Into the Unknown.....
We recently found ourselves at the first
UWL event at our home field of Bearclaw Paintball in Fayetteville, TN. This would be the first woodsball tournament
that any of us had played. Although many
of the team enjoys playing different formats of paintball (some even with
speedball experience), scenario is our comfort zone. We were going to be outside of our element,
but were determined to branch out and give the combination of our woods
experience, along with a faster paced game, a valiant effort. We entered the Tactical Division, along with
two other sister teams from our field.
On Game Day One, each of us did our best to
prepare for what was to come. Some of us
joked around, listened to music, socialized, or even took a nap. As time drew near for the first game of the
day, we all huddled around the net near the midpoint of the field and watched the
experienced UWL teams battle it out. Our
plans of how to execute success seemed to make much more sense – how to split
the field, where each teammate would go, how to sub in, who was to sub in, and
most importantly – how to communicate to one another on the field. This was not something new to us, as we do
this at every event we attend, but more of an affirmation.
Our first game found us at the start
station, making sure each of us knew the rules, asking the referee last minute
questions, and finally getting everyone fired up with a speech. When the referee gave the thirty seconds
proclamation, our adrenaline was pumping hard.
The call for the scout was made and our scout took off running for the
first flag station. Ten seconds later,
the floodgates were opened and we ran to our assigned locations and battled for
flags. With the thick foliage, our HDE
pants easily blended in with the terrain. We came out on top after a hard
fought match thirty minutes later.
The second game was less nerve racking, as
our pre-game plan was now routine: chrono, formulate new plan, prepare for
battle. Again, at the call for the
scout, most of us jumped, but it was easier to reset. The two new LV1 marker additions to our team
got plenty of field time and didn’t miss a beat. Midway through the game, our scout ran back
requesting us to make a push for the opposition’s flag – which we
complete. After a quick reset, the third
part of the match starts, and once again were on top in the end.
The third game of the day was much like the
second, except fewer of us jumped during the scout call. All of our markers performed perfectly on the
field. Somehow we pulled off another
victory and took the rest of the day to debrief and formulate the next day’s
plans. A little potluck meal and cobbler
rejuvenated our energy, along with some of the more humorous antics that
happened on the field like our scout pulling the wrong color flag for a few minutes
during one of our matches. Mother Nature
only rained on our parade for half an hour (probably due to someone angering
the Paintball Gods a few days prior to the event by talking about how perfect
the weather forecast was).
Game Day Two started beautifully with our fourth
game later in the morning. After our
fourth victory, we were on our way to the tactical final against another
unbeaten team, Chicago Underground. We
lost the coin toss and lost the choice of start stations, but were able to pick
up a rejuvenation of the first player shot out.
Moments after the start of the game, we were stalemated at the center of
the field; unfortunately, the flag stations were on the opponent’s side of the
center. After battling tooth and nail
through the longest thirty minute match we have ever been part of, we were
defeated and took Tactical Division 2nd place. This match was epic,
and we were given a taste of how it would be to play at this level. We want more.
We are now anxiously awaiting next year’s UWL schedule so we may add
those games to our own schedule. Thank
you to everyone who was at this awesome event. A great thanks to Planet Eclipse
for the superior gear they produce. And
a special thank you goes out to Chris Greer who helped keep us focused in the
pits.
Our next event will be at Bearclaw
Paintball for MPP’s Game of Thrones : Dothraki vs. Greyjoy on October 5th –
6th. If you need help with
anything paintball related, feel free to ask any one of us. Look us up on Facebook (www.facebook.com/blackkarmapaintball). Also check our page for
updates on upcoming games and new products from Planet Eclipse.
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