Ten Teams will be attending the WCPL's Panhandle Paintball Classic in Florida this weekend.

You might say "Only ten teams?" and that would be a typical response in this day and age of mega-events.

On the other hand, there are Ten Teams from across the country who are going to have the nearly undivided attention of the Event Promoters, the Field Staff, the Referees, the other teams and everyone else attending.  Ten Teams that are going to have an unforgettable and unique experience. 

Paintball is about more than just the competition.  Sure we can all get together through various lighting fast technological means like Email, video conferencing, Facebook posts, but its different in person.  When you're bragging about your latest exploits you get to see the emotional reactions on people's faces, their body language.  Whether they're shouting out kill counts from across the field or quietly discussing breakout tactics just before a game, you get to hear their voices.

You get an emotional camaraderie that is the realization that you and every other paintballer on the planet share something in common:  you've played this game.  You know things that no non-baller knows.  Things that can only be shared with another paintballer, because they're the only ones who will understand you.

Sure we're on different teams, play in different leagues, come from different countries, even play different versions of this sport, but we're all on Team Paintball.  One big world-wide, cross-generational family with gelatin in our DNA. 

And that's why its important for us to get together, not just to play, not just to compete, but to renew our bonds, strengthen our connections, reinforce our shared experiences.  And maybe even tell some tall tales to players who haven't heard them yet.

We don't do these events to compete.  We do them to get together.  To be with our family.  When you get together with your biological family at Christmas or Thanksgiving or that annual Family Reunion, you don't say "Only Uncle Gomez and Aunt Morticia will be there", you say "Uncle Gomez and Aunt Morticia will be there!  Haven't seen them in a while!  It will be great to get back together with them.  Too bad Cousin It couldn't get off from work.  I hope someone makes those devilled eggs I like so much!" 

Because here's the bottom line.  We CAN'T have competition without each other.   And that means, no matter how strong our rivalries may be, we need each other to do this paintball thing.  And to my mind, that makes all of the members of my extended world-wide paintball family more important than any one game, event or season. 

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So who is going to be attending the WCPL's Panhandle Paintball Classic this weekend?

 

ADOPTED RAGE

Juggernauts

LAX Machine

LOCKOUT

Master Blasters

Revolution

Team Crowley WCPL

TEAM FOX

the Band

Toxic Teddys

A good mix of old and new from across the country.

We've got two teams who've played each other innumerable times, both from the New York region in The Master Blasters and Team LOCKOUT.

We've got TEAM FOX out of Illinois and the well-known Fox Paintball and well-known on the ICC and ICPL circuit.

We've got the Band, the legendary team of Paintball Industry Giants, who hail from all over the country;

Revolution out of Tampa Bay Florida, who've been competing in NXL and a host of other series since 2012, based at Tiki's Paintball Park;

Then there's The Toxic Teddys, who drove all the way to the WCPL's Southern California Classic from Indiana, and participated in some major upsets during that event.

Team Crowley, relative newcomers making the trip from Missouri,

Adopted Rage, who look to be Panhandle Paintball's home team.  I'll bet they know a little something about those mounds fields....

Juggernauts, another Florida team who've done some NXL play

and LAX Machine, who'll be visiting from LA Xtreme in Louisiana, fresh off of some ICPL play  last year.

NY, IN, MO, FL, IL, LA and "all over".  It's a good mix, bringing together teams both old and new and, more importantly, paintball folks who have never played with and against each other.

Which means a golden opportunity to make new paintball friends, play some ball and have a great time.

Looking forward to meeting them all!

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Teams attending upcoming WCPL events are encouraged to get in touch with us;  email us your team logo, your supporters and sponsors, tell us a little bit about your paintball history and we'll feature you here in a post.  (Email WCPLNews@gmail.com).  Stand out!  Make yourselves known!

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Correction:

In an earlier post I stated that the fields at Paintball Sports NY were the fields on which a UK team first won a tournament in North America.  My memory was wrong as John Amodea of Paintball Media was quick to inform me.  Apparently, John does not like it - at all - when people get their paintball history wrong.

What I was in fact remembering was the first near win of a North American tournament by a UK team, at an event where two US teams (no need to name them as it is ancient history) colluded to prevent that very first victory.  We were all pretty excited about it (at least those of us holding the more mature  outlook that such a win would help foster international play).

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Don't forget to sign up for our Newsletter and, don't forget to sign up for the NEXT WCPL event, the New York Classic, June 9-11.   You'll get to hang with these teams who've already registered -

AllStars

Ironmen

NYPD Finest Paintball

Team Crowley WCPL

TEAM FOX

Toxic Teddys

UK Predators

Unforgivin

Valkyries

WooHoo!