USPL/NPPL Vegas 1st place Pump & Series Champs!

Fri, Oct 30, 2009

The final USPL/ NPPL event of the year just took place in Vegas. Very close to the stip but not quite on it. In a parking lot that claimed Tony Perez’s elbow. Everybody came to have a good time and it was nice to be at an event in Vegas. There was two fields and a row of vendors. Everybody seemed to be having a good time and enjoyed the games. The final games for 5 man and 5 man pump were after the awards ceremony for all the 7 man divisions.

Our full write up by Mike is found here and at our MySpace blog. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=68114038&blogId=516035854

USPL/NPPL Vegas by Mike Masushige

USPL/NPPL Vegas World Championships 2009.

The final event was held behind the Riviera Hotel in the parking lot for the Las Vegas Convention Center. (12) 5-man pump teams came to compete in the last event of the year. The LA Hitmen nearly had the season locked just by showing up, as 2^nd place Chikun Nuggetz were not in attendance. Fieldoffire.com (FoF) and Gat Factory were tied in the 3^rd spot trailing by 30 points. A 12^th place finish for the Hitmen and a 1^st for FoF or Gat was the only scenario that would allow anyone to take the series title from LAH.

The event felt very small in scale to what we were used to seeing at NPPL’s of the past. Only 2 fields were set up and the vendor alley was fairly small. The event was on the part of the block opposite the strip (Paradise, as opposed to Las Vegas Blvd.), so there wasn’t really much drive-by traffic. However, there was plenty of parking and the walk to the fields was extremely short and convenient. As a player, this was pretty nice.

The reffing was some of the best I’ve seen at an event in a while. Marc Gottfried debuted as head ref and kept things going at a good pace and well under control. There were several other long time NPPL refs that were back in action on the field, which helped tremendously. You can always tell a good ref crew by the way they maintain their zones and which players they’re watching. Firm calls without being so heavy handed as to control the outcomes. Refreshing, to say the least.

The LA Hitmen started the prelims on Saturday with a hiccup. Snake player Kurly didn’t have a recognized ID and wasn’t allowed to play. We had to pull Vanida from Almost Ninja in order to have 5 on the field. Rik had come down with the flu, but was able to compete for the entire day Saturday. LAH finished the prelims with 7 wins and 1 loss, securing the series title with a minimum 8^th place finish.

By Sunday morning, Rik had a temperature of 101.5 and could barely stand without getting dizzy. He was able to play the first 2 quarter finals games against the Yuma Rattlers, but was spent by the end of the second game. For Rik’s health, he was benched for the rest of the day. LAH went into the 3^rd game with 4 players and managed to stale the game with 2 Yuma Rattlers and the flag in possession against Derrick. The 1×1 game saw Yuma Mark lose to Hitmen Derrick, allowing LAH to advance to the final four. The Rattlers are a class act and it was great to see them in the Quarters.

Gat Factory also went 7-1 in the prelims (losing only to Yuma). They lost their first quarter finals game against 3KD, but won the next 2 and secured their final four spot. Poi and Tacos (LAH’s second team sponsored by Mikey from Island Paintball) won the third game against PBGateway to advance. Fieldoffire.com swept Almost Ninja (LAH’s third team) to advance.

Gat and FoF went head to head in the semi-finals. This determined who would be in second place for the series. FoF took the first game with extreme aggression. One of their front players even jumped over the U while advancing up the field. However, Gat once again came from behind and won the next two games to go into the finals for first and second.

In a battle of Hitmen teams, LA Hitmen and Poi and Tacos clashed to see who would advance to the finals. LA Hitmen won both games.

Poi and Tacos swept FoF in the battle for 3^rd. Both games were extremely quick, with Poi and Tacos snake players quickly advancing to the U and the FoF’s own carwash.

The battle for first between LAH and Gat was extremely hard fought. The first game closed with a 2×2. Gat pushed the tape, but had a player advance with a hit. That player shot out both Hitmen players, but the refs saw the hit and assessed the 1 for 1, resulting in a draw game. The Hitmen won the next two games to secure first place.

Results:

1^st LA Hitmen

2^nd Gat Factory

3^rd Poi and Tacos

4^th Fieldoffire.com

Overall, the event was pretty good. The finals could’ve been scheduled a little better, given the limited paddock space. Each division should’ve been completed, instead of mixing them up. It was better for the audience, but definitely difficult for the players. I’m looking forward to playing Huntington beach 2010, which should be a great event. The USPL/NPPL has definitely been listening to the pump players and has made vast improvements since adding pump in 2008.

Mike Masushige
LA Hitmen

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Tags: la hitmen win, nppl review, paintball, paintball event, pump paintball

2 Responses to “USPL/NPPL Vegas 1st place Pump & Series Champs!”

Juni says:

10/31/2009 at 12:50

Had a great time! Although my team “Almost Ninja” didnt make it, it was nice to see first squad take first place once again.
DIE$EL says:

11/11/2009 at 20:01

CONGRATULATIONS BOYS!!! Lookin’ forward to comin’ back and playin ALL next season