Editing California Bushmasters (section)

== History ==

=== Early competition ===

California Bushmasters was an established tournament organisation by 1990, fielding multiple squads in professional competition.

The team participated in the 1990 International Masters in Nashville, Tennessee. A surviving team photograph from the event includes player Steve "Mongo" Brett, who used a Line SI Advantage paintball marker.[4]

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

=== 1990 Bay City Open ===

California Bushmasters competed in the 1990 Bay City Open in Northern California, entering both its principal squad and a second team in the professional division.

In an interview published by paintball historian Daniel Bacci in March 2014, former player Danny Guardado recalled joining the Bushmasters after being recruited by Bert Vigil.

Guardado joined the team's B squad for the Bay City Open, his first major tournament with the organisation.

According to Guardado, the B squad finished second in the professional division, ahead of the Bushmasters' principal team.[1]

The team's performance received coverage in the December 1990 issues of ''Action Pursuit Games'', ''Paintcheck'' and ''Paintball Sports International''.

Contemporary photographs from these publications were subsequently preserved and reproduced by Bacci.[1]

=== National competition (1991–1992) ===

California Bushmasters continued competing in major American tournaments throughout 1991.

The team participated in the 1991 Lone Star Open in Texas, an event within the RPS/PMI Championship Series organised by Jim Lively and Sam Caldwell.

Historical photographs from the tournament document the team's association with PMI and Line SI.[3]

Gilbert "Gilly" Martinez served as team captain during this period.

The team's 1991 competitive record was included in the ''World Paintball Federation Quarterly Report'', compiled by Steve Davidson.

Published in 1992, the report preserved match statistics from several major 1991 tournaments, including the Bay City Open, Line SI Masters, Pennsylvania Cup and Windy City Open.[2]

At the 1992 Lone Star Open in Dallas, California Bushmasters finished eighth in the open 10-man competition.

The tournament was won by [[Tour de Force (paintball team)|Tour de Force]], with the [[Ironmen (Southern California)|Ironmen]] second and [[All Americans]] third.[5]

The team's subsequent competition history and final season have not been conclusively established.