Stalker Paintball in Lyndon Station,
Wisconsin held their second Midwest Open Class tournament on July 27th. Hosted by Team Gravity this
event attracted fourteen teams from around the region for play on
some very fast paced air and hyperball fields. Each team played a
total of thirteen games spread between the two fields in a single
round format. Breaks in between games were spread out to enable
each team to have enough time to catch their breath, reload, and
return to the fields.
The event was played on Stalker's well
developed tournament fields. Each
field was carefully netted and surrounded with benches to provide
spectators with a safe view of the action on the field. Field #1
Airball consisted of a solid back row giving plenty of cover for
shooters to lay down a layer of covering fire. Key spots on the
field consisted of the off set row of short cans down the right
tape. This row enabled players to sneak in and out of sight while
moving up the field and provided for
some exciting play during the day. The "50" was one of the more
unique set ups designed yet this year. Combining 4 triangle
bunkers with 4 small lay downs what was at the "50" most resembled
a squashed letter "M". The flag was hung on the middle gap and it
was not uncommon to see a bunker at
the "50" within the first few seconds
of the game.
Field #2 Hyperball is Stalker's older concept
field but still enjoyable to play. With a huge "octopus"
structure at the "50", a field long "snake" on the spectator side,
and no shortage of large stand up and lay down bunkers this field
can make or break any team. Both fields were enjoyed by all
teams, and there was no shortage of competition of fantastic moves
made by players.
A local sports writer was on hand taking
photos of the event and gathering information on the sport of
paintball. The tournament staff were also on field in many games
taking digital photos for later
viewing on www.stalkerpaintball.com and www.WIpaintball.com
at Midwest_Open Photo Album
Competition was tough from the very beginning. Teams of all
different levels are able to participate in this Open Class event and the diversity in
player experience is usually what makes these Open events so much
fun. You never know when a team with little or no experience is
going to take out one of the top contenders if they slip up.
Through out the entire tournament the top three teams were separated by less than 50
points, lose a flag pull, or a game and you could slip from first
place into third. The pressure was on and who ever came out on top
would be the one team that played the
best error free game.
Finishing with a 30 point lead over second
place, AGD Pride won the coveted first place trophy and cash.
They were followed by Shellshock in
second place, and Soultakkers in a close third. Everyone had a
great time and many were heard saying they would be back for the
next tournament at Stalker.
Speaking of the next tournament...Stalker
will be hosting several over the next few months. Be sure to
visit their website at www.stalkerpaintball.com
or call (608) 666-2400 for more details.
Photo Album
1 2
3
