South Auckland Paintball Club
South Auckland Paintball Club (SAPC) was a New Zealand paintball club and tournament organiser based in Auckland. Established in 2011 and incorporated in 2013, the club organised recreational paintball activities and competitive speedball tournaments, including the SAPC Five-Man League and SAPC Race Series.[1][2][9]
The club initially operated at Lock N Load Paintball near Auckland Airport before holding its tournament series at Asylum Paintball in Karaka. Its later competitions included Open X-Ball and mechanical-pump divisions.[1][4]
In 2014, SAPC documented endorsement from PALS/APPBF and offered its Open Series winners PALS-sponsored entry to 2014 Paintball World Cup Asia, with accommodation sponsored by Asylum Paintball.[6][12]
History
[edit]Establishment and early competition, 2011–2012
[edit]South Auckland Paintball Club began organising activities in 2011, initially using the facilities at Lock N Load Paintball on Nixon Road in Māngere. An announcement dated 10 October 2011 advertised a club day for players with their own equipment, with organised games using the venue's speedball facilities.[1]
A separate announcement on 9 October introduced the SAPC Five-Man Series, also described as the SAPC Five-Man League. It proposed regular monthly social speedball events for established teams and players entering tournament paintball. Players without teams were invited to form scratch teams.[9]
The provisional calendar covered November 2011 through December 2012, generally using the second Sunday of each month while avoiding major NZPPL tournament weekends. The initial format was five-player hopperball, limiting each player's paint supply to their loader. The announcement specified NZPPL rules, NZ$20 entry per player, field paint supplied by Killa Paint New Zealand and rotating refereeing duties among participating teams.[9]
The opening event took place on 13 November 2011. A report published that evening linked photographs and thanked visiting players, referees and the 300FPS shop crew. No results were supplied in the surviving discussion.[10]
Eight teams attended the event on 11 December 2011. The organiser reported that BOP and Wipeout finished joint first. These were individual event placings rather than overall series results.[11]
Following the December event, the organiser proposed retaining five-player teams while increasing the paint allowance to hopper plus one pod. A 9 January 2012 announcement specified this format for the forthcoming weekend, corresponding to the provisionally scheduled 15 January event. The surviving discussion does not confirm that event's completion or results.[9][11]
Incorporation and 2013 season
[edit]South Auckland Paintball Club Incorporated was registered on 10 September 2013 under society number 2587862, with its registered address in Papakura.[2]
By 2013, the club was organising the SAPC Race Series at Asylum Paintball, located at the former Kingseat Hospital complex in Karaka. The 2013 series included an Open Division, with ADHD identified as the season champion in a contemporary Asylum Paintball announcement.[3]
2014 Race Series
[edit]The 2014 SAPC Race Series consisted of four events held in February, May, July and September at Asylum Paintball. The competition included Open X-Ball and Mechanical Pump Division 4, with an additional beginner mechanical-pump category at the opening event.[4]
The club adopted Asia Pacific Paintball Federation (APPBF) tournament rules and used the APPA player registration and ranking system.[5]
ADHD won all four Open X-Ball events, securing the season championship with 400 ranking points. ADHD Red won the Mechanical Pump Division 4 championship with 270 points.[4]
The individual events are documented at:
- 2014 SAPC Race Series Event 1
- 2014 SAPC Race Series Event 2
- 2014 SAPC Race Series Event 3
- 2014 SAPC Race Series Event 4
2015 Race Series
[edit]SAPC continued its Race Series in 2015, holding four events between January and August at Asylum Paintball. The competition retained Open X-Ball and Mechanical Pump Division 4 categories.[7]
Auckland Faction won the Open X-Ball season championship with 387.14 points, followed by Addicted and ADHD. Detachment won the Mechanical Pump Division 4 championship with 317.5 points, narrowly ahead of Kaos Theory.[7]
The individual events are documented at:
- 2015 SAPC Race Series Event 1
- 2015 SAPC Race Series Event 2
- 2015 SAPC Race Series Event 3
- 2015 SAPC Race Series Event 4
PALS and World Cup Asia connection
[edit]Rules and endorsement
[edit]The club's 2014 series information recorded endorsement from the heads of PALS/APPBF and Millennium Series/EPBF. Its Open competition covered PALS Divisions 1–3, while Novice used the PALS Division 4 classification.[12]
The advertised formats were five-player Race to 4 for Open and Race to 1 for Novice. Open permitted PSP or Millennium ramping capped at 12.5 balls per second, while Novice was restricted to mechanical or pump markers.[12]
Sponsored World Cup Asia entry
[edit]On 26 January 2014, Michael Earley, publishing as MikeE, announced that the SAPC Open Series winners would receive free entry into Division 2 at 2014 Paintball World Cup Asia in Langkawi, Malaysia. The entry fee was sponsored by PALS, while accommodation was sponsored by Asylum Paintball.[6]
The announcement described the opportunity as allowing the winning team to represent New Zealand and the Auckland region. It also stated that the 2013 World Cup Asia layout would be available for practice before the opening SAPC event.[6]
The club's end-of-season report reconfirmed the sponsored entry and accommodation. The statement was signed by Vitaly V. Miheev, SAPC President, on 27 September and published on 30 September 2014. It also announced that the club president would serve as an official tournament coordinator at World Cup Asia.[5]
These announcements document the sponsored opportunity and intended participation; they do not establish the winning team's eventual attendance or results.[5][6]
Championship results
[edit]The following season results are recorded in the PBLeagues tournament database.[4][7]
| Year | Division | Champion | Runner-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Open X-Ball | ADHD | Disposal Unit | Tempest |
| 2014 | Mechanical Pump Division 4 | ADHD Red | OFF | One Shot Bro |
| 2015 | Open X-Ball | Auckland Faction | Addicted | ADHD |
| 2015 | Mechanical Pump Division 4 | Detachment | Kaos Theory | Mind Mechanics |
Organisation
[edit]South Auckland Paintball Club became an incorporated society in 2013.[2] Vitaly Miheev served as club president during 2014, as documented in the club's published end-of-season report.[5]
The club's early competitions relied on participating teams, volunteer referees and local paintball businesses. The original five-player series announcement assigned rotating refereeing duties to teams, while subsequent event reports acknowledged volunteer officials and business support.[9][10][11]
The 2014 series information listed PALS, Asylum Paintball, RC Media, NZPPL, Blacksheep Media, Sup Air, the Millennium Series and the American Paintball Players Association among its sponsors and supporting organisations.[12]
Later history
[edit]The last SAPC Race Series event documented in the cited PBLeagues records took place on 1–2 August 2015 at Asylum Paintball.[8]
The club's later activities and precise date of cessation have not been independently established.
See also
[edit]- History of paintball in New Zealand
- Lock N Load Paintball
- Asylum Paintball
- New Zealand Paintball Players League
- Paintball Asia League Series
- 2014 Paintball Asia League Series
- 2014 Paintball World Cup Asia
References
[edit]- South Auckland Paintball Club: Historical club announcements and SAPC Five-Man League, October–November 2011.
- New Zealand organisations registered on 10 September 2013, InfoProff. South Auckland Paintball Club Incorporated, number 2587862.
- South Auckland Paintball Club Inc Race Series Results, Asylum Paintball, 19 December 2013.
- South Auckland Paintball Club: 2014 season rankings, PBLeagues.
- 2014 End of Season Round Up, South Auckland Paintball Club Inc, published 30 September 2014. Statement signed Vitaly V. Miheev, SAPC President, 27 September 2014.
- SAPC Inc – Sending Kiwis to Paintball World Cup Asia 2014, Michael Earley, published as MikeE, South Auckland Paintball Club Inc, 26 January 2014.
- South Auckland Paintball Club: 2015 season rankings, PBLeagues.
- SAPC D4 & Open Event #4, PBLeagues, 1–2 August 2015.
- SAPC 5 Man Speedball Series 2011/2012: Announcement, NZ P8NT forum, 9 October 2011, archived 6 February 2013.
- SAPC 5 Man Speedball Series 2011/2012: November event report, NZ P8NT forum, 13 November 2011, archived 6 February 2013.
- SAPC 5 Man Speedball Series 2011/2012: December results and January announcement, NZ P8NT forum, 11 December 2011 and 9 January 2012, archived 6 February 2013.
- 2014 SAPC Open + Novice Series, South Auckland Paintball Club Inc, archived club website. Competition formats, classifications, endorsement, prizes and supporting organisations.