Editing Pan Am Circuit (section)

== History ==

=== Great Western Series ===

The Pan Am Circuit originated from the Great Western Series (GWS), founded in 1991 by Russell Maynard, the first editor of [[Action Pursuit Games]] magazine.

The GWS operated as a regional tournament series in the western United States.

Dan Bonebrake became a partner in the organisation during the 1997 season.[1]

=== Establishment of the Pan Am Circuit (1999) ===

In 1999, the Great Western Series was reorganised as the Pan Am Circuit.

Liz Bonebrake and Jessica Sparks joined the organisation as partners.

The new series initially expanded beyond its western American base, introducing tournaments across the United States.

According to contemporary WARPIG reporting, the expansion was not particularly successful in the eastern and central regions.

The circuit's comparatively inexpensive competition structure, including bring-your-own-paint arrangements and restrictions on paintball consumption, differed from the formats preferred by some established teams.

For the 2000 season, the Pan Am Circuit returned to a predominantly western United States tournament schedule.[1]

=== 2001 season ===

The Pan Am Circuit operated a series of major and affiliated tournaments during 2001.

The season concluded with the Pan Am Las Vegas tournament, held from 28 November to 2 December 2001.

The event moved from the circuit's traditional San Diego finals location to the All Sport complex near McCarran International Airport.

The tournament incorporated five-player and ten-player competition, Young Guns, stock-class competition and a one-on-one event.

The Las Vegas tournament determined the final series rankings for the 2001 season.[2]

=== 2002 season ===

The circuit returned to Las Vegas for its 2002 season finals, held from 4 to 8 December.

The tournament took place at The Sport Center, which incorporated indoor and outdoor playing fields.

The event featured five-player and ten-player competition, alongside Young Guns and individual events.

Contemporary WARPIG coverage described 2002 as the eleventh year of the competition's organisational lineage, counting its origins as the Great Western Series.[1]