Skirmish USA

Skirmish USA, also known as Skirmish Paintball, is an American commercial paintball field operator in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Established in June 1984, Skirmish developed from an early woodland playing field into a venue for recreational paintball, national tournaments, large games and scenario paintball.[1][2]

The facility is located near Albrightsville and Jim Thorpe and is the home of the annual Invasion of Normandy, one of the largest scenario paintball events in the United States.[3][4]

History

Establishment

Skirmish developed from Paul Fogal's involvement with Pocono Whitewater, an established whitewater-rafting business. Fogal first played paintball in Canada in 1983 and concluded that the activity could complement the rafting operation.[1]

Fogal and his wife, Cleo, searched for a suitable location in the Pocono Mountains. Early equipment contacts included Canadian field operators Steve Caron and David Luxton, who had developed the Uzi Mark IV paintball marker. Fogal subsequently established relationships with Jeff Perlmutter of PMI and David Freeman of Direct Connect while seeking equipment for the new field.[1]

Skirmish opened in June 1984 with one paying customer, Ken Kelsch. Its original property comprised approximately 300 acres of undeveloped woodland, including extensive rhododendron growth.[1]

A 1985 United States District Court opinion separately records that the Fogal family began operating Skirmish in June 1984. It identified Paul Fogal as president of Skirmish USA, Douglas Fogal Jr. as vice-president and Douglas Fogal as president of Pocono Whitewater, which owned and operated the Pennsylvania property where the games were played.[2]

Expansion

By 1996, Skirmish occupied approximately 700 acres and contained 39 playing fields ranging from about five to 50 acres. Seven were described as constructed scenario fields and 32 as predominantly natural woodland fields.[1]

Named fields documented at that time included:

Fort Skirmish, a log fort with blockhouses, an adjoining village and other constructed positions.
Baghdad, incorporating an oil derrick, towers, drums and other obstacles.
The Bridge, centred on a bridge crossing a creek.
Circle City, built with large fibreglass cones and cylinders.
The Alamo, featuring a three-storey central structure and four towers.
The Village, described as Skirmish's oldest themed field.
P.O.W., introduced in 1996 with stockades used as game objectives.[1]

A 2012 field profile reported that Skirmish had expanded to more than 700 acres and over 50 playing fields. Its additions included two castles, several constructed towns, aircraft, a tournament complex and the Cargo field, which was built using 18 shipping containers.[3]

Skirmish currently advertises more than 700 acres and approximately 50 field layouts incorporating woodland, creeks, bridges, forts, villages, castles, shipping containers, military-themed objects and tournament-style fields.[5] Its field address is 211 North Meckesville Road, Albrightsville, Pennsylvania.

Tournament paintball

Skirmish was an important venue during the development of organised American tournament paintball.

A 1996 history in Action Pursuit Games credited Skirmish with holding its first five-player tournament in 1984. The same account described the field as host of the first national tournament conducted outside the National Survival Game system, won by the Lords of Discipline.[1]

Skirmish hosted the 1986 Paintball Games Association 15-player national championship and subsequently held the Pocono 15-player championships through 1990. From 1991 to 1993 it hosted the PaintCheck five-player tournament series, which reportedly attracted 60 teams at its peak.[1]

The 1996 profile also credited Skirmish with several operational developments. These included using Automag markers as rental equipment, providing free air fills and permitting constant-air systems at a major tournament. An Airgun Designs factory team demonstrated nitrogen-powered equipment at the field in 1990.[1] These claims were presented as part of the field's contemporary history rather than as independently verified industry-wide firsts.

Large games and scenario paintball

Skirmish hosted large recreational games before scenario paintball became its principal event identity. The 1996 profile reported that two games had attracted 2,653 and 2,063 participants respectively. In July 1995, the field hosted what the magazine described as the largest scenario game held to that date, with more than 1,000 players.[1]

Scenario producer Wayne Dollack developed a longstanding association with Skirmish. His 24-hour Tour of Duty scenario was held there on 11–12 July 1998. The event, based on United States military operations in Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War, attracted more than 600 players and used approximately 200 acres of woodland. WARPIG described it as the seventh year in which Dollack had produced a game at Skirmish.[6]

Skirmish subsequently developed a programme of recurring historical scenarios. Events advertised by the company have included Stalingrad, Battle for Berlin or Battle for Britain, a Vietnam-themed game and Tank Day.[5]

Invasion of Normandy

The Invasion of Normandy, commonly abbreviated ION, is Skirmish's annual scenario based on the Allied landings in Normandy during the Second World War. The event divides participants into opposing forces and combines a massed beach assault with extended objective-based play across the facility.[4][7]

National Public Radio covered the 2011 edition, reporting 3,853 participants divided between Allied, Axis and French forces. The game lasted approximately 14 hours over two days and used objectives, props, medic cards and timed reincorporation of eliminated players. NPR reported that approximately ten million paintballs were fired during the event.[7]

Skirmish advertises attendance exceeding 4,000 players. The modern event also includes on-site camping, a paintball industry vendor exhibition and an additional Friday evening game before the principal Saturday and Sunday scenario.[4]

Detailed event history, rules and individual editions are covered in the separate Invasion of Normandy article.

Recreational operations

Skirmish has combined organised walk-on sessions with private group games. Its 1996 operation separated inexperienced players from established groups and rotated participants through natural and constructed fields during the day.[1]

The field also operated a reduced-price youth programme in which teenage participants played separately from adults. Karen Fink was identified as the company's general manager, Wendy Serfass managed reservations and retail sales, and Dewey Green served as field manager in 1996.[1]

Recognition

Paul and Cleo Fogal were inducted into the Paintball Hall of Fame in 2024. Contemporary coverage recognised their continuous operation of Skirmish since the 1980s and the field's roles in tournament and scenario paintball.[8]

Cleo Fogal was also recognised for her work as an early paintball photographer. Her tournament and action photographs appeared in paintball publications, including Action Pursuit Games.[1][8]

References

“Hollywood” and Jessica Sparks, “Skirmish USA”, Action Pursuit Games, August 1996, pp. 38–43.
National Survival Game, Inc. v. Skirmish, U.S.A., Inc., 603 F. Supp. 339, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, 25 February 1985.
GI Sportz, “Field Profile: Skirmish USA – New G.I. Sportz Cargo Field”, 9 November 2012.
Skirmish Paintball, “Invasion of Normandy”, official event information.
Skirmish Paintball, “Paintball Maps”, official facility information.
Bret Golihew, “Wayne Dollack's Tour of Duty”, WARPIG, July 1998.
Rob Sachs, “Reliving D-Day, With Paintballs And Referees”, National Public Radio, 1 August 2011.
Cheryl Ellis, “2024 Living Legends XVI”, Paintball Media, 2 July 2024.

External links

Skirmish Paintball official website