bent will recall the VFTD post, PSP Rules Questions. In Galveston I had the opportunity to follow-up and receive clarifications of those questions. It was a good thing I did as the "rules" enforced bore no resemblance to the written rules. (Yes, this sorta thing is very annoying. Kinda like NBA refs giving the superstars a pass on traveling violations.)
Rule 3.1.2 states, "At no time during any team points or matches, may anyone communicate from the designated staging area to any Active Players."
Which may or may not be fine but wasn't the "rule" enforced in Galveston. The actual rule (mostly) enforced could be written as follows; Any action, aural or physical, including non-verbal sounds and gestures or patterned movements or the use of devices like signs that could be interpreted as an effort to communicate with persons on the field during the play of the game by any person within the staging area is prohibited.
Worse was the stated determination to extend an unwritten and personal opinion of "fair play" to the spectator sideline. The rules no longer address any coaching issues period. The rules for 2011 are blind to any notion or aspect of coaching. Given that fact there is no basis in the rules for deciding one thing or another is either allowed or "fair play." The claim at the time was that it fell under unsportsmanlike conduct but that's self-serving nonsense as well. Without a definition it simply becomes a catch-all that allows an ultimate (or a commissioner) to do whatever they want. I don't care who you are nobody has any business making up the rules as they go along. Or, for that matter, enforcing rules contrary to how they appear in the rule book.
(Do I treat this kinda stuff more harshly when it's the PSP than the NPPL? Yes, because the PSP represents itself as the league promoting paintball as sport and I take them at their word.)
By and large the field at Galveston played the way I suggested it would far too much of the time; slow & boring. Unless this was part of some masterplan to incrementally move the two competing national formats closer and closer until they are indistinguishable from one another it didn't do the PSP any favors either. Whether it's called xball or Race 2 the format was in a conceptual shambles at Galveston. Part of the issue was the longer field and part was the specifics of the layout chosen. (In leveling this criticism I am not blaming the field designer. Some of you may know who it is but I'm not naming him purposefully. In recent years he has developed a good general understanding and works very hard to provide new, unusual but still playable and entertaining designs--which isn't an easy task--and the new mini A's aren't helpful either.) The problem is juxtaposing the need for secrecy against the notion that including some added voices of experience into the process could be beneficial. Or it might not. I'm also unconvinced there are enough bunkers for the new field dimensions. Fortunately there's time between now and Chitown--oh, wait, we don't yet know, despite the rash of recent rumors, if there will be a Chicago event this year--to consider possible improvements to the process.
UPDATE: Harrass and you shall receive. PSP has posted info on the Chicago area event.
As a resort community Galveston is West Palm Beach compared to Palm Beach. For those unfamiliar with Florida Galveston is like the promise of The Strip in Vegas when reality turns out to be the million-and-one-lightbulbs of La Galleria de Jackpot on the east side of town surrounded by check cashing joints and RV parks. If that didn't do it for you think dinner at Denny's at Ruth's Chris prices. The event was held on a lumpy patch of ground with nothing to commend it other than the grass was decent and there was enough room for the fields. I understand the league is economizing and if you gave me a sheet of optional either/or choices to check off I would pick those that enhanced the competition every time over those that enhanced the venue--but that's really what it is coming down to. At events like Galveston there is nothing there to justify the time and expense except the competition. If the competition falters ...
Back to a few numbers. In the Day 1 & Day 2 reports VFTD noted that nearly 50% of the prelim matches in D1-D3 went to time instead of score. If D4 Race 2-4 was included in the total it would be well over 50% of all those matches went to time. Kick in the playoff matches and the total drops to slightly under 50%. While I'm at it I also want to object, on competitive grounds, to the way the pro division is playing out with a 10 team division. This time 4 of the 10 finished with identical records and will be ranked 5th-8th based on point differential despite not all of them sharing common opponents. I acknowledge that is the rule but it strikes me as woefully unsatisfactory for what is supposed to be the epitome of competitive paintball. Why not rock, paper, scissors to decide. A return to last year's formula would go a long way toward assuring each team earned their ranking and would create some added Sunday excitement.
I'm running way long so I'll save a pro team round-up until tomorrow. Y'all come back now, ya hear. (Oh, and can some kind-hearted Texan tell me when Texas decided to take the bone outta a T-bone steak and smash it round and thin? Two different, relatively high priced restaurants passed off the same sorry piece of meat as a T-bone steak.)
Rule 3.1.2 states, "At no time during any team points or matches, may anyone communicate from the designated staging area to any Active Players."
Which may or may not be fine but wasn't the "rule" enforced in Galveston. The actual rule (mostly) enforced could be written as follows; Any action, aural or physical, including non-verbal sounds and gestures or patterned movements or the use of devices like signs that could be interpreted as an effort to communicate with persons on the field during the play of the game by any person within the staging area is prohibited.
Worse was the stated determination to extend an unwritten and personal opinion of "fair play" to the spectator sideline. The rules no longer address any coaching issues period. The rules for 2011 are blind to any notion or aspect of coaching. Given that fact there is no basis in the rules for deciding one thing or another is either allowed or "fair play." The claim at the time was that it fell under unsportsmanlike conduct but that's self-serving nonsense as well. Without a definition it simply becomes a catch-all that allows an ultimate (or a commissioner) to do whatever they want. I don't care who you are nobody has any business making up the rules as they go along. Or, for that matter, enforcing rules contrary to how they appear in the rule book.
(Do I treat this kinda stuff more harshly when it's the PSP than the NPPL? Yes, because the PSP represents itself as the league promoting paintball as sport and I take them at their word.)
By and large the field at Galveston played the way I suggested it would far too much of the time; slow & boring. Unless this was part of some masterplan to incrementally move the two competing national formats closer and closer until they are indistinguishable from one another it didn't do the PSP any favors either. Whether it's called xball or Race 2 the format was in a conceptual shambles at Galveston. Part of the issue was the longer field and part was the specifics of the layout chosen. (In leveling this criticism I am not blaming the field designer. Some of you may know who it is but I'm not naming him purposefully. In recent years he has developed a good general understanding and works very hard to provide new, unusual but still playable and entertaining designs--which isn't an easy task--and the new mini A's aren't helpful either.) The problem is juxtaposing the need for secrecy against the notion that including some added voices of experience into the process could be beneficial. Or it might not. I'm also unconvinced there are enough bunkers for the new field dimensions. Fortunately there's time between now and Chitown--oh, wait, we don't yet know, despite the rash of recent rumors, if there will be a Chicago event this year--to consider possible improvements to the process.
UPDATE: Harrass and you shall receive. PSP has posted info on the Chicago area event.
As a resort community Galveston is West Palm Beach compared to Palm Beach. For those unfamiliar with Florida Galveston is like the promise of The Strip in Vegas when reality turns out to be the million-and-one-lightbulbs of La Galleria de Jackpot on the east side of town surrounded by check cashing joints and RV parks. If that didn't do it for you think dinner at Denny's at Ruth's Chris prices. The event was held on a lumpy patch of ground with nothing to commend it other than the grass was decent and there was enough room for the fields. I understand the league is economizing and if you gave me a sheet of optional either/or choices to check off I would pick those that enhanced the competition every time over those that enhanced the venue--but that's really what it is coming down to. At events like Galveston there is nothing there to justify the time and expense except the competition. If the competition falters ...
Back to a few numbers. In the Day 1 & Day 2 reports VFTD noted that nearly 50% of the prelim matches in D1-D3 went to time instead of score. If D4 Race 2-4 was included in the total it would be well over 50% of all those matches went to time. Kick in the playoff matches and the total drops to slightly under 50%. While I'm at it I also want to object, on competitive grounds, to the way the pro division is playing out with a 10 team division. This time 4 of the 10 finished with identical records and will be ranked 5th-8th based on point differential despite not all of them sharing common opponents. I acknowledge that is the rule but it strikes me as woefully unsatisfactory for what is supposed to be the epitome of competitive paintball. Why not rock, paper, scissors to decide. A return to last year's formula would go a long way toward assuring each team earned their ranking and would create some added Sunday excitement.
I'm running way long so I'll save a pro team round-up until tomorrow. Y'all come back now, ya hear. (Oh, and can some kind-hearted Texan tell me when Texas decided to take the bone outta a T-bone steak and smash it round and thin? Two different, relatively high priced restaurants passed off the same sorry piece of meat as a T-bone steak.)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
PSP Chicago: Wrap-up
I've opted for a wrap-up post instead of the (day late) weekly update of the MLP events because the weekly update would mostly be about the PSP anyway. There's a handful of teams signed up for the next not so Grand Tour event, wherever it's being held. The NPPL is not yet making registration info available nor is there any follow-up info on the All-Star affair or Hall of Fame in the works. Does anybody, even those who have participated diligently in the NPPL 3.0, have the slightest idea who all the possible All-Stars are? I know I don't and I try to keep up to speed. How often does somebody watch an All-Star event and go "Who the hell is that guy?" during the introductions? The only piece of new data is the total numbers participating at the Millennium series' Campaign Cup this weekend; 49 teams in the 3 open divisions which makes for similar, if slightly down, numbers to the two previous events.
As far as this wrap-up goes it's really just an assortment of odds & ends I haven't commented on already. Like the UWL tie-in. I know they were there somewhere. I was invited to drop by prior to the event. It didn't happen 'cus I'm busy (and single-minded) at events but it would have liked to--except I never once thought about it after our event got started. All I heard post facto sounded like an Old Skool nostalgia tour with lots of high profile players from the past and resurrected team names meeting once again to do battle under the branches. Which is actually kinda awesome but maybe doesn't bode so well for the future of the UWL? How many regular teams attended?
Opinions have differed regarding the league's efforts to pull this event off. That's partly what the The (Tuesday) Monday Poll is all about. That and the general public perception. Most of the divide falls into two camps; the PSP did all it could with a bad situation versus maybe they shouldn't have put themselves in the situation to begin with. There's also a few who seem to think the league could have done more, somehow been better prepared to deal with the weather. When I lived in Phoenix there was a big housing boom. Surprisingly for those unfamiliar with the desert one of the things builders were required to plan for was flooding. (There's a monsoon season, Phoenix is in a valley, and the normally rock hard dry ground is unable to soak up lots of water with the result of occasional flash floods.) The flood standards were described in terms of their likelihood; the twenty year flood, the fifty year flood up to the 100 year flood with each describing a scale of flooding. The 20 year flood was one that was statistically likely within any 20 year period--and so on. Builders competed, in part, on the level of flood security they offered. In terms of dealing with the weather the real question for the PSP is what is a reasonable level of preparation for the unexpected?
The league also introduced some new stuff at Chicago that has been in the works for a while; the new scoreboards, pit scoreboards and so-called Easy buttons for conceding a point. There were a few kinks in the rollout but by and large it worked as intended. My only "complaint" is that spectators can't see the blue numbers from the grandstand very well at all. Otherwise it seemed sturdier and better suited for outdoor use than the old equipment.
And now for the shuttle system. It worked but only just. I'm left wondering if the league planned on using that Balmoral parking lot the whole time, rain or shine, because I don't know where all those cars would have gone on Badlandz property. I also wonder if some of the delays Friday and Saturday had as much to do with the the inability to get players on site in a timely fashion as anything else. And if the shuttle was always part of the plan why we weren't told about in advance with the suggestion that extra time be allotted to the process of getting to your matches on time.
At the end of the day I also think this venue poses a problematic question for the future: What is the tourney baseline today? What is the minimum acceptable venue for a major league event? Everybody understands the current climate but realistically the majority of participants are everyday paintball enthusiasts who aren't so driven they will do anything and accept anything in order to compete. They are competitors but they are also customers and most of them have much cheaper options available to them at the local and regional level.
Which brings me to perhaps an even more vexing question: With the decline in Race 2-2 participation what can the PSP realistically do? (Or, how long can they keep doing Phoenix?)
As far as this wrap-up goes it's really just an assortment of odds & ends I haven't commented on already. Like the UWL tie-in. I know they were there somewhere. I was invited to drop by prior to the event. It didn't happen 'cus I'm busy (and single-minded) at events but it would have liked to--except I never once thought about it after our event got started. All I heard post facto sounded like an Old Skool nostalgia tour with lots of high profile players from the past and resurrected team names meeting once again to do battle under the branches. Which is actually kinda awesome but maybe doesn't bode so well for the future of the UWL? How many regular teams attended?
Opinions have differed regarding the league's efforts to pull this event off. That's partly what the The (Tuesday) Monday Poll is all about. That and the general public perception. Most of the divide falls into two camps; the PSP did all it could with a bad situation versus maybe they shouldn't have put themselves in the situation to begin with. There's also a few who seem to think the league could have done more, somehow been better prepared to deal with the weather. When I lived in Phoenix there was a big housing boom. Surprisingly for those unfamiliar with the desert one of the things builders were required to plan for was flooding. (There's a monsoon season, Phoenix is in a valley, and the normally rock hard dry ground is unable to soak up lots of water with the result of occasional flash floods.) The flood standards were described in terms of their likelihood; the twenty year flood, the fifty year flood up to the 100 year flood with each describing a scale of flooding. The 20 year flood was one that was statistically likely within any 20 year period--and so on. Builders competed, in part, on the level of flood security they offered. In terms of dealing with the weather the real question for the PSP is what is a reasonable level of preparation for the unexpected?
The league also introduced some new stuff at Chicago that has been in the works for a while; the new scoreboards, pit scoreboards and so-called Easy buttons for conceding a point. There were a few kinks in the rollout but by and large it worked as intended. My only "complaint" is that spectators can't see the blue numbers from the grandstand very well at all. Otherwise it seemed sturdier and better suited for outdoor use than the old equipment.
And now for the shuttle system. It worked but only just. I'm left wondering if the league planned on using that Balmoral parking lot the whole time, rain or shine, because I don't know where all those cars would have gone on Badlandz property. I also wonder if some of the delays Friday and Saturday had as much to do with the the inability to get players on site in a timely fashion as anything else. And if the shuttle was always part of the plan why we weren't told about in advance with the suggestion that extra time be allotted to the process of getting to your matches on time.
At the end of the day I also think this venue poses a problematic question for the future: What is the tourney baseline today? What is the minimum acceptable venue for a major league event? Everybody understands the current climate but realistically the majority of participants are everyday paintball enthusiasts who aren't so driven they will do anything and accept anything in order to compete. They are competitors but they are also customers and most of them have much cheaper options available to them at the local and regional level.
Which brings me to perhaps an even more vexing question: With the decline in Race 2-2 participation what can the PSP realistically do? (Or, how long can they keep doing Phoenix?)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
PSP Chicago: Sunday
Up at 5:30 am and off to the field before 6 am for our first match of the day; a rematch with Aftershock. Weather reports are constantly changing--and not for the better. Rain is expected sometime during the day, the duration uncertain but in the early morning everything looks good. We arrive before Shock, the refs and PSP staff. The match ends up being similar to the one the day before even though Shock made some adjustments and tried to shake things up. I like Shock because they are young, passionate and never quit.
Before our next match there is (another) rain delay with about a half hour downpour. The schedule is set back but not badly and the field becomes muddier and spotty with puddles.
Next up is the semi-final versus the Russians. The condition of the field is affecting some of what teams can and cannot do OTB. Saturday the Legion spanked us and we expect them to employ a similar strategy. One we're better prepared for this time. As before the early points are combat with the first point resulting in everybody eliminated and no point scored. After that things got ugly as the penalties piled up. By the end each team received three majors. We came off our first two down only 2-4 and then it was the Russians turn. We began to turn the tide and pressed to score as quickly as possible and despite another late penalty we reeled off 5 straight points for the win and a trip to the finals.
We watch to see who we'll play; Impact or Infamous. It turns out to be Infamous. We talk about unfinished business from Phoenix. We review what Infamous has been doing throughout the tourney and talked about how to counter them. We talked about the penalties--how we were confident the only thing that would beat us was penalties, so let's knock it off, play smart, play aggressive & make it happen. It's our third finals in the last 3 events. We want this one, badly. (Heck, I want all of them but I'm a greedy bastard.)
Once again it was not to be but it is not as tough a blow as Phoenix was. (My son insists I didn't answer my phone for 72 hours after Phoenix--but then I didn't have anything to say. Am I taking this too seriously? Probably.) The difference is this time despite everything the team refused to give up, refused to lose whatever the score, refused to give in to circumstances no matter how impossible. So while there is always room for improvement I am hopeful we have learned that even if we lose we will not be beaten.
Before our next match there is (another) rain delay with about a half hour downpour. The schedule is set back but not badly and the field becomes muddier and spotty with puddles.
Next up is the semi-final versus the Russians. The condition of the field is affecting some of what teams can and cannot do OTB. Saturday the Legion spanked us and we expect them to employ a similar strategy. One we're better prepared for this time. As before the early points are combat with the first point resulting in everybody eliminated and no point scored. After that things got ugly as the penalties piled up. By the end each team received three majors. We came off our first two down only 2-4 and then it was the Russians turn. We began to turn the tide and pressed to score as quickly as possible and despite another late penalty we reeled off 5 straight points for the win and a trip to the finals.
We watch to see who we'll play; Impact or Infamous. It turns out to be Infamous. We talk about unfinished business from Phoenix. We review what Infamous has been doing throughout the tourney and talked about how to counter them. We talked about the penalties--how we were confident the only thing that would beat us was penalties, so let's knock it off, play smart, play aggressive & make it happen. It's our third finals in the last 3 events. We want this one, badly. (Heck, I want all of them but I'm a greedy bastard.)
Once again it was not to be but it is not as tough a blow as Phoenix was. (My son insists I didn't answer my phone for 72 hours after Phoenix--but then I didn't have anything to say. Am I taking this too seriously? Probably.) The difference is this time despite everything the team refused to give up, refused to lose whatever the score, refused to give in to circumstances no matter how impossible. So while there is always room for improvement I am hopeful we have learned that even if we lose we will not be beaten.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
PSP Chicago: Saturday
A short post today as we have an 8am match with 'Shock in the morning. Unfortunately the way the seeding worked out the same teams that were in each division are playing each other some more in the quarters and semis tomorrow. On the other hand if we get past 'Shock again we get an opportunity to play the Russians again. Which we relish. To be the best you have to beat the best and one modest result (in Phoenix) never meant the Russians were on the downside--despite the perpetual bandwagon hooting of the internet crowd.
Field conditions continue to be poor as it rained hard again over night. Pro field matches were delayed 45 minutes while divisional play was delayed as much as a couple hours and ultimately pushing some divisional play over to Sunday. The pits are as thick and sticky as peanut butter spread inches deep. The mud in the corner of the field by the Home side entry is worse. Nobody is running the corner and it's more fatiguing to get out of the pit than it is to play a point. Where the snake was slick on Friday it's churned up & slow now. Field conditions are influencing play and turning most points into tiny wars. In a sense it's the essence of primal paintball and demands heart, will and determination.
In today's match with the Legion early on it was the slugfest I expected with a few drawn out technical points and the teams tied at 2. At that point the Legion kept the pressure on and we didn't handle it well once the score turned against us. Credit the Russians as the well-oiled, well-prepared team they are and for their immaculate execution. We wanted the bye into the semis but we didn't get it. Other than that the only match between us that will matter in the final standings is the one we get to play tomorrow if we get past Shock.
In our last match and the last match of the day we played Shock. The winner earned the higher seed and the last of the teams thru to Sunday would be determined. The match was close early but got on top, maintained our focus and tried to up our intensity, and pushed hard to close them out. It was a solid win against the crowd favorite home town team and a tough loss for the Shock kids but just like our match with the Russians the one that will matter when the record of this event is written is the one Sunday morning.
The tournament starts tomorrow.
Field conditions continue to be poor as it rained hard again over night. Pro field matches were delayed 45 minutes while divisional play was delayed as much as a couple hours and ultimately pushing some divisional play over to Sunday. The pits are as thick and sticky as peanut butter spread inches deep. The mud in the corner of the field by the Home side entry is worse. Nobody is running the corner and it's more fatiguing to get out of the pit than it is to play a point. Where the snake was slick on Friday it's churned up & slow now. Field conditions are influencing play and turning most points into tiny wars. In a sense it's the essence of primal paintball and demands heart, will and determination.
In today's match with the Legion early on it was the slugfest I expected with a few drawn out technical points and the teams tied at 2. At that point the Legion kept the pressure on and we didn't handle it well once the score turned against us. Credit the Russians as the well-oiled, well-prepared team they are and for their immaculate execution. We wanted the bye into the semis but we didn't get it. Other than that the only match between us that will matter in the final standings is the one we get to play tomorrow if we get past Shock.
In our last match and the last match of the day we played Shock. The winner earned the higher seed and the last of the teams thru to Sunday would be determined. The match was close early but got on top, maintained our focus and tried to up our intensity, and pushed hard to close them out. It was a solid win against the crowd favorite home town team and a tough loss for the Shock kids but just like our match with the Russians the one that will matter when the record of this event is written is the one Sunday morning.
The tournament starts tomorrow.
Friday, June 25, 2010
PSP Chicago: Friday
Today was the first day of pro prelim matches--and it didn't rain. The fields are still in ragged shape but we're still playing paintball. I heard today the league actually contemplated calling the event. Now that would have been a real nightmare but if true it helps explain how overwhelming the circumstances were. And I think if asked no one would prefer to not be playing paintball this weekend.
In our first match we played X-Factor and things did not go as planned. Was this the match I came to Chicago worried about? I don't think so. X-Factor is a solid team that seldom gives anything away and we also had an (unacceptable) number of penalties to overcome (including two majors.) So while it wasn't pretty we did what we needed to do and eeked out a win. We also need to realize that while we used to be underdogs we're not sneaking up on anybody anymore. And nobody is immune from the so-called upset. Take a look at the rest of Friday's scores. Every event offers up a few surprises and the mark of the best teams is consistency.
We played Vicious in our second game after having an opportunity to scout them in their first match against Entourage. Vicious does a good job of executing their game plan and they commit to their effort as a team. Today it wasn't enough as we took advantage of a couple of patterns we saw and dialled up our intensity determined not to repeat our earlier effort.
In our half by the end of the day our two wins were matched by the Legion's two wins while both Shock and Vicious went 1 and 1 (with Shock holding a substantial edge in point differential.) Tomorrow we play the Legion and then Shock and the odds are nothing will be settled until the score is final in the last match of the day. Good luck or hard luck, today didn't decide anything. It just made the road to Sunday either easier or harder.
Tomorrow is the qualifier; winners go on, losers go home. The tournament begins on Sunday.
In our first match we played X-Factor and things did not go as planned. Was this the match I came to Chicago worried about? I don't think so. X-Factor is a solid team that seldom gives anything away and we also had an (unacceptable) number of penalties to overcome (including two majors.) So while it wasn't pretty we did what we needed to do and eeked out a win. We also need to realize that while we used to be underdogs we're not sneaking up on anybody anymore. And nobody is immune from the so-called upset. Take a look at the rest of Friday's scores. Every event offers up a few surprises and the mark of the best teams is consistency.
We played Vicious in our second game after having an opportunity to scout them in their first match against Entourage. Vicious does a good job of executing their game plan and they commit to their effort as a team. Today it wasn't enough as we took advantage of a couple of patterns we saw and dialled up our intensity determined not to repeat our earlier effort.
In our half by the end of the day our two wins were matched by the Legion's two wins while both Shock and Vicious went 1 and 1 (with Shock holding a substantial edge in point differential.) Tomorrow we play the Legion and then Shock and the odds are nothing will be settled until the score is final in the last match of the day. Good luck or hard luck, today didn't decide anything. It just made the road to Sunday either easier or harder.
Tomorrow is the qualifier; winners go on, losers go home. The tournament begins on Sunday.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
PSP Chicago: Thursday
What can I say? The place is well named; the Badlandz. Word today was that the immediate area has absorbed 15 inches of rain in less than a week. Although absorbed isn't a hundred percent accurate as there is standing water in a few spots and lots of mud--a thick, sticky, gooey clay-like sort of mud. Efforts have been made to minimize the impact but it's almost been two steps forward, three steps back as the rain continued to fall day after day. But it's not the last Pomona (yet) which was the PSP's Waterworld event.
I talked to a few of the PSP staff over the course of the day and I almost felt sorry for them. (Almost, but I'm maintaining a journalistic distance.) They were uniformly worn down & worn out by the daily repeated efforts to make the venue playable. We were booted off the pro field this afternoon--something about an email last night to stay off?--as there was still work to be done even as the other fields were hosting matches. And those fields weren't pretty, they were uniformly muddy and beat up and the tournament is just getting started. The pro field still needed the pits and the scoreboard set-up and there was an effort being made to even out some churned earth and drain off some water.
Parking is problematic as well with little viable parking on site and the overflow redirected to a Balmont Park lot on higher, dryer ground. Shuttles are shifting peeps from the lot to the venue--slowly--and in the early morning tomorrow it could put every schedule behind. But again, it is what it is.
While conditions are less than ideal there is no point in complaining. The league has done the best they could. Rennick & the Badlandz staff also worked prior to the PSP's arrival to prepare the venue and it won't matter. People will complain during the event and continue to complain about it afterwards, too. And in one sense they are entitled but it won't help anybody win. Complaining never does and right now it's time to play ball. And excuses are for losers. Time enough after it's all over to look back and evaluate the results.
We registered, spent some time on the field (we weren't supposed to) and waited for a Facefull photog as the magazine has scheduleda future feature of some sort on the team. As the day dribbled away it turned out the Facefull guy was running late (too) and we decided to reschedule and get out of the heat. The next two days will be long ones. Two matches a day for the players but 6 or 8 matches for me as our prelim opponents and other likely opponents need to be scouted and charted. Rain or shine I spend my time under an umbrella in the grandstands.
For those of you who wonder what Old Skool competition was like--there were times when it looked very much like this. Tomorrow, match reports & results.
I talked to a few of the PSP staff over the course of the day and I almost felt sorry for them. (Almost, but I'm maintaining a journalistic distance.) They were uniformly worn down & worn out by the daily repeated efforts to make the venue playable. We were booted off the pro field this afternoon--something about an email last night to stay off?--as there was still work to be done even as the other fields were hosting matches. And those fields weren't pretty, they were uniformly muddy and beat up and the tournament is just getting started. The pro field still needed the pits and the scoreboard set-up and there was an effort being made to even out some churned earth and drain off some water.
Parking is problematic as well with little viable parking on site and the overflow redirected to a Balmont Park lot on higher, dryer ground. Shuttles are shifting peeps from the lot to the venue--slowly--and in the early morning tomorrow it could put every schedule behind. But again, it is what it is.
While conditions are less than ideal there is no point in complaining. The league has done the best they could. Rennick & the Badlandz staff also worked prior to the PSP's arrival to prepare the venue and it won't matter. People will complain during the event and continue to complain about it afterwards, too. And in one sense they are entitled but it won't help anybody win. Complaining never does and right now it's time to play ball. And excuses are for losers. Time enough after it's all over to look back and evaluate the results.
We registered, spent some time on the field (we weren't supposed to) and waited for a Facefull photog as the magazine has scheduleda future feature of some sort on the team. As the day dribbled away it turned out the Facefull guy was running late (too) and we decided to reschedule and get out of the heat. The next two days will be long ones. Two matches a day for the players but 6 or 8 matches for me as our prelim opponents and other likely opponents need to be scouted and charted. Rain or shine I spend my time under an umbrella in the grandstands.
For those of you who wonder what Old Skool competition was like--there were times when it looked very much like this. Tomorrow, match reports & results.
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