Editing Skyball


'''Skyball''', also known as '''ZAP Skyball''', was an international indoor [[paintball]] tournament held at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1998 by Focus International, the event brought professional and amateur five-player tournament paintball into one of North America's largest sporting stadiums.[1][2]

Skyball combined tournament competition with paintball industry exhibitions and attracted teams from Canada, the United States and other countries. Six consecutive editions are documented between 1998 and 2003, with participation exceeding 200 teams during its later years.[3][4]

The tournament was closely associated with [[ZAP Paintball]], which served as its principal sponsor and subsequently assumed responsibility for event promotion and organisation.[3][5]

== History ==

=== Establishment (1998) ===

Skyball was established by Focus International, which announced plans in 1997 to hold a paintball tournament inside Toronto's SkyDome.

The inaugural event took place on 20–21 March 1998.

The tournament attracted more than 120 five-player teams and incorporated separate professional and amateur competitions.

The playing areas occupied approximately half of the stadium floor, with a basketball court occupying the remaining space.

Three five-player fields were constructed using inflatable bunkers, plastic pipes, screening and stacked inner tubes. A smaller field was also provided for a three-player competition.

The tournament was conducted under modified [[National Professional Paintball League]] (NPPL) rules, with Bill Cookston serving as ultimate referee.[1]

[[Ground Zero|Ground Zero Gold]] won the professional division, defeating J&J Ohio in the final. Image finished third and the All Americans fourth.

The Oh No's won the amateur division, ahead of SOB Red and OBR Blue.[1]

=== Expansion (1999) ===

The second Skyball tournament took place in 1999, attracting more than 170 five-player teams.

Focus International continued organising the event, with ZAP Paintball serving as the principal sponsor.

The playing fields used Cheap Shot bunkers constructed from stacked inner tubes enclosed in fabric coverings.

The tournament also incorporated a trade exhibition featuring equipment manufacturers and distributors, including [[Airgun Designs]], [[Tippmann]], [[Redz Comfort Gear]], WDP, J&J Performance and National Paintball Supply.

The [[All Americans]] won the professional division, while the Jacksonville Warriors won the amateur division.[2]

During the event, Focus International announced that it had secured a five-year agreement to continue holding Skyball at the SkyDome.[2]

=== Skyball III (2000) ===

The third tournament was held from 18 to 20 February 2000.

For the first time, the entire SkyDome playing surface was made available for paintball.

Four full-sized [[Sup'Air Ball]] fields were constructed, with the remaining floor space used for team staging and equipment preparation.

The competition retained professional and amateur five-player divisions and introduced an additional pump-action competition.

The All Americans won the professional division for the second consecutive year.

The Bushwackers won the amateur division.[3]

Skyball 2000 also featured a trade exhibition where manufacturers displayed new equipment, including the AKA Excalibur, electronic grip frames and customised Autococker markers.[3]

=== Skyball IV (2001) ===

The fourth edition took place on 9–10 March 2001.

The [[World Paintball Federation]] (WPF) was contracted by ZAP Paintball to promote and produce the tournament.

The revised competition featured three amateur classifications based on tournament experience:

* '''Rookie:''' Teams in their first season of competition.
* '''Novice:''' Teams in their second season.
* '''Amateur:''' Teams with more extensive tournament experience that had not competed professionally.

Competition took place on five carpeted Sup'Air Ball fields, with WPF-trained referees supervising the games.[5]

According to the organisers' post-event announcement, 193 five-player teams participated, competing for more than US$100,000 in cash and prizes.

The division winners were:

* '''Amateur:''' Rapid Fire Red, New Jersey.
* '''Novice:''' Jesters, New Hampshire.
* '''Rookie:''' Chaos Blue, Michigan.

Approximately 2,000 spectators attended the event, according to the organisers.[6]

=== Skyball V (2002) ===

The fifth tournament was held on 1–2 March 2002.

ZAP Paintball assumed direct responsibility for organising the competition, rather than contracting an external tournament promoter.

Gordon and Steve Moore of ZAP oversaw the event, with Chip Herbert directing tournament operations and Bill Cookston responsible for officiating.

Approximately 250 teams participated across professional, amateur, novice and rookie classifications.[7]

Six inflatable-bunker fields were installed inside the SkyDome.

The event also featured an industry exhibition and live video coverage displayed on the stadium's large screens.

The professional division was won by Ground Zero, which defeated the Jax Warriors in the final.

Other division winners included:

* '''Amateur:''' Sharpshooters.
* '''Novice:''' TCP Extreme.
* '''Rookie:''' Farside Kids.

[7]

=== Skyball VI (2003) ===

The sixth documented edition took place in March 2003, again at Toronto's SkyDome.

More than 200 teams participated on six carpeted Sup'Air Ball fields.[8]

The tournament featured amateur, novice and rookie divisions, with a revised format incorporating quarter-final round-robin games followed by single-elimination semi-finals and championship matches.

In the amateur division, the AGD Kids defeated Team Nasty in two consecutive games to win the championship.

BAM won the novice division, while True Colors won the rookie competition.[8]

The tournament continued to incorporate a substantial paintball trade exhibition.

Exhibitors included ZAP, WDP, Airgun Designs, Tippmann, Crossfire and J&J Performance.

[[Bea Paxson|Bea Youngs]] served as the event's announcer, providing game scheduling information throughout the competition.[8]

Contemporary reporting stated that tentative dates had been announced for a seventh edition. However, the available historical records do not establish that Skyball VII subsequently took place.[8]

== Competition format ==

Skyball was primarily a five-player tournament.

Its early editions included separate professional and amateur competitions, with later events adopting additional classifications for less experienced teams.

The tournament used short, timed games and a scoring system based on player eliminations and flag objectives.

The 1999 event, for example, awarded points for pulling and hanging the opposing team's flag, retaining surviving players and eliminating opponents.[2]

Skyball's indoor setting required specially constructed playing surfaces and artificial bunkers.

Early fields included stacked inner tubes and pipe bunkers. Later editions increasingly used inflatable Sup'Air Ball fields on padded or carpeted surfaces.

The stadium environment allowed tournament games, trade exhibitions and spectator activities to operate within the same building.

== Tournament results ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Division
! Winner
|-
| 1998
| Professional
| [[Ground Zero|Ground Zero Gold]]
|-
| 1998
| Amateur
| Oh No's
|-
| 1999
| Professional
| [[All Americans]]
|-
| 1999
| Amateur
| Jacksonville Warriors
|-
| 2000
| Professional
| [[All Americans]]
|-
| 2000
| Amateur
| Bushwackers
|-
| 2001
| Amateur
| Rapid Fire Red
|-
| 2001
| Novice
| Jesters
|-
| 2001
| Rookie
| Chaos Blue
|-
| 2002
| Professional
| [[Ground Zero]]
|-
| 2002
| Amateur
| Sharpshooters
|-
| 2002
| Novice
| TCP Extreme
|-
| 2002
| Rookie
| Farside Kids
|-
| 2003
| Amateur
| AGD Kids
|-
| 2003
| Novice
| BAM
|-
| 2003
| Rookie
| True Colors
|}

The results are drawn from contemporary tournament reports, official scoreboards and organiser announcements.[1][2][3][6][7][8]

== Industry exhibitions ==

Skyball also functioned as a trade exhibition for the paintball industry.

Manufacturers and distributors used the event to demonstrate markers, protective equipment, air systems, barrels and playing accessories.

Its location within the SkyDome allowed exhibitions to be held on the stadium concourse while competition took place on the playing surface.

The event provided opportunities for professional players, equipment manufacturers, retailers and amateur competitors to interact.

Contemporary reporting documented exhibitors including ZAP Paintball, WDP, Airgun Designs, Tippmann, Redz Comfort Gear, Crossfire and J&J Performance.[2][3][8]

== Significance ==

Skyball was among the earliest large-scale paintball tournaments staged inside a major professional sports stadium.

Its use of the SkyDome demonstrated how indoor arena facilities could accommodate multiple tournament fields, spectators and equipment exhibitions.

The competition also reflected the transition from mixed artificial-bunker layouts towards standardised inflatable-bunker fields during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The event provided a high-profile setting for international amateur competition and the promotion of paintball equipment in Canada and the United States.

== See also ==

* [[ZAP Paintball]]
* [[Sup'Air Ball]]
* [[Speedball]]
* [[Ground Zero]]
* [[All Americans]]
* [[National Professional Paintball League]]
* [[Redz Comfort Gear]]
* [[Bea Paxson]]

== References ==

# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/skyball/skyball.shtml WARPIG, "Skyball 1998", 20–21 March 1998. Contemporary coverage documenting the inaugural tournament, venue, competition format and results.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/skyball99/index.shtml WARPIG, "ZAP Skyball 1999". Contemporary tournament report covering the organisers, participating teams, equipment exhibition and division winners.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/skyball2000/index.shtml WARPIG, "ZAP Skyball 2000", 18–20 February 2000. Contemporary report documenting the third edition, playing fields, equipment exhibition and results.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/tournament.shtml WARPIG, "Tournament Archive". Historical index documenting Skyball editions I–VI from 1998 through 2003.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/articles/pressreleases/skyball01.shtml WARPIG, "WPF Announces Skyball 2001 Format". World Paintball Federation press release documenting tournament organisation and division classifications.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/articles/pressreleases/sky01.shtml WARPIG, "ZAP Skyball 2001 Success", 15 March 2001. Organiser announcement documenting attendance, prizes and division winners.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/skyball/2002/index.shtml WARPIG, Joshua D. Silverman, "Skyball 2002", March 2002. Contemporary tournament report documenting organisation, participation, facilities and final results.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/skyball/2003/index.shtml WARPIG, Joshua D. Silverman, "ZAP Skyball 6", March 2003. Contemporary report documenting participation, tournament format, industry exhibitors and championship results.]

== External links ==

* [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/skyball/skyball.shtml Skyball 1998 tournament coverage]
* [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/skyball99/index.shtml Skyball 1999 tournament coverage]
* [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/skyball2000/index.shtml Skyball 2000 tournament coverage]
* [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/skyball/2002/index.shtml Skyball 2002 tournament coverage]
* [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/skyball/2003/index.shtml Skyball 2003 tournament coverage]

[[Category:Paintball tournaments]]
[[Category:Canadian paintball]]