Editing Navarone (section)

== History ==

=== Formation and early competition ===

Navarone was established by Andy Greenwell with Lucas Foster and Ricky Thom. Paintball historian John Amodea dates the team's origins to 1985, although another historical account places its formal organisation in March 1986. [1][3]

Originally called The Guns of Navarone, the team later adopted the shorter Navarone name and became known as Team Navarone following its sponsorship by [[JT Racing]], subsequently [[JT USA]]. [3]

The team's founding objective was to win the National Survival Game (NSG) championship. Its members developed a written handbook detailing training requirements, tactics and expectations for players. [1][3]

In a 1994 interview published in ''Australian Paintballer'', Greenwell recalled that Navarone began tournament competition in 1986. That year, the team qualified for the NSG National Championships through a series of regional competitions and finished ninth among eleven teams. [2]

=== Championship success (1987–1990) ===

Navarone became a leading American tournament team during the late 1980s.

In 1987, the team won the New York Air Pistol Open, one of the major American tournaments of the period. [3]

The team continued competing in national events using pump-action markers, primarily the [[Line SI Bushmaster]]. Greenwell recalled that Navarone retained its pump equipment even as competing teams began adopting semi-automatic markers. [2]

In 1990, Navarone won the Masters championship and its associated tournament series using pump-action markers. According to Greenwell, these victories came during a period when many opponents had already switched to semi-automatic equipment. [2]

Following the 1990 season, Greenwell and approximately sixteen other members departed the organisation. Navarone continued competing, although Greenwell later distinguished the subsequent roster from the original championship team. [2]

=== Later competition ===

The Navarone name continued to appear in American tournament paintball throughout the 1990s.

At the 1996 [[National Professional Paintball League]] (NPPL) World Cup in Orlando, Florida, Navarone competed in the amateur 10-man division and reached the semi-finals. [4]

In 1997, Navarone finished second in the amateur five-player division at the Great Western Series tournament in Portland, behind Marine Team Gold. [5]

The team also finished second in the amateur division at the 1997 Great Western Series Las Vegas tournament. [6]

Navarone returned to the winner's podium in May 2000, taking first place in the five-player competition at the NPPL Pittsburgh Open. Contemporary WARPIG coverage described the team as having been revived from an earlier period of paintball history. [7]