Editing Vipers (New Zealand Paintball Team)

'''Vipers''' was a New Zealand tournament [[paintball]] team based in New Plymouth. Contemporary records used both '''Viper''' and '''Vipers''', and the organisation entered separately recorded '''Vipers 1''' and '''Vipers 2''' squads during the 2000 season.[1][2]

The team competed at the 1999 Hawke's Bay Triples and several major North Island events in 2000. It reached the Second Division final at the Mayhem Queen's Birthday tournament and the open final of the 2000 Wellington Cup.[1][3][4]

== History ==

=== 1999 Hawke's Bay Triples ===

Vipers' earliest currently documented appearance was at the 1999 Hawke's Bay Triples. The contemporary report identifies Vipers as a New Plymouth team.[1]

Eight teams entered the three-player competition. House Steiner Red won ahead of House Steiner Blue and The Boys From The Black Stuff. Vipers was among the five other participating teams, but the report does not provide its exact placing or score.[1]

The 1999 [[Valhalla National Rankings]] placed Vipers twelfth with a calculated ranking score of 56.[5]

=== 2000 season ===

An entry printed as '''Viper''' competed at the South Pacific Championships at Thunderball Adventure Games in Wellington on 22–23 April 2000. A contemporary Phoenix report confirms the team's participation but does not provide an overall placing.[4]

Vipers also competed at the Mayhem Queen's Birthday tournament at Actions Paintball Sports Arena in Swanson, Auckland, on 4 June. It reached the Second Division final alongside Assault Korps, Havoc, DOA, Tag n' Release and Damn Natives. The report does not provide a complete divisional finishing order.[3]

Later in 2000, Vipers reached the final of the five-player Wellington Cup. Phoenix won the event and Tag n' Release placed second. Vipers and Full Boar were the other finalists, but the surviving sources do not establish their order.[4][6]

The 2000 Valhalla standings recorded two separate Vipers squads. Vipers 1 ranked equal ninth with 69.5, while Vipers 2 ranked twenty-sixth with 45.[2]

== Squads and naming ==

Viper, Vipers, Vipers 1 and Vipers 2 are treated as records of the same New Plymouth organisation. Results remain assigned to the published squad where the source distinguishes numbered entries.

The singular Viper recorded at Ashburton in 2011 is not included. Available evidence does not establish whether that later team was connected to the New Plymouth organisation.

== Recorded tournament results ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Published entry
! Competition
! Classification
! Recorded result
! Points
! Source
|-
| 1999
| Vipers
| Hawke's Bay Triples
| Open three-player
| Participated; exact placing not stated
| Not supplied
| [1]
|-
| 2000
| Viper
| [[South Pacific Championships]]
| Open five-player
| Participated; exact placing not established
| Not supplied
| [4]
|-
| 2000
| Vipers
| Mayhem Queen's Birthday tournament
| Second Division final
| Finalist; exact placing not stated
| Not supplied
| [3]
|-
| 2000
| Vipers
| Wellington Cup
| Open five-player final
| Finalist; exact placing not established
| Not supplied
| [4][6]
|}

No exact placing is assigned where the original report provides only participation or finalist status.

== National rankings ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Season
! Published entry
! Position
! Ranking score
|-
| 1999
| Vipers
| 12th
| 56
|-
| 2000
| Vipers 1
| Equal 9th
| 69.5
|-
| 2000
| Vipers 2
| 26th
| 45
|}

Valhalla rankings were calculated comparative values and are distinct from raw tournament scores or individual event placings.[2][5][7]

== See also ==

* [[Paintball in New Zealand]]
* [[Hawke's Bay Triples]]
* [[South Pacific Championships]]
* [[Wellington Cup]]
* [[Valhalla National Rankings]]

== References ==

# [https://web.archive.org/web/20020606140335/http://www.paintball.co.nz/hbtrip99.htm Rick Levick, 1999 Hawkes Bay Triples, Paintball.co.nz. Archived 6 June 2002.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/2000Hall.htm Mercenaries Star — Valhalla National Rankings, 2000.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20021019221500/http://www.paintball.co.nz/queen2000.htm Rob Maddox, The Mayhem 2000 Queens Birthday Tournament, Paintball.co.nz. Archived 19 October 2002.]
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20011020080141fw_/http://www.blacksun.co.nz/phoenix/news.htm Phoenix — contemporary team news, including the 2000 South Pacific Championships and Wellington Cup. Archived 20 October 2001.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/1999Hall.htm Mercenaries Star — Valhalla National Rankings, 1999.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/Links/TagNRelease.htm Mercenaries Star — Tag n' Release team profile, including the 2000 Wellington Cup result, April 2001.]
# [https://www.oocities.org/mercstar_nz/VALHALLA/RankIndex.htm Mercenaries Star — Valhalla National Team Rankings methodology.]

[[Category:New Zealand paintball teams]]
[[Category:New Zealand paintball history]]