2015 PSP season
The 2015 PSP season was the final national tournament season begun by Paintball Sports Promotions. Five events were announced, but only the Dallas Open took place before the remaining programme was suspended.[1][2]
Los Angeles Infamous won the Dallas professional championship, defeating Houston Heat 5–4. The season introduced changes to professional competition, firing modes and outside coaching.[3][4]
Announced calendar
[edit]PSP announced the following five-event programme. Nashville was a new stop, while the Mid-Atlantic Open occupied the June slot and Chicago moved to August.[1]
| Round | Event | Announced dates | Venue and location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015 PSP Dallas Open | 13–15 March 2015 | Cousins Paintball, Forney, Texas | Held |
| 2 | 2015 PSP Nashville Open | 1–3 May 2015 | Sharp Springs Natural Area, Smyrna, Tennessee | Cancelled |
| 3 | 2015 PSP Mid-Atlantic Open | 18–21 June 2015 | Outdoor Xtreme Chesapeake City, Chesapeake City, Maryland | Did not take place following suspension |
| 4 | 2015 PSP Chicago Open | 7–9 August 2015 | CPX Sports, Joliet, Illinois | Did not take place following suspension |
| 5 | 2015 PSP World Cup | 15–18 October 2015 | Fantasy of Flight, Polk City, Florida | Did not take place following suspension |
The dates and venues follow PSP's calendar as reproduced by Paintball.fi. Contemporary reporting documented the subsequent suspension, while Boston Paintball separately confirmed that Nashville did not take place.[1][2][5]
Format and rule changes
[edit]PSP's announced rules for 2015 removed outside coaching and introduced semi-automatic firing for professional players. Chief operating officer Lane Wright discussed both decisions in a December 2014 interview.[4]
Dallas used professional RaceTo-7 with 20-minute matches. Divisions 1 and 2 played RaceTo-5, while Divisions 3 and 4 played RaceTo-4. Separate Division 3 and Division 4 five-player competitions and an open pump division used RaceTo-2.[6]
The professional opening stage combined sixteen teams in four preliminary brackets of four, with all sixteen advancing. This differed from the separate Champions and Challengers opening competitions used in 2014.[7]
Paintball Media subsequently reported separate Champions and Challengers finishes at Dallas. Chicago Aftershock and Seattle Thunder were identified as earning Champions places for the next scheduled tournament.[3]
Dallas Open
[edit]The Dallas Open took place at Cousins Paintball in Forney, Texas, from 13–15 March. Rain produced muddy playing conditions and deterioration of the grass surfaces.[3][6]
Infamous defeated Houston Heat 5–4 in the professional final. Chicago Aftershock defeated Seattle Thunder 7–0 in the reported Challengers final.[3]
Professional results
[edit]| Position | Champions | Challengers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Infamous | Chicago Aftershock |
| 2 | Houston Heat | Seattle Thunder |
| 3 | San Diego Dynasty | Moscow Red Legion |
| 4 | upTon 187 cRew | TradeMyGun Outlaws |
The separate Champions and Challengers classifications follow Paintball Media's contemporary report. PBLeagues preserves one overall professional results list.[3][8]
Divisional results
[edit]| Competition | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Division 1 RaceTo-5 | Seattle Uprising | Birmingham Prime |
| Division 2 RaceTo-5 | P.C. Katana | Supreme |
| Division 3 RaceTo-4 | Proedge Army | Ralph Boyz |
| Division 4 RaceTo-4 | Chicago Warped Black | H-Town Notorious FSU |
| Division 3 RaceTo-2 | Cen Cal Alliance | Elite |
| Division 4 RaceTo-2 | N.O. Bounty | Proedge Army 2 |
| Open pump RaceTo-2 | Lockout | True Semi |
Source: APPA event placings, preserved by PBLeagues.[8]
These are Dallas tournament results, rather than the outcome of a completed five-event season.
Suspension and cancellations
[edit]On 1 May 2015, Paintball Media reported that PSP had apparently suspended its season. The same report announced a separate three-event programme for the revived National Xball League.[2]
Boston Paintball later described preparing a team for Nashville, including registration, practice and travel arrangements, before the PSP event was abandoned.[5]
The planned PSP Mid-Atlantic Open, Chicago Open and World Cup also did not take place. Their announced dates and venues remain part of the uncompleted PSP calendar.[1][2]
Separate MSXL event in Smyrna
[edit]The MSXL/PSP Affiliate Last Dance took place at Sharp Springs Natural Area on 2–3 May 2015. Its event record identifies an MSXL tournament with divisional competition at the same venue originally selected for PSP Nashville.[9]
That affiliate event was separate from the cancelled PSP national tournament. Its results do not constitute results for the PSP Nashville Open.[6][9]
Relationship to the revived NXL
[edit]The revived NXL announced its own Great Lakes Open, Mid-Atlantic Open and World Cup for 2015. Its programme was separate from the suspended PSP calendar.[2]
Discussions concerning an NXL acquisition of PSP did not produce a completed transaction. On 19 May, Paintball Media reported that the proposed acquisition would not proceed.[10]
The NXL World Cup used the same announced competition dates as the cancelled PSP World Cup, 15–18 October, but was a separate tournament. Its results belong to the 2015 NXL World Cup.[1][2]
See also
[edit]- Paintball Sports Promotions
- 2014 PSP season
- 2015 PSP Dallas Open
- National Xball League
- Paintball in the United States
References
[edit]- Kimmo Kainulainen, Paintball.fi — “PSP 2015 kalenteri”. Reproduction of PSP's announced five-event calendar.
- John Amodea, Paintball Media — “The New NXL: Everything You Need To Know”, 1 May 2015.
- Paintball Media — “2015 PSP Dallas Open”, 9 April 2015. Contemporary tournament report.
- Byron Woodfork, Social Paintball — “Interview with PSP's Lane Wright on 2015 Rule Changes”, 18 December 2014.
- Boston Paintball — “Beast of the East 2”, 25 November 2015.
- PBLeagues — 2015 PSP Dallas Open: dates, venue and competition formats.
- APPA/PBLeagues — 2015 PSP Dallas Open: preliminary brackets and advancement.
- APPA/PBLeagues — 2015 PSP Dallas Open: final placings.
- PBLeagues — MSXL/PSP Affiliate Last Dance: event information, 2–3 May 2015.
- John Amodea, Paintball Media — “NXL Will Not Acquire PSP”, 19 May 2015.