The ESPN Network sought out paintball on a championship level and Smart Parts stepped up the plate to deliver the 2006 Smart Parts World Paintball Championships. Set over a three-day period in Connecticut at the end of May, twelve intense, manic matches were played by eight internationally known teams vying for the top spot with every bit of action caught on tape.
Jerry Braun, noted paintball promoter and Paintball World Cup creator, was the operational producer of the event and said, "The matches were tremendously exciting and exceeded all expectations. We had a two blow outs, two comfortable wins, and eight nail biters which included three overtime games."
Set at the Mohegan Sun Casino on 240 acres along the Thames River in southeastern Connecticut, the teams and spectators were treated to the lush and well known 10,000 seat Arena where major sporting events and rock concerts have been taking place for years. The arena has played host to championship boxing, college and professional basketball games, tennis, and bowling as well as entertainers from every genre.
The lineup of teams competing at the 2006 Smart Parts World Paintball Championships event came from the United States and Russia. Teams competing were made up of players who have won world championships and international titles.
The Atlanta Predators started their reign in paintball history out of Florida in 1999. After years of dominating on the amateur five and ten man circuit, the team made the jump to professional in 2000 where they've continued to shine with podium wins of first, second or third place in nearly all of the events they entered. With a solid core of dedicated players, this team is one to watch on the field.
San Diego Dynasty's core players started paintball in 1998, and after winning nearly every tournament they entered, this powerhouse team joined the ranks of the big boys with the Dynasty name in the 2001 season. Since then, their tours have included all of North America and Europe. In fact, their success has been so monumental, in their first year going Pro, they won the Professional championship – the only team in the history of paintball to have had such tremendous success in their rookie year. They are aptly named – for they truly are a Dynasty for the sport. www.dynastypaintball.com
Los Angeles XSV was born on the ashes of a professional team based out of Los Angeles in 2004. The team members, all long time players, decided on a change, branched out and found their niche on the professional circuit. Their 2005 season saw them take the podium multiple times. This season they're rolling strong and are a worthy opponent on the field in today's paintball world. www.xsvpaintball.com
Seattle Naughty Dogs was founded in 1996. The team has competed in every incarnation of paintball play possible and done incredibly well. Based out of the Pacific Northwest, this team has dominated west coast regional events for years before going national when they joined the professional rankings in 2003. They are viewed as a serious threat by the teams they face. www.naughtydogs.tv
Moscow’s Russian Legion has been playing on the American circuit since 2005 and are a tyrannical leader in Europe where they cut their teeth in paintball in the 90's, honed their skills and dominated the fields. This team has won consistently since coming to the US and despite their relative youth on the American tournament circuits are definitely feared by their competition. www.russianlegion.ru
The Jacksonville Raiders started life like most paintball teams, playing on the amateur circuit in 2002 where they captivated fans with their victories. They got the bump in 2006 to play in tournaments as a professional team. In paintball, there is only one way for a team to rise to this status – these kids can play. They're young, they're fast and they're fearless.
The New York Aces, as a team, has been around in one incarnation or another throughout the earliest history of professional paintball. Playing all over the US, Europe, winning in the Toronto Skydome – the biggest five man tournament in paintball history – these guys have done it all including the 2001 World Series championship covering both Europe and the US. This team brings their best game to the field with great heart and an incredible drive.
The Pennsylvania All-Americans have dominated competitive paintball since the early 90's. As tournament paintball has evolved, the All-Americans have led the way with wins in every format and several World Championships under their belt. They are not only known world wide for back-to-back world championship wins and their longevity in the sport, but are feared and honored for their dedication to the game, their decisive action and the competitive edge they bring to each and every match.
After an eight game preliminary round, the top four were matched up. Dynasty and the Naughty Dogs beat the Predators and XSV, respectively to advance to the championship round, while Sacramento XSV and Atlanta Predators fought for third and fourth.
Sacramento XSV took the third place win with a winning score of 7-3 over the Atlanta Predators.
The nail-biter of the event was between San Diego Dynasty and Seattle Naughty Dogs.
At the end of the first period the game was tied at three points for each team. In quick succession, the teams traded points, one after another until the final two minutes of play.
With Angel Fragoza of Dynasty in the snake, two minutes on the clock and the game tied
5-5, Naughty Dog Hector Cardona made a brilliant bunker move to eliminate Fragoza. This left the Naughty Dogs with a 2 on 1 and they quickly eliminated the last Dynasty player. Dynasty stopped the clock with 14 seconds left but the game was already gone. The Dogs added an extra point in the final seconds due to a Dynasty penalty leaving the final score of 7 to 5. The underdogs became the Top Dogs as the Naughty Dogs were crowned the 2006 Smart Parts Paintball Champions.
"The Dogs had a couple come from behind victories to get to the championship round against both the New York Aces and XSV. In the final game with Dynasty it was back and forth – it was a really cool game. Throughout the tournament, even the games that were close to blow-outs were really well matched and tell a really interesting story," said Matty Marshall, commentator and professional paintball player.
After a tremendously successful shoot, ESPN plans to run twelve weekly episodes of the tournament starting in September 2006. Bill Gardner Jr., said, "It was a phenomenal event, everyone had a great time and we're really excited to see all the action in September."