GPS (New Zealand Paintball Team)
GPS was a New Zealand tournament paintball team associated with Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty. Contemporary records also used the names GPS (Rotorua) and Tag n' Release GPS.[1][2][3]
GPS was closely connected with Tag n' Release. A contemporary account described the GPS squad at the 2001 Hawke's Bay Triples as effectively Tag n' Release playing with Kane from Wellington.[1] GPS nevertheless competed and was ranked under its own published name.
The team won the 2002 Hawke's Bay Triples, defeating Rush 100–10 in the final.[5] The surviving sources do not expand the initials GPS, so no expanded name is assigned.
History
2001 season
GPS competed at the Hawke's Bay Triples in February 2001. A contemporary Phoenix account described the entry as effectively Tag n' Release with Kane from Wellington and referred to Peter Mumby and Gavin during its account of the team's games.[1]
This establishes an event-specific playing connection with Tag n' Release. It does not show that GPS and Tag n' Release were interchangeable names for every tournament entry.
The October 2001 Valhalla National Rankings recorded the entry as Tag n' Release GPS. It finished third in the published three-player standings with 159.3 ranking points, behind DamNatives Red and Insane.[2]
The Valhalla total incorporated results from several three-player competitions. It was a calculated season ranking rather than a raw tournament score.[2]
2002 three-player competition
GPS competed at The Gathering at Actions Paintball in Swanson on 26 January 2002. The event used three-player, hopper-only centre-flag games. GPS scored 16 points and shared second place with Saints 1 and GBR, behind Saints 2 on 20.[3]
On 27 January, the team competed as GPS (Rotorua) at a three-player tournament at Combat Zone in Ardmore, Papakura. GPS scored 650 points and finished second behind Saints on 730. Phantom finished third on 510.[4]
GPS then competed at the Hawke's Bay Triples at Stoney Creek Ranch, Hastings, on 2–3 February. Seventeen teams played three-player centre-flag games.[5]
The team led the preliminary standings with 1,530 points. Rush finished second with 1,230 and joined GPS in the final. GPS won the final 100–10.[5]
Paintball West Three-Man Series
GPS also competed in the 2002 Paintball West monthly three-player series at Kumeu.[6][7][8][9]
The recovered round reports record:
| Round | Published GPS score | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|
| March | 21 | Completed round; GPS placed first.[6] |
| April | 28 | Completed round; GPS placed first.[7] |
| May | 16 | Completed round; placing not stated here.[8] |
| June | 24 | Completed round; cumulative total reported as 105.[9] |
The cumulative figure was published after the June round. It should not be treated as a final season championship result because later scheduled rounds have not been reconstructed.
2004 Hawke's Bay Triples
GPS competed at the Hawke's Bay Triples in February 2004. It recorded 600 points in the preliminary stage, placing sixth among the eleven teams that played.[10]
The team did not appear among the finalists identified in the surviving report. Fusion won the event and Phantom Blue was listed as runner-up.[10]
A later team named GPS appeared in the published results of the 2010 Hawke's Bay Triples. The inspected source does not provide a location or roster connecting that entry with the Rotorua team, so it is not included in this article's results.
Relationship with Tag n' Release
The 2001 Hawke's Bay account directly links GPS with Tag n' Release personnel and Kane from Wellington.[1] The 2001 Valhalla standings used the combined label Tag n' Release GPS.[2]
These sources establish an affiliated event entry rather than a complete identity between GPS and Tag n' Release. The teams' records should therefore remain separate:
- GPS results belong to the GPS entry.
- Tag n' Release results belong to the Tag n' Release entry.
- Personnel shared at a particular tournament do not automatically establish identical rosters at later events.
The labels GPS, GPS (Rotorua) and Tag n' Release GPS are treated as names for the same regional GPS entry.
Documented people
| Published name | Documented involvement | Evidence limit |
|---|---|---|
| Kane | Wellington player added to the GPS entry at the 2001 Hawke's Bay Triples | Surname not supplied in the source.[1] |
| Peter Mumby | Mentioned in the contemporary account of GPS at the 2001 Hawke's Bay Triples | The account does not establish participation at every GPS event.[1] |
| Gavin | Mentioned in the same tournament account | Surname not supplied in that passage and is not inferred here.[1] |
These mentions do not constitute a complete roster for any tournament or season.
Recorded tournament results
| Date | Tournament | Published entry | Recorded result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2001 | Hawke's Bay Triples | GPS | Participation confirmed; exact placing not established |
| 26 January 2002 | The Gathering | GPS | Equal 2nd; 16 points |
| 27 January 2002 | Combat Zone three-player tournament | GPS (Rotorua) | 2nd; 650 points |
| 2–3 February 2002 | Hawke's Bay Triples | GPS | 1st; 1,530 preliminary points; defeated Rush 100–10 in the final |
| March 2002 | Paintball West Three-Man Series | GPS | 1st; 21 points |
| April 2002 | Paintball West Three-Man Series | GPS | 1st; 28 points |
| May 2002 | Paintball West Three-Man Series | GPS | 16 points |
| June 2002 | Paintball West Three-Man Series | GPS | 24 points; published cumulative total of 105 |
| February 2004 | Hawke's Bay Triples | GPS | 6th in the preliminary standings; 600 points |
Raw tournament scores, series-round scores and calculated ranking totals are kept separate.
See also
References
- Phoenix contemporary tournament reports. Includes the February 2001 Hawke's Bay Triples account describing the GPS entry's relationship with Tag n' Release.
- Valhalla National Rankings, October 2001. Mercenaries Star.
- Dazz Marshall, The Gathering. Paintball.co.nz, 26 January 2002.
- Dazz Marshall, Combat Zone three-player tournament report. Paintball.co.nz, 27 January 2002.
- Dazz Marshall, Hawkes Bay 3-Man 2002. Paintball.co.nz, 2–3 February 2002.
- Paintball West Three-Man Series, March 2002 round. Paintball.co.nz.
- Paintball West Three-Man Series, April 2002 round. Paintball.co.nz.
- Paintball West Three-Man Series, May 2002 round. Paintball.co.nz.
- Paintball West Three-Man Series, June 2002 round. Paintball.co.nz.
- Peter Mumby, The Hawkes Bay Triples 2004. Paintball.co.nz, February 2004.