Every Friday night starting October 6 at 5PM, ESPN2 will air coverage of the 2006 National Professional Paintball League's (NPPL) U.S. Paintball Championships held at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
From exciting duels in the snake to long-range sniping, ESPN2 captures the fast-paced action. Featuring a $50,000 cash prize, the largest prize in NPPL history, the round robin tournament features eight of the world's best professional paintball teams:
– Atlanta Predators, coached by Paul Adlers
– Jacksonville Raiders
– Los Angeles XSV
– New York Aces
– Pennsylvania All-Americans
– Russian Legion
– San Diego Dynasty, three-time defending champs;
– Seattle Naughty Dogs.
Using a game clock similar to more traditional sports, both teams battle to see which can accumulate the most points before time runs out. Five players from each team start at opposing ends of the field, a rectangular swatch of turf that is filled with inflatable obstacles. Their goal is to grab a flag from the center of the field, and run it to the opposing teams starting box, eliminating anyone who is in their way.
Each time a flag is hung, a team scores a point and then reset to their starting positions with a full compliment of players. Team coaches are able to shout and direct their players from the sidelines. Player fouls are dealt with by time spent in the penalty box, during which the team may start the next point with fewer players in their starting box.