Admin: Created article on the International Masters, documenting its association with Jim Lively, early tournament champions, the 1989 Line SI event and the 1998 ZAP International Masters revival.

2026-10-23T06:16:18Z

Created article on the International Masters, documenting its association with Jim Lively, early tournament champions, the 1989 Line SI event and the 1998 ZAP International Masters revival.

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The '''International Masters''' was an American tournament [[paintball]] competition associated with promoter [[Jim Lively]] and [[Lively Productions]]. Established during the 1980s, the tournament attracted leading American paintball teams and incorporated several competition formats, including five-player and 15-player events.[1][2]

The International Masters was among the major American paintball tournaments of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was revived in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1998 as the ZAP International Masters.[1]

== History ==

=== Early tournaments ===

The International Masters was organised by Jim Lively through Lively Productions.

The competition became associated with leading American tournament teams during the development of organised paintball in the 1980s.

Early editions included woodland competition using multiple team sizes.

The tournament also incorporated individual shooting and skills competitions alongside conventional team matches.[1]

=== 1989 Line SI International Masters ===

The 1989 International Masters was sponsored by [[Line SI]].

[[Lords of Discipline]] won both the five-player and 15-player championships.[2]

The team's achievements at the event were subsequently documented in historical accounts of its competitive record before its merger with [[Scream]] to form [[Chicago Aftershock]] in 1991.

=== 1990s competition ===

The International Masters continued to be associated with major American tournament competition during the early 1990s.

Historical accounts identify the [[All Americans]] as winners of the ten-player championship in 1992.[3]

[[Chicago Aftershock]] also identifies International Masters victories among its early tournament achievements.[4]

The precise dates and results of all editions have not been established from surviving records.

=== 1998 revival ===

Lively Productions revived the International Masters in 1998.

The ZAP International Masters took place in Nashville, Tennessee, from 8 to 11 October.

The event incorporated three-player and five-player tournaments alongside recreational games, individual competitions and industry discussions.[1]

The programme included a presentation by [[Hayes Noel]], one of the organisers of the first recorded paintball game in 1981.

Noel discussed the development of paintball and its potential as a televised sport.

The event also included separate conferences for players and paintball industry representatives.

The player conference was led by Mike Henry of [[Paintball 2Xtremes]], while John Henry chaired an industry discussion concerning equipment and firing-rate regulations.[1]

=== Additional activities ===

The 1998 tournament included several activities beyond conventional team competition.

These included:

* Three-player and five-player tournaments.
* Recreational big games.
* Target-shooting competitions.
* Bike 'n Shoot, combining cycling with target shooting.
* Equipment demonstrations.
* Player and industry conferences.

The programme reflected Lively Productions' approach to combining tournament competition with other paintball activities.[1]

== Selected results ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Division
! Winner
|-
| 1989
| Five-player
| [[Lords of Discipline]] [2]
|-
| 1989
| 15-player
| [[Lords of Discipline]] [2]
|-
| 1992
| Ten-player
| [[All Americans]] [3]
|}

The table includes only results identified in available historical sources and is not a complete list of International Masters champions.

== Later use of the name ==

The International Masters name has subsequently appeared in other paintball competitions, including woodland and classic-format tournaments.

The relationship between these later events and the original Lively Productions competition has not been established.

They should not automatically be treated as editions of a continuously operating tournament series.

== See also ==

* [[Jim Lively]]
* [[Lively Productions]]
* [[Lords of Discipline]]
* [[Chicago Aftershock]]
* [[All Americans]]
* [[Music City Open]]
* [[History of tournament paintball]]

== References ==

# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/masters98/index.shtml WARPIG, "1998 ZAP International Masters", October 1998. Contemporary report documenting the tournament's revival, competition formats and associated activities.]
# [https://www.wikipaintball.com/index.php/Lords_of_Discipline WikiPaintball, "Lords of Discipline". Historical account documenting the team's victories at the 1989 Line SI International Masters.]
# [https://www.automags.org/forums/forum/automag-owners-forums/paintball-talk/122630-history-of-paintball Automags.org, "History of Paintball". Historical chronology identifying the All Americans as 1992 International Masters ten-player champions.]
# [https://www.teamaftershock.com/about Chicago Aftershock, "History". Official team history documenting International Masters victories.]

== External links ==

* [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/masters98/index.shtml WARPIG: 1998 ZAP International Masters]
* [https://www.teamaftershock.com/about Chicago Aftershock team history]

[[Category:American paintball tournaments]]
[[Category:Paintball tournaments]]
[[Category:Paintball history]]

International Masters - Revision history

Admin: Created article on the International Masters, documenting its association with Jim Lively, early tournament champions, the 1989 Line SI event and the 1998 ZAP International Masters revival.