1992 Florida State Championships

The 1992 Florida State Championships was a paintball tournament held at Gun Runners Paintball near Oldsmar, Florida, United States. Seven teams qualified through district tournaments administered within the Florida state competition structure. The Maniacs of West Palm Beach won with 414 points, becoming the first team to win consecutive Florida state championships.[1]

Qualification

The championship was associated with the Florida Paintball Players Association, formerly known as the Florida Council of Captains.[1] Teams earned places through district tournaments.

The seven participating teams represented four districts:

District 1: Maniacs and Jacksonville Warriors
District 2: War Dogs and Brush Bandits
District 2-A: Dream Team
District 3: Stingers and Cottonmouths

Districts 4 and 5, representing North Florida and the Florida Panhandle, did not send teams. District 2-A supplied one representative.[1]

Before the tournament, the defending champion Maniacs and the Jacksonville Warriors were considered the leading contenders. The Stingers and Cottonmouths were described as possible challengers, while the War Dogs, Brush Bandits and Dream Team were considered outside prospects.[1]

Tournament

Rain before the event left parts of the Gun Runners venue muddy, although the tournament itself was played without rain.[1]

Among the early matches, the Jacksonville Warriors defeated the Dream Team on elimination points. The Stingers subsequently defeated the Warriors after breaking through the centre of the field and taking the flag. The Maniacs recorded a maximum score against the Brush Bandits, although the Bandits scored six eliminations worth 18 points.[1]

After five games, the Maniacs and Stingers were tied on 309 points, with the War Dogs on 210. A later defeat by the Dream Team left the Stingers behind the Maniacs before the final game between the two leading teams.[1]

Deciding game

The final meeting between the Maniacs and Stingers determined the championship. The Maniacs adopted a defensive strategy, while the Stingers needed to win the game to take the state title.[1]

The Stingers broke through the Maniacs' defence and hung the flag for an initial score of 100 points. A post-game chronograph check found one Stingers marker firing above the permitted velocity. The resulting 24-point penalty reduced their score for the game to 76.[1]

The penalty left the Stingers 13 points behind the Maniacs in the final standings. The Maniacs therefore retained the championship, becoming the first team reported to have won consecutive Florida state titles.[1]

Final standings

Position	Team	Location	Points
1	Maniacs	West Palm Beach	414
2	Stingers	Tampa	401
3	Jacksonville Warriors	Jacksonville	327
4	Dream Team	Fort Myers	314
5	War Dogs	Miami	310
6	Brush Bandits	Miami	174
7	Cottonmouths	Largo	97

Officiating and event support

Ben Torricelli, fieldmaster for Field 2, presented trophies to the first-, second- and third-placed teams. The trophies were supplied by Gun Runners Paintball Club.[1]

Charles Holton of Pro-Team Products and John Ruddlebarger were named joint recipients of the tournament's best-judge award. Each received a JT X-Fire goggle system.[1]

The tournament also marked the reported debut of the Splat Shield, a lightweight Lexan shield manufactured by Ralph Tapia of Orlando for referees conducting paint checks during active games.[1]

The Florida Paintball Players Association acknowledged support from paintball businesses including JT USA, Pro-Team Products, Headquarters Military Surplus, National Paintball Supply, Ridgerunners Paintball, USI, Tippmann Pneumatics, PMI and the host field.[1]

References

“Hollywood”, “The 1992 Florida State Championships”, Action Pursuit Games, February 1993, pp. 38–43.