Canadian Indoor Speedball Championships

The Canadian Indoor Speedball Championships, reported contemporaneously as the Canadian National Speedball Championship, was a five-player indoor speedball tournament held in Regina, Saskatchewan, from 21 to 23 January 1994. The inaugural national event developed from the 1993 Western Canadian Five-Man Speedball Championship.[1]

Forty-six teams from Canada and the United States attended. The competition included Young Guns, Amateur and Masters divisions, together with wheelchair exhibition matches. The California Bushwackers won the Masters division, Team Havoc 2 won the Amateur division and Regina’s Young Jackals won the Young Guns division.[1]

Organisation and venue

The tournament was held inside the former Regina Pats hockey arena. The Wild Timber Pigs, the player association associated with Paintball Paradise, hosted the event.[1]

Teams attended from Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario, as well as California, South Dakota and Wyoming in the United States.[1]

Divisions

The championships comprised four separate programmes:[1]

Young Guns – for players under 18;
Amateur – excluding players who had won first-place cash prizes during the preceding three years;
Masters – the highest competitive division; and
Wheelchair matches – identified in the contemporary report as the “Physically Challenged Division”.

The Young Guns teams played only within their own division. Amateur and Masters teams could meet during the preliminary round robin, but were separated for the divisional play-offs.[1]

Field and rules

Games used a five-player centre-flag format with a five-minute time limit. The indoor field measured approximately 85 by 200 feet and used straw bales as obstacles.[1]

Action	Points
Flag hang	30
First flag pull	25
Flag possession when time expired	20
Each opposing player eliminated	5
Each 20 seconds remaining	1

A theoretical maximum score was 115 points. Players were chronographed both before and after games. The velocity limit was 275 feet per second, although competitors were advised that 240–250 feet per second was sufficient for the confined field.[1]

Spectators were permitted to call instructions and directions to teams. Eliminated players could also communicate with teammates after reaching the elimination bench.[1]

Several teams received substantial penalties for chronograph violations. The report recorded deductions of up to 292 points.[1]

Officiating

The tournament was refereed by the Calgary team Personal Vendetta, the reigning Western Canadian champions. The referees worked under ultimate judges Reggie Denner, identified as NAPRA judge number 1, and Joe Pommier, NAPRA judge number 2.[1]

The contemporary report praised the number and proximity of the officials, noting that the tournament operated with almost one referee for every player on the field.[1]

Competition format

The preliminary stage used round-robin play. The leading sixteen Amateur and sixteen Masters teams advanced, with their preliminary scores reset.[1]

The first play-off phase used head-to-head games, with a team eliminated from championship contention after two losses. The remaining four teams in each senior division then played a final round robin.[1]

Young Guns division

Place	Team	Location
1	Young Jackals	Regina, Saskatchewan
2	Blue Storm	Swan River, Manitoba
3	Killer Dwarves	Weyburn, Saskatchewan
4	Unseen Enemy	Regina, Saskatchewan

The published final standings omitted fifth place. Maximum Overdrive was listed sixth and Guerrillas seventh.[1]

Amateur division

The Amateur final four consisted of Team Havoc 2, Paul Herman, CO2 Samurai and Lifers 1.[1]

Team Havoc 2 won its opening two final-round games. CO2 Samurai defeated Team Havoc 2 in the last game but finished three points behind Paul Herman. Team Havoc 2 retained first place with 187 points.[1]

Place	Team	Final-round points
1	Team Havoc 2	187
2	Paul Herman	158
3	CO2 Samurai	155
4	Lifers 1	111

Masters division

The Masters play-offs included two visiting Californian teams, the Ironmen and California Bushwackers. Saskatchewan’s Magnum Regime eliminated several Ironmen players early in their meeting and defeated the American team, earning a place in the final four. The Ironmen subsequently won three consecutive games to finish fifth.[1]

The Masters final four were California Bushwackers, Fire Bugs 1, Team Ambush and Magnum Regime.[1]

Fire Bugs 1 entered their last game with two wins and could have secured the championship by defeating Team Ambush. Ambush instead defeated the Manitoba team, leaving the championship available to the winner of the final game between the Bushwackers and Magnum Regime. The Bushwackers recorded the required maximum score and won the division.[1]

Place	Team	Location
1	California Bushwackers	California, United States
2	Fire Bugs 1	Steinbach, Manitoba
3	Team Ambush	Brandon, Manitoba
4	Magnum Regime	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
5	Ironmen	California, United States

Wheelchair matches

Three wheelchair teams participated in exhibition games. The local Hell Hounds assisted the players and supplied semi-automatic markers.[1]

Players from the Ironmen and members of the officiating staff formed an opposing team. They also competed from wheelchairs and used predominantly pump-action markers. The matches were conducted as recreational exhibitions rather than a separately reported championship.[1]

Individual and team awards

Division	Award	Recipient
Young Guns	Most sportsmanlike player	Morley Earnshow
Young Guns	Most sportsmanlike team	Blue Storm
Amateur	Most sportsmanlike player	Paul Crooks, Air Hawks
Amateur	Kool Kat Team Award	Boonie Boys
Masters	Most sportsmanlike player	Doug Hobson, Crazy Aces
Masters	AirGun Design Team Award	Silent Thunder
Masters	Most valuable player	Danny, California Bushwackers

The contemporary source identified the Masters most valuable player only as “Danny”; no surname was provided.[1]

References

George Lewko, “The Canadian National Speedball Championship”, Action Pursuit Games, June 1994, pp. 60–65 and 82.