PCRInet Issue 8

Our Take on the NPPL Boston Event

By now almost everyone involved in tournament paintball knows that something went wrong in event number four of the 1999 NPPL tournament series held in Boston, Massachusetts, last month. Many people have talked about a large number of things that were not right in this event, including the now-famous "Ron Kilbourne" incident and the Aftershock "out of bounds" incident. We spoke to many people involved in the Boston event that experienced some of these things first hand. It's amazing how many different stories you get from "eyewitnesses." Either way it's obvious something happened there.

The "Ron Kilbourne" Incident

If you have not heard, there was an incident involving Ron Kilbourne of the Bushwackers and Eric of Shockwave that ended in each player being shot many, many times. The eliminated players from each team rushed the field and some pushing and shoving allegedly occurred. This incident has gone to the disciplinary committee of the NPPL where penalties, suspension, fines, etc. are being considered.

According to a statement given to Boston Cup co-promoter Jerry Braun from Kevin Hopkins of Lockout (one of the refereeing teams), "Ron Kilbourne moved on Eric (the Shockwave player) and bunkered him, putting three shots into his shoulder and chest area. Eric spun and shot Ron two to three times. Ron then shot Eric six to seven more times in the goggle area. At the same time, the Shockwave player was shooting Ron in the same area. Ron then dropped his hands to his side and took eight more shots to the chest and throat from Eric. The "dead boxes" emptied and the referees moved in to clear the area."

Another referee from Lockout stated he saw Ron shoot Mark "25-30 times." Chino Carbajal, a referee from Rage, gave Ron a "one-for-one" penalty, presumably for over-shooting.

What is being done about this: We asked NPPL President Tom Cole what was being done about this incident and he told us, "right now it is in the disciplinary committee for review." We'll have to wait for their decision." The rumor we've heard is that Ron Kilbourne may be suspended for the World Cup and that the Bushwackers will not attend if Ron is suspended. So if the Bushwackers pull out from the World Cup, what happens to their entry fee that has been paid? "We're discussing that right now", Tom Cole told us. Another rumor has it that World Cup promoter Jerry Braun will be deducting the Bushwacker's entry fee from the NPPL's cut of the World Cup money if they back out. More on this later.

The Aftershock Incident

In a game between the All Americans and Aftershock there have been some questions raised regarding a flag pull by Aftershock. One member of the All Americans told us, "We were playing ‘Shock on this really weird field--the game was going along normally. We had a line set up across the entire width of the field. Out of the blue we're getting shot at from the back and we've got the width of the field covered. There's no way anyone got behind us. Here comes Mikey and his pants legs are wet from the knee down. There's no water on the field, but there is a stream that is out of bounds leading to the back side of the field where the flag station is. As far as I'm concerned, their guys went out of bounds and came in behind the flag station, pulled the flag, and starting shooting us in the back. At the same time, the rest of the ‘Shock players came on us to create this diversion from what really happened.....what a mess."

We asked a high level member of the NPPL what his take on this situation was and he told us, "I have pretty good information that the All A's beef is a good one." When we asked where he got his information he said, "from a member of Aftershock."

Other Unacceptable Incidents

Several players have told us that people were shooting live players from the "dead box." Others told us that players were dumping sand in other players' feeders. We spoke to NPPL President Tom Cole who told us, "It's pretty obvious that some of the referees just didn't care what was going on. I didn't hear about the sand in the feeders but there definitely were players shooting from the dead box." Some players also talked about the unwillingness of the site owner to help out with some of the logistical problems. Other players told us the refs were making calls from 100 feet away. How legitimate are these complaints? What's going to be done to prevent these things from happening again? How do incidents like these effect paintball as a whole?

Who Cares What Happens in the NPPL?

Other than creating an interesting topic for the rec.sport.paintball newsgroups, incidents at NPPL events or other high level amateur events effect very few people directly and immediately. Right? Wrong! Pro and high level amateur teams and players add up to less than one percent of the paintball playing population. However, the NPPL is looked to by many players and industry people as the measuring stick of the industry. Proof of this can be found in the "rate of fire" debate that went on for more than a year, and the "full face protection" rule that was enforced in 1996. People in the know realize that the NPPL is a trend setting platform and that many recreational players emulate the pro players. This is also the place where the ESPN's of the corporate world will look to if paintball is to ever be taken seriously as a sport.

What Can Be Done? What Should Be Done?

We all know that teams judging teams doesn't work. This is the biggest problem the NPPL is facing and has faced since its inception in 1993. We're not going to waste valuable bandwidth discussing what can be done about the reffing situation. We've tried, the NPPL has tried, and the promoters have tried to come up with ideas on how to improve this situation and it always comes down to hiring and training referees. This costs money and neither the NPPL or the teams have it or want to pay it.

The second biggest problem in the NPPL in our estimation is that too many things are left open for discussion. For instance, the NPPL is still deciding on what to do with the players that left the dead box in the Bushwackers/Shockwave game. There should be a zero tolerance rule in place that has any players leaving the dead box and entering the playing fields immediately suspended. No exceptions and no excuses. This prevents Tom Cole or whoever from being the bad guy. This takes all of the decision making and thought out of the equation. This is exactly what the NBA does when players leave the bench area during a brawl. In hockey two players can fight, but a third player that gets into it is immediately suspended from the game. No questions, exceptions, or excuses.

The third problem that needs to be addressed is the shortage of staff for NPPL events. A flag should never be pulled without a referee seeing it. Players shooting from the dead box is not acceptable. Messing with players' equipment is despicable.

Where The NPPL is Going

Until the Boston event, the NPPL had been enjoying a very successful year. Team entries are up and play is more competitive than ever. The NPPL is still the only place for pro players to play and it's one of the few places for high level amateurs to play as well--but it's not enough. Somewhere along the way some of the leadership of the NPPL lost its focus and direction. If the NPPL is going to exist to cater to the top 40 or so teams, then it's doing fine. But if tournament paintball is ever going to move to the next level, the good ‘ole boy network needs an overhaul.

Maybe it's time for some new leadership in the NPPL. Or maybe not. Maybe the NPPL has reached its club membership goals and is not concerned with accepting new members. How do you feel about the NPPL?

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