Bill Mills

Bill Mills is an American paintball journalist, technical writer and photographer best known for his work with WARPIG (World And Regional Paintball Information Guide), one of the earliest online publications dedicated to paintball. Alongside Dawn Mills, he helped develop WARPIG into a source of tournament reports, equipment reviews, industry news and recreational paintball coverage during the 1990s and 2000s.[1][2]

His published work documents the development of professional tournament formats, paintball equipment and the wider industry, including contemporary reporting from the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL), Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP) and National Xball League (NXL).[3][4]

Paintball journalism

WARPIG

WARPIG originated from paintball information compiled by Steve Mitchell and made available through an FTP server in the early 1990s. The material was transferred to a World Wide Web server in 1994.

Bill and Dawn Mills subsequently assumed responsibility for the publication, expanding its coverage of paintball tournaments, equipment, businesses and recreational events.[1]

Bill Mills became particularly associated with written reporting and technical articles, while Dawn Mills contributed photography and editorial coverage. Many WARPIG publications credit the two together.[2][3]

Tournament reporting

Mills covered professional and amateur paintball competitions during the expansion of tournament paintball in the late 1990s and 2000s.

His reporting included events associated with the NPPL, PSP, NXL and collegiate paintball.

WARPIG's coverage combined competition results with reports on tournament organisation, rules, playing formats and equipment exhibitions.

At the 2004 NPPL Denver Open, Mills and Dawn Mills were jointly credited for tournament reporting, with photographs by Chris Bland.[3]

In April 2005, Mills reported on the National Collegiate Paintball Association championship at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Florida, documenting collegiate competition and its relationship with contemporary television coverage.[4]

Equipment reviews

Mills also published detailed technical reviews of paintball markers, protective equipment and accessories.

His articles commonly examined product construction, operating mechanisms, maintenance and performance.

Documented reviews include:

Palmer's Squall, July 2004.
BT-16 Elite, September 2005.
Smart Parts SP-8, April 2006.
R7 Modular Pack, August 2005.

These articles frequently included photographs by Dawn Mills.[5][6][7][8]

Recreational paintball

In addition to tournament reporting, Mills documented recreational and scenario paintball.

His reports included the 2002 Paintball Long Island Big Game and events at Hurricane Paintball Park in Palm Bay, Florida.

The coverage recorded event organisation, playing environments and participation outside professional tournament competition.[9][10]

Historical documentation

Mills' articles provide contemporary records of developments in paintball equipment, competition and commercial activity.

His August 2001 report on new products at the International Amateur Open documented equipment exhibited by manufacturers including Airgun Designs, Brass Eagle and JT USA.[2]

In January 2006, Mills published an explanation of tournament paintball formats, discussing the distinctions between recreational play, traditional tournament formats and newer competitive systems.[11]

WARPIG's surviving archive preserves these articles alongside event results, photographs and other historical material.

References

External links