1987 NSG North American Championship

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 of New Hampshire won the championship and its US$20,000 first prize. 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]

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

Position	Team	Location	Prize
1	Wild Geese	New Hampshire	US$20,000
2	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]

References

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