Chicago Aftershock

Chicago Aftershock, commonly known as Aftershock, is an American professional paintball team based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1991, the team became one of the dominant organisations in professional tournament paintball during the 1990s, winning multiple National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) World Cup championships and other major tournaments. [1][2]

Aftershock has competed across several generations of the sport, including 10-man, 5-man and professional X-Ball. The organisation remains active in the National Xball League (NXL) and International Classic Paintball League (ICPL). [3]

History

Formation (1991–1992)

Aftershock was formed in the spring of 1991 through the merger of two established Midwestern tournament teams, Lords of Discipline and Scream (paintball team). [1]

Lords of Discipline was an established 15-man and 5-man tournament team led by Steve Copeland, while Scream was a developing team led by Renick Miller. The two organisations had competed against one another at regional and national tournaments before discussing a merger. [1]

The original Aftershock roster included Miller, Copeland, Gary Noblett, John "Spud" Jackson, Steve Elbrecht, Ryan Northrup, Rob Northrup, Fred Eicke, Donna Eicke, Tim Brown, Bruce Tognetti and Michael Karmin, among others. [1]

The new team competed nationally during 1991 and 1992 while developing its roster and playing style.

Dominance during the 1990s

Aftershock's major breakthrough came in 1993 following the addition of Danny Love and Mike Bruno. That season, the team won the Boston Open, the World Cup and the International Masters, including both 5-man and 10-man competition. [1]

Aftershock became one of the most successful teams of the NPPL professional 10-man era, competing against organisations including the Ironmen, All Americans and Avalanche. [2]

The team won the professional 10-man division at the 1996 NPPL World Cup in Orlando, Florida. [4]

Further World Cup victories followed in 1998 and 1999, establishing Aftershock as one of the leading teams of the decade. [5][6]

In the 1999 World Cup, Aftershock defeated the Southern California Ironmen in a decisive finals match. The following year, the Ironmen reversed the result, defeating Aftershock on their way to winning the 2000 World Cup. [7]

Prominent players during this period included Danny Love, Mike Bruno, Todd Adamson, Billy Ceranski, Gary Noblett, John Jackson and Markus Nielsen. [2]

Final years of NPPL 10-man (2000–2002)

Aftershock continued competing successfully as tournament paintball increasingly shifted towards artificial bunker fields and new competitive formats.

The team's home field was Badlandz Paintball Field in Crete, Illinois, which hosted major NPPL Chicago Open tournaments. [8]

In 2001, Aftershock won the professional 10-man division at the NPPL Atlantic City Gambler's Open and secured the NPPL professional season championship. [9][10]

The published 2001 professional roster listed Todd Adamson as captain, alongside Mike Bruno, Billy Ceranski, Manny Francia, Dan Holmes, Roland Isaac, Kenny Klamper, Danny Love, Mark McManus, Marcus Nielson, Greg Pozzi, Ronnie Simpkins, Ralph Sotelo and Ryan Williams. [11]

Aftershock won the professional 10-man division at the 2002 PSP/NPPL World Cup in Kissimmee, Florida, the final World Cup of the original NPPL 10-man era. The team finished fourth in the overall 2002 professional season standings. [12][13]

Professional X-Ball era

Following the decline of professional 10-man competition, Aftershock continued competing in the developing X-Ball format, including events organised by Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP).

The team underwent numerous roster changes during the 2000s and early 2010s. A particularly significant transition occurred after the 2011 season, when Brad McCurley, Drew Templeton, Damien Ryan, Chris Sosine and Zack Patient moved to Los Angeles Infamous. Team captain Nick Slowiak also departed before the 2012 season. [14]

Despite these changes, Aftershock continued competing in professional paintball.

Modern competition

Aftershock has participated in both professional X-Ball and classic-format tournaments during the 2020s.

The team finished second at the 2024 NXL Mid-Atlantic Major in professional X-Ball competition. [3]

Aftershock has also achieved success in the International Classic Paintball League, which organises tournaments using traditional 10-man and other classic formats.

In 2025, Aftershock won the professional divisions of the ICPL Old Bay Classic and Pittsburgh Open Classic. The team repeated its Pittsburgh victory in August 2026, finishing first among 14 teams in the professional division. [3]

Aftershock also competed in the 2026 NXL professional season, finishing ninth at the Lone Star Open in September. [3]

Return to professional competition under Todd Adamson

Ahead of the 2024 season, Chicago Aftershock announced its return to the professional NXL division under the ownership of former team player Todd Adamson.[16]

The team entered a sponsorship agreement with DYE Precision, which supplied playing equipment. Todd Martinez was appointed head coach for the 2024 professional campaign.[16][17]

The organisation continued competing in both professional X-Ball and traditional 10-player paintball.

2026 ICPL professional season championship

Chicago Aftershock won the 2026 International Classic Paintball League professional 10-man season championship.

The team recorded the following results:

Tournament	Result
Golden State Classic	2nd
Windy City Classic	2nd
Pittsburgh Open Classic	1st
Classic Cup	2nd

Under the ICPL ranking system, each team's three highest event scores contributed towards the season championship.

Aftershock accumulated 292 points, finishing ahead of Brimstone Smoke and the All Americans, which both recorded 286 points.[18]

This championship extended Aftershock's record of success in traditional 10-player tournament competition.

2026 NXL competition

Aftershock also participated in the 2026 National Xball League professional X-Ball season.

Through the Lone Star Open in September, its results were:

Event	Professional placing
Tampa Bay Open	17th
Mid-Atlantic Open	16th
Midwest Open	11th
Lone Star Open	9th

Following the fourth event, Aftershock occupied 13th place in the NXL professional standings with 297 points.[19]

The 2026 World Cup was scheduled for November and was not included in these standings.

Notable players

Players associated with significant periods of Aftershock's history include:

• Renick Miller – Co-founder and longstanding team owner.
• Steve Copeland – Co-founder and former Lords of Discipline player.
• Danny Love – Member of the championship-winning 1990s roster.
• Mike Bruno – Prominent player during the team's early professional success.
• Todd Adamson – Captain of the 2001 professional roster.
• Billy Ceranski – Longstanding professional player.
• Gary Noblett – Founding player and member of the early championship teams.
• John "Spud" Jackson – Founding player from Lords of Discipline.
• Markus Nielsen – Professional player who joined during the late 1990s.
• Nick Slowiak – Professional player and later team captain.

[1][2][11][14]

Selected achievements

Year	Competition	Result
1993	NPPL World Cup, Professional 10-man	Champions [1]
1993	Boston Open	Champions [1]
1993	International Masters	5-man and 10-man champions [1]
1996	NPPL World Cup, Professional 10-man	Champions [4]
1998	NPPL World Cup, Professional 10-man	Champions [5]
1999	NPPL World Cup, Professional 10-man	Champions [6]
2001	NPPL Atlantic City Open, Professional 10-man	Champions [9]
2001	NPPL Professional 10-man Series	Series champions [10]
2002	PSP/NPPL World Cup, Professional 10-man	Champions [12]
2024	NXL Mid-Atlantic Major, Professional X-Ball	2nd place [3]
2025	ICPL Pittsburgh Open Classic, Professional	Champions [3]
2026	ICPL Pittsburgh Open Classic, Professional	Champions [3]

Equipment and sponsorship

Aftershock maintained longstanding relationships with several major paintball equipment manufacturers.

The team was associated with PMI, including a sponsorship relationship involving David Freeman that originated during the late 1980s through the predecessor organisations. [1]

Other sponsors and equipment partners included JT USA, DYE Precision, Worr Game Products, Air America and Unique Sporting Goods. [1]

The team's relationship with these manufacturers reflected the increasing professionalisation of tournament paintball during the 1990s and 2000s.

Cultural influence

Aftershock was one of the teams featured in PUSH, an influential documentary about professional tournament paintball.

Filmed around the 1999 World Cup, the production followed several leading professional teams, including Aftershock, Avalanche and the Ironmen. The Aftershock segment documented the team's World Cup appearance and the retirement of veteran players Gary Noblett and John Jackson. [15]

See also

• Lords of Discipline
• Scream (paintball team)
• Ironmen
• All Americans
• National Professional Paintball League
• Paintball Sports Promotions
• National Xball League
• International Classic Paintball League

References

1. Chicago Aftershock – Official Team History.
2. Paintball Media – Then and Now: 26 Years of Aftershock Photos, John Amodea, 8 March 2017.
3. PBLeagues – Chicago Aftershock, official tournament results and team records.
4. WARPIG – 1996 NPPL World Cup Professional 10-Man Finals.
5. WARPIG – 1998 NPPL World Cup, October 1998.
6. WARPIG – 1999 NPPL World Cup, 18–24 October 1999.
7. WARPIG – 2000 NPPL World Cup Tournament Report.
8. WARPIG – 2001 NPPL Chicago Open, Badlandz Paintball Field.
9. WARPIG – 2001 NPPL Atlantic City Gambler's Open.
10. WARPIG – 2001 NPPL World Cup and Series Championship Results.
11. WARPIG – 2001 NPPL Professional Rosters.
12. WARPIG – 2002 PSP/NPPL World Cup, 19–27 October 2002.
13. WARPIG – 2002 NPPL Professional 10-Man Series Rankings.
14. Social Paintball – What's Next for Chicago Aftershock?, Byron Woodfork, 3 February 2012.
15. WARPIG – 2000 NPPL Chicago Open, PUSH documentary preview.
16. DYE Paintball – Welcome Back Chicago Aftershock!. Official announcement confirming Todd Adamson's ownership and the team's return to professional competition.
17. DYE Paintball – Chicago Aftershock Signs Todd Martinez as Head Coach. Official announcement ahead of the 2024 season.
18. PBLeagues – 2026 International Classic Paintball League Season Rankings. Official professional 10-man championship standings.
19. PBLeagues – 2026 National Xball League Season Rankings. Official professional X-Ball standings through September 2026.

External links

• Official Chicago Aftershock website
• Chicago Aftershock results on PBLeagues
• Historical Aftershock photographs