2009 USPL season
The 2009 USPL season was the inaugural season of the US Paintball League (USPL), a team-owned American tournament organisation established following the collapse of the company operating the National Professional Paintball League's Super 7 series. Four completed events offered seven-player, five-player and pump competition.[1][2]
Oakland Blast won the professional series championship with 70 points, ahead of DC Arsenal on 68 and San Diego Dynasty on 66.[3]
Formation and NPPL relationship
[edit]The USPL was established following Pacific Paintball's announcement that it would seek liquidation. Its professional member teams held franchises in the new organisation. Former NPPL president Chuck Hendsch became commissioner, Camille Lemanski served as general manager and Tom Cole became ultimate judge.[1]
The league retained seven-player competition and initially used an adapted version of the 2008 NPPL rules. Its opening tournament took place at Huntington Beach on 3–5 April.[2]
In an announcement dated 29 April, the USPL stated that it had purchased the trademarks and rights to the NPPL Super 7 World Series. It would retain NPPL sanctioning rules and committees while its member teams considered adopting the NPPL name.[4]
The completed 2009 season remained recorded as USPL competition. By the opening event of 2010, the circuit was again operating under NPPL branding.[3][5]
Calendar and scheduling
[edit]The league initially planned six events and an Eastern and Western conference structure. Its April announcement reduced the programme to four events and postponed the D.C. Challenge until August.[1][4]
The completed calendar was as follows.[3][6][7][8]
| Round | Event | Dates | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Beach Open | 3–5 April 2009 | Huntington Beach, California |
| 2 | West Coast Open | 24–26 July 2009 | SC Village, Corona, California |
| 3 | D.C. Challenge | 28–30 August 2009 | Pev's Paintball Park, Aldie, Virginia |
| 4 | Las Vegas World Paintball Championships | 16–18 October 2009 | Riviera Hotel and Casino grounds, Las Vegas, Nevada |
The April announcement provisionally listed the Las Vegas finale for 2–4 October, with its venue undecided. The completed event took place on 16–18 October.[4][8]
Seven-player results
[edit]| Event | Professional | Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntington Beach | DC Arsenal | Dynasty Entourage | Arsenal Predators | Sadistik |
| West Coast Open | DC Arsenal | Dynasty Entourage | Senate | Impact Kids |
| D.C. Challenge | DC Arsenal | Dynasty Entourage | Arsenal Predators | Wired |
| Las Vegas | San Diego Dynasty | Dynasty Entourage | SCP Epic | Impact Kids |
Sources: contemporary WARPIG reports and official event placings preserved by PBLeagues.[2][6][9][10]
Professional competition
[edit]DC Arsenal won the first three tournaments. Dynasty won the Las Vegas finale, where Oakland Blast finished second.[3][10]
Blast's finishes of third, fourth, second and second produced the highest professional season total. Arsenal finished twelfth at Las Vegas and second overall.[3]
Divisional competition
[edit]Dynasty Entourage won Division 1 at all four events. Arsenal Predators won Division 2 at Huntington Beach and the D.C. Challenge, while Impact Kids won Division 3 at West Coast and Las Vegas.[3]
Five-player and pump results
[edit]| Event | Division 3 five-player | Pump/Open five-player |
|---|---|---|
| Huntington Beach | Davis Excessive | LA Hitmen.com |
| West Coast Open | The K.G.B. MOB | LA Hitmen.com |
| D.C. Challenge | Devotion | Indy Mutiny |
| Las Vegas | Team Rip | LA Hitmen.com |
Sources: official event and season records, supplemented by contemporary reporting.[3][6][9][10]
Las Vegas also offered Division 4 five-player competition, won by 406s Finest.[10]
The opening WARPIG report described Huntington Beach's unrestricted five-player competition as Open Class. The surviving season records group those results under “Pump - Open 5v5”.[2][3]
Season champions
[edit]The final standings preserved by PBLeagues record the following division leaders.[3]
| Classification | Champion | Ranking points |
|---|---|---|
| Professional seven-player | Oakland Blast | 70 |
| Division 1 seven-player | Dynasty Entourage | 200 |
| Division 2 seven-player | Arsenal Predators | 186 |
| Division 3 seven-player | Impact Kids | 189 |
| Division 3 five-player | The K.G.B. MOB | 140 |
| Pump/Open five-player | LA Hitmen.com | 150 |
| Division 4 five-player | 406s Finest | 50 |
Division 4 five-player appears only at Las Vegas in the season record.[3]
Professional standings
[edit]| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland Blast | 70 |
| 2 | DC Arsenal | 68 |
| 3 | San Diego Dynasty | 66 |
| 4 | Edmonton Impact | 53 |
| 5 | St. Louis Avalanche | 53 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Infamous | 50 |
Positions follow the published standings, including the order of teams tied on points.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- Bill Mills, “US Paintball League Seeks to Fill Gap Left by NPPL”. WARPIG, January 2009.
- “USPL Huntington Beach”. WARPIG, 3–5 April 2009.
- “2009 Season Rankings: US Paintball League”. PBLeagues. Final standings and event-by-event ranking points.
- “USPL PEVS DC Challenge Rescheduled and NPPL Returning”. ThisISPaintball, 30 April 2009. Reproduces the USPL announcement dated 29 April 2009.
- “Huntington Beach”. WARPIG, 9–11 April 2010. Discusses the USPL's acquisition of the NPPL name and restored branding.
- “USPL DC Challenge”. WARPIG, 28–30 August 2009.
- “2009 USPL West Coast Open”. WikiPaintball. Existing event article and supporting records.
- “2009 USPL Las Vegas World Championships”. WikiPaintball. Existing event article and contemporary venue references.
- “Places: West Coast Open”. PBLeagues, July 2009.
- “Places: Las Vegas World Paintball Championships”. PBLeagues, October 2009.