Admin: Add United States tournament, American decade and results categories; standardise the year category and verify dates, equipment rules and prize placements against contemporary reports.

2026-10-31T12:34:38Z

Add United States tournament, American decade and results categories; standardise the year category and verify dates, equipment rules and prize placements against contemporary reports.

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:34, 31 October 2026
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	[[Category:National Survival Game]]		[[Category:National Survival Game]]
	[[Category:1987 in paintball]]~~Add United States tournament, American decade and results categories; standardise the year category and verify dates, equipment rules and prize placements against contemporary reports.~~		[[Category:1987 in paintball]]

Admin at 12:34, 31 October 2026

2026-10-31T12:34:23Z

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Admin: Created an article on the 1987 NSG North American Championship from contemporary Front Line and Action Pursuit Games coverage, documenting the 33-team format, stock-pistol rules, direct-entry system, weather, US$40,000 prize fund and Wild Geese victory over Navarone–Apocalypse.

2026-10-22T15:19:37Z

Created an article on the 1987 NSG North American Championship from contemporary Front Line and Action Pursuit Games coverage, documenting the 33-team format, stock-pistol rules, direct-entry system, weather, US$40,000 prize fund and Wild Geese victory over Navarone–Apocalypse.

New page

The '''1987 NSG North American Championship''', officially the '''5th Annual Survival Game North American Championship''', was a major American [[paintball tournament]] organised by [[National Survival Game]] in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 9 to 12 October 1987.[1][2]

Thirty-three fifteen-player teams from the United States and Canada entered the tournament. The [[Wild Geese (paintball team)|Wild Geese]] of New Hampshire won the championship and its US$20,000 first prize. [[Navarone|Navarone–Apocalypse]] finished second, followed by Direct Hit of Ohio.[2]

The total prize fund was US$40,000, distributed among the first six teams. ''Front Line'' described it at the time as the largest cash prize awarded for an airgun game.[2]

{| class="wikitable"
|+ 1987 NSG North American Championship
|-
! Dates
| 9–12 October 1987
|-
! Location
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
|-
! Organiser
| [[National Survival Game]]
|-
! Edition
| Fifth
|-
! Teams
| 33
|-
! Team size
| 15 players
|-
! Format
| Stock-pistol, divisional competition
|-
! Champion
| Wild Geese
|-
! Runner-up
| Navarone–Apocalypse
|-
! Prize fund
| US$40,000
|}

== Background ==

The event was the fifth edition of National Survival Game's North American championship.

For 1987, NSG replaced its previous regional qualification system with a single consolidated tournament. Contemporary advertising promoted the competition as “The Big Splat” and stated that teams could enter directly without first winning a regional event.[1]

The advertised entry fee was US$1,300 per team, of which US$325 was required as a non-refundable deposit. The entry package included 4,800 paintballs and 300 12-gram carbon-dioxide cartridges. Every team was guaranteed a minimum of three games.[1]

Thirty-three teams ultimately entered. Competitors began arriving several days before play, and all participating teams had reached the venue by Friday evening.[2]

== Equipment rules ==

The championship was open to fifteen-player teams using stock .68-calibre paintball pistols powered by individual 12-gram carbon-dioxide cartridges.[1][2]

Tournament equipment restrictions included:

* Maximum barrel length of 24 inches
* Maximum muzzle velocity of 290 feet per second
* Use of .68-calibre pistols
* Use of 12-gram carbon-dioxide cartridges

The restriction to 12-gram cartridges excluded constant-air systems from championship play.

== Tournament format ==

Teams were assigned to divisions through a blind draw. Four teams were placed in each division, with the division winners advancing into new four-team groups. This process continued until the final round.[2]

Games lasted a maximum of 45 minutes. Placings were determined through points earned during play rather than solely through flag captures or match wins.[2]

Four playing fields were used. Teams were allowed to inspect the fields before competition began.[2]

== Tournament progression ==

The first games were played on Saturday in cold and rainy conditions. Some teams had been eliminated by the end of the opening day.[2]

The rain stopped on Sunday, although conditions remained cool. Division and round-robin play continued throughout the day.[2]

Nine teams remained in contention on Monday. The weather had cleared by the time the final rounds were played, and the championship concluded that evening.[2]

The tournament report stated that the three-day playing schedule was completed without delays despite the rain during the opening round.[2]

== Championship result ==

The Wild Geese of New Hampshire won the tournament and were named North American champions. The team received US$20,000, representing half of the total prize fund.[2]

A profile published in ''Action Pursuit Games'' shortly after the tournament described the Wild Geese as a team associated with Windham, New Hampshire, which trained at Canobie Survival Game. The team was organised into three five-player groups known as the Tigers, Swings and Tailgunners, with additional alternate players.[3]

Wild Geese member Ed Derrickson credited the championship to the team as a whole rather than an individual most valuable player.[3]

Navarone's Apocalypse squad finished second and received US$10,000. Direct Hit of Ohio placed third.[2]

== Results ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Position
! Team
! Location
! Prize
|-
| 1
| '''Wild Geese'''
| New Hampshire
| US$20,000
|-
| 2
| [[Navarone|Navarone–Apocalypse]]
| California
| US$10,000
|-
| 3
| Direct Hit
| Ohio
| US$5,000
|-
| 4
| Landsharks
| New York
| US$2,500
|-
| 5
| Bushwackers
| California
| US$1,500
|-
| 6
| Bushwackers
| Texas
| US$1,000
|}

Two separate teams using the Bushwackers name, one from California and one from Texas, occupied fifth and sixth place respectively.[2]

A later ''Action Pursuit Games'' profile recorded that the California Bushmasters finished second in their preliminary division and fifteenth overall.[4]

== Contemporary response ==

The championship's points-based format produced mixed reactions among players more accustomed to tournaments centred upon flag captures.

Members of the California Bushmasters described the event as a learning experience. Some preferred flag-centred competition, while others believed successful teams needed to adapt to both points systems and different equipment classifications.[4]

The tournament nevertheless attracted teams from across the United States and Canada and offered one of the largest prize funds then available in competitive paintball.[2]

== Historical significance ==

The 1987 championship documented several developments in tournament paintball during the late 1980s:

* Replacement of regional qualification with direct entry into a consolidated national event
* Participation by 33 teams from the United States and Canada
* Use of formal equipment, velocity and barrel-length restrictions
* Division-based advancement determined through a points system
* A US$40,000 prize fund
* Competition between established regional teams in a standardised fifteen-player format

The result was an important early championship for the Wild Geese. It also added a second major 1987 placing for Navarone–Apocalypse, which had finished fifth at the [[1987 International Air Pistol Open]] earlier in the year.[2][3]

== See also ==

* [[National Survival Game]]
* [[Wild Geese (paintball team)]]
* [[Navarone]]
* [[1987 International Air Pistol Open]]
* [[History of paintball]]
* [[Paintball in the United States]]

== References ==

# ''Front Line'', September 1987, National Survival Game advertisement for the fifth annual North American Championship. [https://oldpaintballmagazines.smugmug.com/Front-Line Front Line magazine archive].
# ''Front Line'', November 1987, “The 5th Annual Survival Game North American Championship”, p. 25. [https://oldpaintballmagazines.smugmug.com/Front-Line Front Line magazine archive].
# Debra L. M. Byrd, “Wild Geese”, ''Action Pursuit Games'', February 1988, pp. 16–17 and 72. [https://oldpaintballmagazines.smugmug.com/Action-Pursuit-Games Action Pursuit Games archive].
# “Bushmasters”, ''Action Pursuit Games'', February 1988, p. 16. [https://oldpaintballmagazines.smugmug.com/Action-Pursuit-Games Action Pursuit Games archive].

[[Category:Paintball tournaments]]
[[Category:Paintball in 1987]]
[[Category:Paintball in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1987 in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:National Survival Game]]

1987 NSG North American Championship - Revision history

Admin: Add United States tournament, American decade and results categories; standardise the year category and verify dates, equipment rules and prize placements against contemporary reports.

Admin at 12:34, 31 October 2026

Admin: Created an article on the 1987 NSG North American Championship from contemporary Front Line and Action Pursuit Games coverage, documenting the 33-team format, stock-pistol rules, direct-entry system, weather, US$40,000 prize fund and Wild Geese victory over Navarone–Apocalypse.