1994 ZAP International Amateur Open
The 1994 ZAP International Amateur Open was a major amateur tournament paintball event held at Three Rivers Paintball near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 11 to 14 August 1994. Organised by Debra and Ryan Krischke of Team Effort Events and sponsored by ZAP Paintballs, it formed part of the annual International Amateur Open.[1][2]
The tournament attracted 60 five-player teams and 48 ten-player teams. In addition to teams from the United States and Canada, the field included Team ALBA from Scotland and the German teams Templar A and Templar B.[2]
Background
[edit]The International Amateur Open had expanded considerably since 1991, when it attracted 43 five-player teams and 23 ten-player teams. By 1994, participation had increased to 108 teams across the two principal formats.[2]
Debra and Ryan Krischke organised the tournament through Team Effort Events, assisted by the permanent staff of Three Rivers Paintball. ZAP supplied the tournament paint and served as the principal sponsor for the third consecutive year.[2][4]
Format
[edit]The 1994 competition used a revised divisional system. Smaller divisions and the previous re-ranking process were removed in favour of larger divisions generally containing eight teams. The winner and runner-up from each preliminary division advanced to the semi-finals.[2]
The five-player preliminary competition was completed in one day, with the semi-finals and finals held the following day. Four semi-final divisions of four teams were used. Division winners contested first through fourth place, while the runners-up played for fifth through eighth. Teams placed ninth through sixteenth were ranked using their average semi-final scores.[2]
The finals consisted of three games for each team. Teams reaching the semi-finals also received paint as part of the tournament prize package.[2]
The event additionally included a pump-marker tournament, target-shooting competition, trade show and industry conference.
Five-player competition
[edit]The Green Dragons won the five-player tournament. During the finals they defeated Avant Garde Gold and the Minnesota Terminators before losing their final game to Personal Vendetta. Their accumulated score was nevertheless sufficient to secure first place, with the Canadian Personal Vendetta team finishing second.[2]
| Place | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Green Dragons |
| 2 | Personal Vendetta |
| 3 | Minnesota Terminators |
| 4 | Avant Garde Gold |
Ten-player competition
[edit]Team Xtreme of Atlanta, Georgia, won the ten-player competition. Ohio Black Reign finished second, followed by The Plague and the Nashville Ridge Runners.[2]
The competition also included the Lady Treedancers, described by contemporary coverage as the first all-women team to enter the tournament's ten-player division. The team finished fifth in its preliminary division and 26th among the 48 ten-player entrants.[4]
| Place | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Team Xtreme |
| 2 | Ohio Black Reign |
| 3 | The Plague |
| 4 | Nashville Ridge Runners |
Pump-marker competition
[edit]Ohio Black Reign won the separate pump-marker tournament, ahead of Guns of Paradise and Splat Reign.[2]
| Place | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio Black Reign |
| 2 | Guns of Paradise |
| 3 | Splat Reign |
Sportsmanship awards
[edit]The tournament awarded individual sportsmanship pins during the preliminary rounds. The overall team sportsmanship awards went to the Minnesota Terminators in the five-player competition and Aggression Landsharks in the ten-player competition.[2][4]
Associated programme
[edit]An industry conference, sponsored by National Paintball Supply and National Paintball Supply East, was attended by more than 80 field owners, retailers, distributors and manufacturers. Discussion included nitrogen and alternative propellant systems. The tournament trade show had reserved space for more than 60 paintball-related businesses.[2]
The North American Paintball Referees Association conducted referee certification classes during the event, and many members of the tournament officiating staff were NAPRA-trained or certified.[2]
The social programme included the Ms. International Paintball competition. Thirteen contestants entered, with Cajsa Bruce of the Lady Treedancers selected as the 1994 winner.[3]
The combined tournament prize package was reported as exceeding US$60,000.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- “The 1994 ZAP International Amateur Open”, tournament advertisement, Action Pursuit Games, June 1994, p. 10.
- Ken “Hollywood” Gilder, “The 1994 Zap International Amateur Open”, Action Pursuit Games, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 1995, pp. 62–67.
- Randy Kamiya, “Meet Ms. Paintball”, Action Pursuit Games, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 1995, p. 60.
- Ken “Hollywood” Gilder, “Thanks for Your Support”, Action Pursuit Games, Vol. 9, No. 1, January 1995, p. 68.