Team Image
Team Image is an American tournament paintball team established in 1995 by Tom Maliszewski, with roots in Maryland and Northern California. The team became a leading competitor in the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL), winning the 1997 professional 10-man World Cup and the 1999 Boston Open. Following the end of its original professional programme, Team Image returned to tournament competition in 2018 and subsequently participated in classic mechanical paintball events.[1][2][3]
History
Formation and early success (1995–1996)
Team Image was formed in 1995 following the departure of Tom and Richie Maliszewski from the All Americans, one of the leading American professional teams of the period.[1][4]
The new organisation brought together players from the eastern and western United States, including Maryland and Northern California.[1]
The team achieved immediate success at the 1995 World Cup, winning the amateur competition. Former player Dave "Opie" Thomas subsequently identified this victory in his published career history.[5]
Thomas, who joined Image in the summer of 1995 alongside Billy Ceranski, also credited the team with winning the professional NPPL New York Cup in 1996.[5]
Professional competition (1997–2001)
Team Image established itself among the leading American professional teams during the late 1990s.
Its most significant early professional victory came at the 1997 NPPL World Cup in Kissimmee, Florida, on 26 October 1997.
Image won the professional 10-man finals with 300 points, finishing ahead of Aftershock (215), the Southern California Ironmen (130) and the All Americans (31).[2]
The victory established Image as a World Cup-winning professional team during a period when the Ironmen, Aftershock and All Americans were among the dominant organisations in American tournament paintball.
On 27–29 August 1999, Image won the NPPL Boston Open at S.L.A.M. Paintball in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The tournament included wooded, Hyperball and Sup'Air fields.[3]
Image remained competitive in 2000, finishing second behind the Ironmen at the NPPL Chicago Open, held at Badlandz Paintball in Crete, Illinois, in June.[6]
The team's 2001 NPPL professional roster listed Lane Wright as captain. Other players included Richie Maliszewski, Brian Fow, Richmond Italia, Andy Kopcok, Rod Staudinger, Dave Thomas and Brad Waterman.[7]
The original professional programme ended around 2001, according to a later historical account published by equipment manufacturer DYE.[1]
Return to competition (2018–present)
Team Image returned to tournament paintball in 2018, concentrating on classic formats associated with the resurgence of mechanical paintball competition.[1]
The revived organisation included players from Maryland and Pennsylvania, with support from original team members Tom and Richie Maliszewski.
In 2019, Image finished second at the Iron City Classic, according to a retrospective published by the International Classic Paintball League (ICPL).[8]
On 21 June 2021, the ICPL reported that Image had won the amateur 10-man division at the Old Bay Classic. The team defeated Mutiny 22–7 in its final match to secure the championship.[8]
The revived team subsequently maintained a relationship with DYE Precision, which announced renewed equipment support for Image's participation in mechanical events organised by the ICPL and National Xball League (NXL).[1]
DYE later released a special-edition MXR marker associated with Team Image, reflecting the organisation's continued participation in tournament paintball.[9]
Selected tournament results
| Year | Tournament | Division | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | NPPL World Cup | Amateur | 1st [5] |
| 1996 | NPPL New York Cup | Professional | 1st, reported by Dave Thomas [5] |
| 1997 | NPPL World Cup | Professional 10-man | 1st [2] |
| 1999 | NPPL Boston Open | Professional 10-man | 1st [3] |
| 2000 | NPPL Chicago Open | Professional 10-man | 2nd [6] |
| 2019 | Iron City Classic | Classic 10-man | 2nd [8] |
| 2021 | ICPL Old Bay Classic | Amateur 10-man | 1st [8] |
Notable players
Players associated with Team Image during its original professional era included:
- Tom Maliszewski – Founder of Team Image.
- Richie Maliszewski – Founding member and professional player.
- Dave "Opie" Thomas – Player from 1995 to 2000, later associated with Baltimore Trauma.
- Lane Wright – Listed captain of the 2001 NPPL professional roster.
- Richmond Italia – Member of the 2001 professional roster.
- Andy Kopcok – Member of the 2001 professional roster.
- Rod Staudinger – Member of the 2001 professional roster.
- Brian Fow – Member of the 2001 professional roster.[1][5][7]
See also
- National Professional Paintball League
- International Classic Paintball League
- All Americans
- Chicago Aftershock
- List of historically significant paintball teams
References
- DYE Paintball – Image Joins the DYE Family.
- WARPIG – 1997 NPPL World Cup, Professional 10-Man Final Scores, 26 October 1997.
- WARPIG – NPPL Boston Open, 27–29 August 1999.
- Paintball 2Xtremes – 81 Moments That Shaped Paintball, June 2005, reproduced on Automags.org.
- Planet Eclipse – Let's Talk 50cal: A Chat with GI Sportz' Dave "Opie" Thomas, March 2018.
- WARPIG – NPPL Chicago Open 2000, Professional 10-Man Finals.
- WARPIG – NPPL 2001 Professional Team Rosters.
- NXL Classic Paintball – Image Wins the ICPL Old Bay Classic Amateur 10-Man Division, 21 June 2021.
- DYE Paintball – Team Image × DYE MXR.