2013 Tippmann Challange

Everyone has heard the hype surrounding paintball mega games but why are big games so special? At big games players get much more than just a day of trigger squeezing. At a big game you get not only a target rich environment but you get to see things like Darth Vader, Ironman, Sarge from Halo, and a jungle explorer riding an ostrich.



Tippinators love big games so much that part of the team made the twenty eight hour round trip drive from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Montreal, Quebec to attend Tippmann Challenge held at Paintball Mirabel on August 10, 2013.

The Tippmann challenge has been a tradition at Paintball Mirabel, since 2006. The reputation of the Tippmann Challenge is based on the quality of the scenario and an incomparable quality price ratio for an event of that caliber, Paintball Mirabel delivers on both counts.

PBL Action Sports, in conjunction with Tippmann Sports, bring their years of paintball expertise to produce a scenario game for 1500 paintball players from across the country who gathered in Quebec for the challenge.



Tippmann Challenge Mirabel offers more then just paintball. The game has helicopters, entertainment, attendance prizes, free lunch, free on site technical support from Tippmann employees, costume contests, speedball exhibitions and more during the event.

To accommodate all 1500 players, Paintball Mirabel joined all of the individual fields together to create one large field. Joining all fields together creates a multifaceted field that requires changing playing styles when moving from area to area in order to be successful.



One of the new fields Mirabel has just completed is a Vietnam War style village. It is not two or three building but an entire village. The area has twenty plus buildings, an open air market, temple with a gong, prisoner holding cages, communications centre, vehicles, storage silo and more.

Big games are more then just playing, they are an opportunity to reacquaint with old friends. The Tipps were excited to play alongside the eternally youthful Mike 'Blue' Hanse and Blue's Crew for the afternoon. It had been seven years since the Tippinators played with Blue and his Crew while attacking the Castle Aaarrg at EMR in 2007.

Tippinator Bruce Johnston was excited to be able to spend time one-on-one with Tippmann Sports Chairman Howard Kosick, PBL Action Sports President Robert Lee and Tippmann VP of International Sales Brent Cunningham.



"To be able to spend hours talking with the heads of the world's leading paintball companies is an incredible experience." said Johnston "I can't think of another sport where a participant can walk up and talk to the people who shape the game world wide. It is humbling"

As the day drew to a close, tents were being taken down, and RV's pulling away; the smiles on player's faces proved Tippmann Challenge Mirabel was an incredible experience for all involved. Once again Hugo Bigras, owner of Paintball Mirabel and his professional staff put together a memorable day of paintball.

The team would like to thank Brent Cunningham from Tippmann, Robert Lee, Mike Silva, and Louie D'Alesio from PBL Action Sports, Hugo Bigras of Paintball Mirabel for their hospitality and for making the Tippinators feel like they were playing their home field.

If you are a player who loves paintball you owe it to yourself to attend a big game. The organized insanity of 1500 players on the field at once is something that must be experienced at least once. Find the nearest Tippmann Challenge, sign up and go experience it for yourself.

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..:: Visit the Tippinators Official Website - www.tippinators.com for up to date news and official information about the team. ::..

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ATWL Event Sets Up for Exciting Finish

2013 ATWL Event 2 Sets Up for Exciting Finish

Tippmann X7 Phenom Atlantic Tactical Woodsball League Event 2 played on August 3, 2012 was some of the most exciting woodsball played in the history of the league. Tippmann Sports and BuyPBL invaded Hypersportz Paintball in Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia, to host the best players in the region for the mid point of the 2013 season.

Returning ATWL players were impressed with the field improvements that are continuing at Hyper Sportz. "We are making improvements to the playability of the field for the ATWL." said Field Manager Jim Bent. "We are getting great feedback from the players and will make more improvements for next season."

An ATWL match consists of two, teams of ten players, playing two 20-minute games. The teams play one game, switch start points for the second game, to complete the match. Playing two games from opposite ends of the field eliminates any advantage in the field layout. The teams fight for three capture points spread across the field. Five points are awarded for every minute a capture point is held with a 25 point bonus for holding the center capture point at the end of the game.

The ATWL excitement began with the first game of the day as the sophomore Green Acres Goblins came out of the gate strong. The Goblins used aggressive fire and movement to control the field and wrestle a win away from the Mersey Road Predators by only 10 points.

"The Goblin came together as a team today and showed real signs of improvement." said James Langlois Captain of the Predators. "They (The Goblins) will be contenders if they continue to improve the way they have been."

The improvement of the Goblins was great to see but the story of the day was the play of the surging Strict Union Militia from Moncton New Brunswick. The Militia played nearly flawless paintball and finished the day undefeated.

The incredible play of the Militia dominated the day and propelled the team to first place for the season. A first place regular season finish puts SU in a commanding position heading into the league championship event in September.

The Nova Scotia Mercenaries played consistently strong paintball and finished the day just behind the Militia. "It has been a great day and a season to remember." commented Kevin Whynot Captain of the Mercenaries. "The team is playing well and we have put ourselves in a position to win in it all in the next event."

The depleted Mersey Road Predators played well all day but finish in third place. The looked good on the field but strong play of the Militia bumped the Predators into second position by a single point.

"It was a great day of paintball even though we slipped in the standings. We have a few things to improve on, but we will be ready for the Championship match." said Predators player Dave Rose.

After two events, SU Militia is leading the way with the Predators one Win/Loss point behind. The Mercenaries are in third place only five Capture Points behind SU. The Green Acres Goblins are consistently improving and should not be counted out.

Heading to the championship the teams are evenly matched as every team is a position to win it all. The 2013 TippmannX7 Phenom Atlantic Tactical Woodsball League winner will be decided at Mersey Road Paintball in East River Nova Scotia on September 14th.

Event 2 Results
Place	Team	W/L Points	Capture Points
1	SU Militia	12	945
2	Mercenaries	6	735
3	Predators	6	515
4	GA Goblins	2	270
Season Standings
Place	Team	W/L Points	Capture Points
1	SU Militia	15	1295
2	Predators	14	1020
3	Mercenaries	12	1290
4	GA Goblins	2	345
Championship Match Up - First Round Mersey Road Paintball - September 14th
9:00	SU Militia	vs	GA Goblins
9:30	Predators	vs	Mercenaries

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..:: Visit the Tippinators Official Website - www.tippinators.com for up to date news and official information about the team. ::..

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ATWL Season Off and Running

2013 ATWL Event 2 Sets Up for Exciting Finish

Tippmann X7 Phenom Atlantic Tactical Woodsball League Event 2 played on August 3, 2012 was some of the most exciting woodsball played in the history of the league. Tippmann Sports and BuyPBL invaded Hypersportz Paintball in Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia, to host the best players in the region for the mid point of the 2013 season.

Returning ATWL players were impressed with the field improvements that are continuing at Hyper Sportz. "We are making improvements to the playability of the field for the ATWL." said Field Manager Jim Bent. "We are getting great feedback from the players and will make more improvements for next season."

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An ATWL match consists of two, teams of ten players, playing two 20-minute games. The teams play one game, switch start points for the second game, to complete the match. Playing two games from opposite ends of the field eliminates any advantage in the field layout. The teams fight for three capture points spread across the field. Five points are awarded for every minute a capture point is held with a 25 point bonus for holding the center capture point at the end of the game.

The ATWL excitement began with the first game of the day as the sophomore Green Acres Goblins came out of the gate strong. The Goblins used aggressive fire and movement to control the field and wrestle a win away from the Mersey Road Predators by only 10 points.

"The Goblin came together as a team today and showed real signs of improvement." said James Langlois Captain of the Predators. "They (The Goblins) will be contenders if they continue to improve the way they have been."

The improvement of the Goblins was great to see but the story of the day was the play of the surging Strict Union Militia from Moncton New Brunswick. The Militia played nearly flawless paintball and finished the day undefeated.

The incredible play of the Militia dominated the day and propelled the team to first place for the season. A first place regular season finish puts SU in a commanding position heading into the league championship event in September.

The Nova Scotia Mercenaries played consistently strong paintball and finished the day just behind the Militia. "It has been a great day and a season to remember." commented Kevin Whynot Captain of the Mercenaries. "The team is playing well and we have put ourselves in a position to win in it all in the next event."

The depleted Mersey Road Predators played well all day but finish in third place. The looked good on the field but strong play of the Militia bumped the Predators into second position by a single point.

"It was a great day of paintball even though we slipped in the standings. We have a few things to improve on, but we will be ready for the Championship match." said Predators player Dave Rose.

After two events, SU Militia is leading the way with the Predators one Win/Loss point behind. The Mercenaries are in third place only five Capture Points behind SU. The Green Acres Goblins are consistently improving and should not be counted out.

Heading to the championship the teams are evenly matched as every team is a position to win it all. The 2013 TippmannX7 Phenom Atlantic Tactical Woodsball League winner will be decided at Mersey Road Paintball in East River Nova Scotia on September 14th.

Event 2 Results
Place	Team	W/L Points	Capture Points
1	SU Militia	12	945
2	Mercenaries	6	735
3	Predators	6	515
4	GA Goblins	2	270
Season Standings
Place	Team	W/L Points	Capture Points
1	SU Militia	15	1295
2	Predators	14	1020
3	Mercenaries	12	1290
4	GA Goblins	2	345
Championship Match Up - First Round Mersey Road Paintball - September 14th
9:00	SU Militia	vs	GA Goblins
9:30	Predators	vs	Mercenaries

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..:: Visit the Tippinators Official Website - www.tippinators.com for up to date news and official information about the team. ::..

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ATWL Event Two Played Rain and Shine

The second event of the 2012 Tippmann X7 Phenom Atlantic Tactical Woodsball League was played June 9th at Hypersportz Paintball in Mount Uniacke Nova Scotia.

Rain overnight and all game day morning left many players disheartened that once again they would be playing in boot sucking mud, with players afraid that an inadvertent marker drop would result in a gun never being seen again. Although the ATWL had visited this location in previous seasons, this woodsball field had not been seen by players in the past.

Hypersportz Paintball (formerly Overkill Sportz) has been taken over by a new owner who is making considerable field improvements. Teams that are visiting Hypersportz for the first time since last season were very impressed with the changes.

Thousands of dollars invested by the new owner in improved drainage, clearing firing lanes, leveling the ground and reposition bunkers will make the field play faster and put a premium on communication plus coordinated fire and movement.

Often the first game can set the tone for the entire day. The cold rain didn't dampen the excitement as the Nova Scotia Mercenaries went up against the SU Militia. The fighting was so fierce that at times it seemed there were more paintballs in the air than rain drops. If this game was an indication event two would be an exciting day.

As the day wore on, the weather improved but there was no improving on the already top notch paintball. The matches between current and former champions, plus epic battles between two new teams to the league all the games were back and forth fights went down to the wire.

The SU Militia from Moncton, New Brunswick went on a tear at event two. They kicked their game up a notch since event one, and were the team to beat at event two. The Militia won all four of their games with a total combined 790 flag capture points.

Another surprise of the day was the improved play Green Acres Goblins. First year teams in a very competitive league can sometimes get overwhelmed. The Goblins showed they were able to adapt their play and fight toe to toe with the best teams in the region.

No one team is breaking away from the pack. The top of the leader board is tightening. The new teams are improving quickly. The 2012 Tippmann X7 Phenom Atlantic Tactical Woodsball League has reached the half way point and who will be crowned champion is anybody's guess. This may turn out to be the most exciting finish in ATWL history.

Event 2 Results
Place	Team	Games Played	Capture Points	Win Loss Points
1	SU Militia	4	790	8
2	Anthraxx	2	555	4
3	Mersey Road Predators	2	310	2
4	Nova Scotia Mercenaries	4	310	2
5	Green Acres Goblins	4	75	0

Season Standings
Place	Team	Games Played	Capture Points	Win Loss Points
1	Mersey Road Predators	6	1320	10
2	Anthraxx	6	1115	10
3	SU Militia	8	970	8
4	Nova Scotia Mercenaries	6	535	4
5	Green Acres Goblins	6	105	0

Black Friday Launches Atlantic Season

The event that many players consider to be the unofficial opening of the Atlantic Canadian paintball season, Black Friday, was held on Friday April 6th, 2012 at Mersey Road Paintball in East River Nova Scotia.

Black Friday is a special kind of event where after a winter of being able to only play the occasional game of indoor reball, woodsballers, speedballers, milsim teams, xball teams and rec players gather for a day of fun before players gravitate back to their preferred style of play.

Black Friday is a non competitive event. ‘Event’ may be to strong a word. Black Friday is a one of a kind paintball gathering. It is a gathering where players of any skill level and experience can play together, and against each other, as long as the players only want to have fun.

Another aspect of Black Friday that makes the game special is there are no landmarks to be taken, no points awarded, no commanders yelling orders, and no winners announced at the end of the day. The players break into two teams and go play paintball just for the fun of it.

The game was immediate respawn broken into 90 minute halves. The teams switched ends of the field at the lunch break. The non stop game made for non stop action all over the field. On the field you could see ghillie suits next to colourful speedball jerseys, high end electros playing side by side with pump guns.

Players of all sort come out to Black Friday to bang the rust off skills that lay dormant over the winter. Many players don’t even look at their markers until game day. Fortunately Eastern Paintball and Supply made the 3 hour trip from Moncton to set up a pro shop offering players a low flat rate to repair malfunctioning markers.

At the end of the day players had run the field, shot paint, been hit and come back for more with no other objective in mind other than to have fun. The on field action a prize filled pod toss by Eastern Paintball and Supply plus a Tippmann and PBL prize raffle by the Tippinators made for a day that left smiles on all players faces.

In many areas paintball participation has been in decline. The exact opposite is true for paintball in Atlantic Canada. The official attendance of nearly 300 makes Mersey Road’s Black Friday the most successful annual event in Eastern Canada. The high attendance at Black Friday, the continued growth and expansion of the Atlantic Tactical Woodsball League (ATWL), and Minor Xtreme Paintball League (MXL), proves that paintball is as strong as ever.

Black Friday once again showed paintballers, be they prefer woodsball or speedball, can come together in the spirit of the game and play for fun. If Black Friday is any indication of what is in store for the remainder of the 2012 paintball season will be one to remember.

Check out the Black Friday image galleries at the Mersey Road Paintball Facebook page

Zombies vs Humans Date Change - November 11th

Due to the sever weather the Zombies vs Humans scenario at Mersey Road Paintball has been rescheduled to November 11th.

The Tippinators respect the sacrifice made by veterans, and thank the currently serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces for all they have given so we can enjoy our way of life. The game will not begin until the conclusion of the Remembrance Day ceremony starting at 11:00am

What REALLY Makes Paintball Special?

I am an older player who has been around the game for a long time; I have the advantage of looking at the sport of paintball a little different than other people.

I have played organized sports at a competitive level my entire life: hockey, baseball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, golf and basketball. I can say that paintball players are a special breed of athlete. Perhaps that is the wrong word; paintballers are a special breed of people.

Paintball players are predominantly young men who play the game jacked up on adolescent hormones, adrenaline and energy drinks. The primary equipment needed to play the game can cause serious injury if used incorrectly and the participants play the game unsupervised, for the most part.

At the field and in online forums you can find people talking smack. Putting down other players because of the style of paintball they play or the equipment they use. When you put all of these ingredients together they look like a recipe for a brawl at best or full-out riot at worst. Yet paintball is the safest extreme sport in the world and one of the safest sports, period.

I have given a considerable amount of thought to the reason why. To the public, paintball appears dangerous and violent, but it is in fact, a true gentlemen’s sport.

The reason the game is as safe and popular as it is, is YOU--the player! Despite how it looks to outsiders, and what happens away from the field, the sport of paintball is special because of you. Each and every paintball player, in some way, contributes to the greatness of the game as a whole.

At the rec-ball field, there are neither soccer moms nor football dads screaming at their kids to play better and win at all costs. There is no external pressure on any players, so everyone can be themselves, which brings out the best in everyone.

The next time you are at the baseball diamond or soccer field take a look around. What do you see? Kids being pressured to live up to the expectations of their parents, stats and record sheets showing how this group of kids is better than that group of kids, league officials and coaches bickering over rules. In short, there is organized chaos and a distinct lack of love for the game.

Take a look around the next time you are at the paintball field. What do you see? Paintballers, that’s it -- just paintballers. A bunch of people who just want to go out and have fun playing the game they love.

Players at every field are pretty much the same. I have walked up to Team Delta at EMR, Thor Omega at Skirmish USA, logged on to a discussion forum in Ireland and have been treated with the same respect as when I am talking to the group of new players at my local field.

'Ballers are 'ballers no matter where you go. Every one of you should be proud of what you have created, a worldwide brotherhood of paintballers. A sport that is special because of the character of the participants, not because of wins and losses.

How Not to Shoot Your Teammates

Rule Number 1 of paintball is to play safe. Every paintball field in the world has two rules that are non-negotiable.

1. All players must wear a protective mask at all times when on the field.
2. All players must use a barrel blocking device when not in the playing area.

There is, however, a third rule that should be added to the list.

3. All players are responsible for pointing their marker in a safe direction at all times.

While playing at my local field’s walk-on day I had moved ahead of the rest of my team and waited for them to catch up. I felt a sting on the side of my face and could taste paint. At first I thought, "How could I have missed someone?" I thought an opposing player had eliminated me from a concealed position.

I turned toward the direction of the shot to see a young player, from my team, with a rental marker, less than 10 feet away, waving to me followed by, "Sorry man, it just went off."

While walking off the field, barrel bag on and marker raised, nobody knew I was hit. It wasn’t until I got to the staging area and took off my mask that I could tell by the reactions of my friends it was a unique hit. The entire ball went under my mask and broke on the inside.

The young player felt bad and apologized to me after the game and it didn't hurt as bad as the photo makes it look. But the incident could have been avoided if the player had his marker pointed in a safe direction.

Whether you are on the field, on the chrono range, or even in the staging area with a barrel cover on, you must be responsible for the direction your marker is pointing at all times.

In my case, a wipe with paper towel, the application of a band aid and I was in the next game.

Paintball is statistically one of the safest sports in the world. It is up to each of us, as players, to keep it that way. One way to do that, and how not to shoot your teammates, is to know where your marker is pointing at all times.

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