Modified: (10/13/03)
In July of 2000, after the collapse of one local tourney, the Okanagan
Paintball Club had put together the first "Monster" Tournament in only
three weeks. It was our first Rookie/Novice Tournament, and one of the first ones held in
the valley. We had 10 teams, played 60 games plus finals in one day, and everything went
off without a hitch!
Encouraged by the success of the previous year the Club put together "Monster II", held on July 21st and 22nd of 2001 in Vernon, British Columbia. " With continued support, we can help build up the tourney teams from the interior, and within a few years I think that we will be able to have a number of solid, skilled teams which, following the lead of our currently established teams, will exemplify honorable and sportsmanlike play. This is the reason we have been doing the Monster, and will remain our objective in the Monsters to come," said Dieter Planz, Captain of Savage Reaction and co-owner of Hardcore Paintball.
Saturday would consist of the first 40 Round Robin games and a mini one-on-one tournament. Sunday would be the final 20 games and then the Finals. Turnout was slightly smaller than expected, but we promised these guys a two day event, so that’s what they got.
Saturday: Day 1
The day started like any other, with the Captain’s meeting… then rain. Fortunately it only lasted for the first few games. By the end of the first day, Maximum Velocity had a commanding lead in the Novice division with 200-point separation between them and their next closest rival, the BC Wildcards. Behind the Wildcards were Ugly Naked Bushmen, Kamikaze Frenzy, and Point Blank. The Dragons (now known as "Team Impact") were head in the Rookie division with the Deviants close behind. They were followed by War Chickens, Team Stoke, and I’m Gonna Git Ya Sucka. Besides for the odd hot marker penalty, no major problems occurred on the field. All the games were well coordinated and players were either on the field or on deck and ready to go.
After the first set of Round Robins, the mini one-on-one tournament was held, with a Rookie and Amateur division open to all, including the refs (time for a little payback on some of those stray shots!). After some paint slinging, some great moves, and a lot of luck, or victors emerged. First place in the Rookie Division went to Arron Pikkarainen of the "War Chickens". First place in the Amateur Division went to Max Fitzgerald, Captain of the Screaming Eagles (who’s also owner of Splat Central Paintball, sponsor for the event, and head referee). After a very quick debate, it was unanimously decided that Max had somehow fixed the division to keep his own prizes (we luv ya Max!)!
Sunday: Day 2
The morning held a constant threat of rain, but remained cloudy and cool for the last part of the Round Robin. This mornings Captain’s meeting was used to help clarify any rules players were unsure of. Leniency in the first day’s refereeing wasn’t going to happen today. Kamikaze Frenzy set the record for the fastest game of the tournament with an amazing 40-second game against Point Blank. However, the run by one of the Frenzy players down the center of the field shooting wildly at empty bunkers was not only unnecessary, but irked one of the refs who was unfortunate to be in the line of fire. Lets check the dead box next time, ok buddy?
All the points were added up and the results were:
Rookie
Novice
A short break was taken for lunch before the Finals took place. Another Round Robin with the top three teams in each division would be held, and the end scores would determine the winners. The clouds managed to clear during the break to give us a hot day after all... and a hot afternoon of play!
The Final scores were:
Rookie
Novice
MVP for the Rookies went to Bart Yachimec of the "Dragons". An exceptional feat considering at this time he had been playing for less than a year. The "Dragons" were also our longest-distance team, coming all the way from Edmonton, Alberta!
The Sportsmanship award for Rookies went to "I’m Gonna Git Ya Sucka", home team for On Target Paintball in Kelowna. Despite coming dead last in their division (their first time out playing Speedball) their spirits always remained high. I overheard one of their players say, "This was awesome! I had a great time!" They were an excellent example of what Paintball should always be… fun!
Sportsmanship for the Novice went to the Ugly Naked Bushmen, home team for Armageddon Paintball in Kamloops. They had also finished second in their division, so it was a good tourney for them.
While some prizes were available to the winning teams, the majority was handed out as door prizes so almost everyone went home with something.
Special thanks:
To the teams "Savage Reaction" and "Screaming Eagles" for their dedication of time and effort in refereeing, and their help in the set up and clean up. Every team I talked to during the tourney had nothing but praise and anticipation of next year’s event. Good job guys!
To "Kamikaze Frenzy" for use of their home field.
To Brass Eagle, Splat Central Paintball, and Hardcore Paintball for donations of prizes.
To Sport Sensors Inc. for the use of their "Paintball RADARchrony ", which saved our butts at one point of the day when three of our other chronographs went down at the same time!
See you guys next year at "Monster III"!
SNIPER BOB, 2000-20010