Editing 2002 Pan Am Circuit

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The '''2002 Pan Am Circuit''' was the 2002 season of the [[Pan Am Circuit]], a western United States [[tournament paintball]] series descended from the [[Great Western Series]]. The season featured five-player, ten-player, Young Guns and stock-class competition, concluding with a combined series final in Las Vegas, Nevada, from 4 to 8 December 2002.[1][6]

== Background ==

The Pan Am Circuit developed from the Great Western Series, which had been founded in 1991. Dan Bonebrake became a partner in the Great Western Series in 1997, and the circuit became the Pan Am in 1999 when Liz Bonebrake and Jessica Sparks joined the promotional partnership.[6]

Pan Am competition included major tournaments produced by the circuit and affiliated events operated by participating teams, fields or stores. Teams could earn season points through both competition and tournament refereeing. Affiliated events used the Pan Am rules and player-identification system and provided a limited number of participation points.[6]

The circuit continued to use a bring-your-own-paint system. Its five-player tournaments restricted players to 200 paintballs per game, a format intended to reduce playing costs and encourage more conservative use of paint.[4][5]

== 2002 rule changes ==

=== Young Guns and stock class ===

For 2002, the circuit changed the method used to decide the overall Young Guns and stock-class championships. A team seeking either title had to compete in one designated home tournament, one away tournament and the mandatory series final. The system was intended to limit the travel costs faced by three-player teams while ensuring that championship contenders met directly during the season.[1]

Young Guns players were required to be no older than 15 on 1 January 2002 and could not previously have competed in the circuit's rookie, novice or amateur divisions.[4]

=== Chronographing ===

The circuit adopted the handheld Sports Sensors RadarChron as its official chronograph. Players were required to fire three consecutive shots at or below 300 feet per second before entering a game. Adjustments and further three-shot tests were permitted within the time allocated before the match.[1]

Players could also be checked randomly during play. A shot exceeding 300 feet per second resulted in the player's elimination, while refusing an on-field chronograph test incurred a 50-point penalty and elimination. The earlier practice of conducting a further chronograph test after each game was discontinued.[1]

== Major tournaments ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Dates
! Tournament
! Location
! Format
! Amateur winner
! Novice winner
! Rookie winner
! Other winners
|-
| 22–24 February
| Phoenix Pan Am
| Maricopa, Arizona
| Five-player
| Phoenix Heat B
| Madd Catz
| Hard Eight
| Hellrazers (Young Guns); LA Explosion (stock class)
|-
| 19–21 April
| Los Angeles Pan Am
| [[SC Village]], Corona, California
| Ten-player
| PJ Factory Platinum
| Strike Force
| Breakout
| RIP Blue (Young Guns); Wicked Junkies (stock class)
|-
| 14–16 June
| San Diego Pan Am
| Camp Pendleton Paintball Park, California
| Five-player
| Cartel
| Team RM
| Highlanders
| Su Madre (Young Guns); Hard Eight (stock class)
|-
| 13–15 September
| Seattle Pan Am
| Paradise Paintball, Port Orchard, Washington
| Five-player
| Cartel
| Cartel
| Urban Quest III
| RIP Blue (Young Guns); Maxit (stock class)
|-
| 4–8 December
| Las Vegas Pan Am finals
| The Sport Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
| Ten-player
| KAPP Factory
| Aftermath
| Outlaws
| 
|-
| 4–8 December
| Las Vegas Pan Am finals
| The Sport Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
| Five-player
| KAPP Factory Red
| Team RM
| Bushwackers Chop Shop
| Black Magic (Young Guns); Blowfish (stock class)
|}

== Phoenix ==

The season began at a new circuit location near Phoenix in Maricopa, Arizona. The tournament attracted 62 five-player teams, approximately 40 of which were new to the circuit and came principally from Arizona or Nevada.[2]

Phoenix Heat B won the amateur division, Madd Catz won the novice competition and Hard Eight took the rookie title. Hellrazers won Young Guns, while LA Explosion won the stock-class event.[2]

== Los Angeles ==

The Los Angeles tournament at SC Village opened the ten-player portion of the season. Its 45 ten-player entries represented a circuit record at the time. Twenty-one Young Guns teams also competed.[3]

PJ Factory Platinum won the amateur ten-player division, followed by Urban Quest and Check It. Strike Force won the novice division, while Breakout defeated Outlaws and Cruel Intentions in the rookie final. RIP Blue won Young Guns and Wicked Junkies won stock class.[3]

== San Diego ==

The second five-player major was held at Camp Pendleton Paintball Park, a venue previously used by both the Pan Am Circuit and the Great Western Series. Sixty-one teams competed across five fields.[4]

Cartel won the amateur division ahead of Asylum and Outkast. Team RM won the novice competition, while Highlanders defeated Fission and Ruffnecks for the rookie title. Su Madre won Young Guns and Hard Eight won the thirteen-team stock-class tournament.[4]

== Seattle ==

The circuit's third five-player major was held at Paradise Paintball in Port Orchard, Washington. Seven amateur, eighteen novice and twenty rookie teams attended. The amateur division used a double round-robin format without separate semifinal or final rounds.[5]

Cartel won both the amateur and novice divisions. Urban Quest III won the rookie competition, RIP Blue took Young Guns and Maxit won stock class.[5]

== Las Vegas finals ==

The season concluded at The Sport Center near the Las Vegas Strip. The event combined ten-player and five-player tournaments with Young Guns, stock-class and additional individual competitions.[6]

KAPP Factory won the amateur ten-player tournament, with Aftermath winning novice and Outlaws winning rookie. In five-player competition, KAPP Factory Red won amateur, Team RM won novice and Bushwackers Chop Shop won rookie. Black Magic won Young Guns and Blowfish won the stock-class tournament.[6]

The Diablo Factory Team, which was preparing to adopt the name Bonebrake Airsmithing Factory Team, secured the season's amateur five-player championship during the Las Vegas event.[6]

The tournament was Russell Maynard's final event as a Pan Am promotional partner. The circuit also announced that its ten-player competition would be replaced by seven-player competition for 2003, while the five-player division would continue.[6]

== See also ==

* [[Pan Am Circuit]]
* [[Great Western Series]]
* [[2002 in paintball]]
* [[SC Village]]
* [[Dan Bonebrake]]

== References ==

# “PanAm 2002”, ''Action Pursuit Games'', March 2002, pp. 96–98.
# [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/panam/2002/phoenix/index.shtml “Phoenix Pan Am”, WARPIG, 22–24 February 2002.]
# [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/panam/2002/la/index.shtml “Pan Am Los Angeles 2002”, WARPIG, 19–21 April 2002]; [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/panam/2002/la/pre.shtml tournament results].
# [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/panam/2002/sandiego/index.shtml “San Diego Pan Am 2002”, WARPIG, 14–16 June 2002.]
# [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/panam/2002/seattle/index.shtml “Pan Am Seattle 2002”, WARPIG, 13–15 September 2002.]
# [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/panam/2002/vegas/index.shtml “Pan Am Las Vegas 2002”, WARPIG, 4–8 December 2002.]

[[Category:Pan Am Circuit]]
[[Category:Paintball tournament series]]
[[Category:2002 in paintball]]
[[Category:Paintball tournaments in the United States]]
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