Washington Reign

Washington Reign was an American tournament paintball team associated with Washington state. The team competed in the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) during the 1990s, finishing third in the professional 10-man division at the 1996 NPPL World Cup in Orlando, Florida.[1]

The organisation also fielded amateur squads, including Washington Reign Red and Washington Reign Black, which competed in national tournaments during the late 1990s.[2][3]

History

Early competition

Washington Reign was established as a national tournament competitor by the mid-1990s.

A historical retrospective published in Paintball 2Xtremes in June 2005 identified Washington Reign among the amateur teams participating in the 1995 ESPN World Paintball Championships.[4]

The team's precise founding date has not been established.

1996 NPPL World Cup

Washington Reign achieved its most significant documented result at the 1996 NPPL World Cup in Orlando, Florida.

The team qualified for the professional 10-man semi-finals after finishing second in its preliminary group with 600 points.

In the professional semi-finals, Washington Reign finished third overall, behind Chicago Aftershock and Bad Company.

The team's 221-point semi-final total placed it ahead of established professional competitors including Rage, UK Predators, All Americans and Jacksonville Warriors.[1][5]

Washington Reign also entered an amateur 10-man squad at the tournament.

The amateur team qualified for the semi-finals but did not advance to the final round.[1]

1997 competition

Contemporary NPPL records from 1997 document a professional team competing under the name Bushwacker Reign, also recorded as Bushwackers Reign.

At the NPPL Las Vegas Open, Bushwacker Reign finished fourth in the professional preliminary rankings and qualified for the semi-finals.

The team did not advance to the final round.[6]

Bushwacker Reign also appeared in the professional 10-man preliminary competition at the 1997 NPPL World Cup.[7]

The precise organisational relationship between Washington Reign and Bushwacker Reign, including any association with the California-based Bushwackers, has not been conclusively established.

Amateur competition (1998–1999)

Washington Reign continued competing in the NPPL amateur divisions during 1998.

At the Portland Open, held at Enchanted Acres in Oregon from 28 to 30 August, the organisation entered two Amateur B squads.

Washington Reign Red finished second behind Phantom Force, while Washington Reign Black finished third.

The tournament did not include Amateur B semi-finals because only four teams entered the division.[2]

At the 1998 NPPL World Cup in Orlando, a Washington Reign squad finished sixth in the Amateur B 10-man semi-final rankings, failing to advance to the final round.[3]

Washington Reign continued competing nationally in 1999.

At the NPPL Dallas Open, the team reached the Amateur B 10-man semi-finals, finishing third in its semi-final group and failing to qualify for the championship round.[8]

The team's later competitive history and final season have not been conclusively established.

Notable players

Jeremy Salm – Former Washington Reign captain, identified in a historical retrospective published by Paintball 2Xtremes. Salm subsequently played professionally for Avalanche.[4]

Selected tournament results

Year	Tournament	Division	Result
1996	NPPL World Cup, Orlando	Professional 10-man	3rd [1]
1998	NPPL Portland Open	Amateur B 10-man (Washington Reign Red)	2nd [2]
1998	NPPL Portland Open	Amateur B 10-man (Washington Reign Black)	3rd [2]
1998	NPPL World Cup	Amateur B 10-man	6th in semi-finals [3]
1999	NPPL Dallas Open	Amateur B 10-man	Semi-finalists [8]

References

External links