Farside (paintball team)

Farside, also known as Chicago Farside, was an American tournament paintball team associated with Chicago, Illinois. The team was a leading amateur competitor in the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) during the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning the 1999 Dallas Open and finishing second at the 2000 and 2001 World Cups.[1][2][3]

Farside finished third in the 2002 NPPL Amateur A season standings and subsequently competed in the NPPL Super 7 Division I championship, winning the 2005 Tampa Open.[4][5]

History

Early competition

Farside was competing in national tournaments by 1998.

Contemporary photographs published by WARPIG document the team at the 1998 NPPL Chicago Open and World Cup.[6]

The team was associated with the Chicago tournament paintball community and included players who subsequently progressed into professional competition.

The organisation's original founding date has not been established.

1999 Dallas Open championship

Farside won the Amateur A 10-man division at the 1999 NPPL Dallas Open, held from 30 April to 2 May.

The team qualified for the finals alongside Naughty Dogs, Diggers and Addicted.

Farside finished first with 143 points, ahead of Diggers (128), Naughty Dogs (64) and Addicted (27).[1]

The team also entered the professional five-player division at the 1999 Skyball tournament in Toronto, Canada, finishing seventeenth in the professional rankings.[7]

NPPL World Cup results (2000–2001)

Farside continued competing in the NPPL Amateur A division during 2000.

At the 2000 World Cup in Kissimmee, Florida, the team reached the 10-man amateur finals and finished second behind Detroit Fusion.

KAPP Factory Team finished third, followed by Adrenalin.[2]

The following year, Farside again reached the World Cup Amateur A finals.

The 2001 championship was decided by just two points, with Trauma winning the tournament on 209 points and Farside finishing second with 207.

Naughty Dogs finished third and All Americans II fourth.[3]

2002 NPPL season

Farside remained among the leading American amateur teams during the 2002 season.

At the NPPL Las Vegas tournament, the team finished third in Amateur A, behind Trauma and Naughty Dogs.[8]

At the Chicago Open, Farside qualified for the amateur 10-man finals and finished second behind Trauma.

The team subsequently finished third at the Atlantic City Open, behind Trauma and Naughty Dogs.[9][10]

Farside finished third in the overall 2002 NPPL Amateur A 10-man season standings with 208 ranking points.

Trauma won the championship with 250 points, followed by Naughty Dogs with 224.[4]

NPPL Super 7 competition (2003–2005)

Farside continued competing following the introduction of the NPPL Super 7 format in 2003.

At the 2003 Chicago Open, the team qualified for the amateur quarter-finals.

Farside also reached the amateur elimination rounds at the New Jersey and Miami tournaments that season.[11]

During 2003, a separate team named Evil Factory was formed using many former Farside players.

Contemporary WARPIG coverage documented the relationship between the two squads, although Farside continued competing under its original name.[12]

In 2004, Farside competed in Division I of the NPPL Super 7.

At the Denver Open, the team reached the semi-finals before losing to Texas Storm.

Farside subsequently defeated Nemesis in the third-place playoff, securing a podium finish.[13]

The team achieved another major victory at the 2005 NPPL Tampa Open.

Farside defeated Viewloader Allstars in two consecutive games to win the Division I championship.[5]

Farside remained active later in the 2005 season, participating in the Denver Open and qualifying for the Division I quarter-finals.[14]

The subsequent competitive history of the original organisation and its final season have not been conclusively established.

Development teams

Farside operated additional squads during its national tournament programme.

At the 2000 NPPL Nashville tournament, a team identified as Farside Too competed in the Amateur B 10-man division.[15]

A development squad known as Farside Kids also entered national tournaments.

At the 2001 Challenge Cup, Farside Kids finished fourth in the novice division.[16]

Notable players and personnel

Documented personnel associated with Farside include:

John Dresser – Player associated with Chicago Farside during the late 1990s.[17]
Markus Nielsen – Played for Farside in 1999 before joining Chicago Aftershock later that year.[17]
John Rathbun – Former Farside player and captain who also represented Evil Factory.[18]

Selected tournament results

Year	Tournament or series	Division	Result
1999	NPPL Dallas Open	Amateur A 10-man	1st [1]
1999	Skyball, Toronto	Professional 5-man	17th [7]
2000	NPPL World Cup	Amateur A 10-man	2nd [2]
2001	NPPL World Cup	Amateur A 10-man	2nd [3]
2002	NPPL Las Vegas	Amateur A 10-man	3rd [8]
2002	NPPL Chicago Open	Amateur A 10-man	2nd [9]
2002	NPPL Atlantic City	Amateur A 10-man	3rd [10]
2002	NPPL season standings	Amateur A 10-man	3rd overall [4]
2004	NPPL Denver Open	Division I 7-man	3rd [13]
2005	NPPL Tampa Open	Division I 7-man	1st [5]

References