'08 CFOA X-Ball 4

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'08 CFOA X-Ball 4

Written by Administrator

Wednesday, 17 December 2008 19:49

I love X-Ball. It’s truly a challenging and exciting format to watch and play. It’s also challenging to promote, considering how much logistical work goes into creating the format. And that’s just a little CFOA X-Ball event, nothing on the scale of the shows put on by the “big boys.” Practically anyone, anywhere can run a good solid five or three-man tournament as all you really need to make that happen are a few bunkers, some net hanging from some reasonably secure poles and some way for the players to get air. X-Ball, on the other hand, requires some serious planning, construction, scheduling and attention to detail, as things like pits complete with air stations and chronographs, scoreboards, starting horns, penalties and staff who know how to handle all this stuff are a necessity. Because we’re not like the big national-level events with their national-level budgets, putting on a good X-Ball show comes down to the strength that has always set the CFOA apart; our people. Our staff understands the rigors of X-Ball and works hard to make it happen as best they can, while our customers, the teams who play the game with us, understand how hard we try to put on a good show and support us. That’s why our fourth X-Ball event of 2008 was a success.

September 21 and 22 saw the CFOA head back home to Rock Hill, South Carolina for our fourth X-Ball event of the season. Eighteen division two and three teams came to play, which is less than have been coming all season, but more than the number that came to our fourth event in 2007. With World Cup a month away, we understood many teams simply made the choice to save their money for the “big show.” The teams that did attend, however, were the hard-core teams that love to play X-Ball with us and know how to do it competitively. In division two, PSP and CFOA X-Ball powerhouse Raiden came to the event, alongside their sister team, Raiden Black. They would be challenged for the cash and gold trophy by tough area team Dark Carnival, who have always been in the hunt for first and always seem to end up on our podium somewhere, but not yet in first. Infectious, a strong PSP and CFOA team, also made the trip to compete, making division two an intimate, but intense gathering of talent with no guarantees.

Of more than a dozen division three teams at CFOA X-Ball Four, at least half of those easily stood a chance to win the event assuming their “A-Game” was in their gear bags, so everyone knew the fight for the podium and its cash prizes would be a tough one. Tennessee’s Cross-Eyed Paintball program sent both their Grey and Black squads, who had both taken home gold at previous CFOA X-Ball tournaments, while Carolina Quake, Adrenalin Army and Carolina Kartel all looked as if September might be their time. Red NRG, by far the most-improved team in the CFOA, also looked poised for victory with their mix of an impressive work ethic and a vastly experienced coaching staff made up of players with resumes highlighted by time with the Naughty Dogs, Bad Company and Baltimore Trauma.

Weather for the weekend’s festivities was absolutely gorgeous, with more sun than clouds, a cool breeze and temperatures in the high seventies. With the triple-digit heat and high humidity of the summer gone, teams were able to play their hardest, point after point, without fear of dehydration and its two burly leg-breakers, heat-exhaustion and heat-stroke. Nonetheless, a few injuries did occur at the event, with one broken ankle and one shoulder popped out of whack, both testaments to the intense, rough-and-tumble game play that X-Ball encourages.

With lush, groomed grass under foot and full regulation fields ready for play at the home of the PSP Mid-Atlantic Open and a half-dozen CFOA events, Paintball Central Sports Park Charlotte was open for business while the X-Ball event played on two fields. Private groups of new and recreational players crisscrossing the site and sometimes stopped to watch the action, looking first at the players on the field hammering away at thirteen paintballs per second, then back at their rental equipment with a look of puzzlement. As no scoreboards were available for the event, scoring, game times and penalty clocks were broadcast into both pits on both fields via closed-circuit television monitors that, other than a hiccup on field one, did the job well. The paid, trained CFOA referee staff, including several NXL and PSP referees, did their jobs well at the event, though many teams complained that too many penalties were thrown during the event. Most of these were the same teams that, at past events, complained that not enough penalties were handed out.

As the action in division two unfolded, it was clear that Dark Carnival and Raiden would be the top contenders, while Infectious and Raiden Black would battle for the third slot on the podium. With only four teams in the field, their division moved straight from the preliminary rounds to the finals. As most assumed, Raiden faced Dark Carnival for two thousand dollars and a gold trophy. For the first time in 2008, Dark Carnival took home the gold, while Raiden and Raiden Black settled for second and third, as Black defeated Infectious in the consolation final.

Division three’s matches were predictably intense, with the referees maintaining full control of the action with a mix of red and yellow flags. At one point during one of Alabama All-In’s matches, they earned a major penalty in three consecutive points, forcing three of their players into the crowded penalty box at once. Evidently the well had been poisoned, because something in the water had forced many players and teams to forget that when paintballs break on you, you’re supposed to leave the field! Undeterred by the crackdown, teams continued to battle, with Carolina Kartel looking unstoppable as they powered through the prelims handily. Cross Eyed Grey, Adrenalin Army and Carolina Quake weren’t far behind, with Red NRG stumbling but refusing to fall, making it through to the late rounds.

By Sunday afternoon, the division three finals were set, and Cross Eyed Grey squared off against an impressive-looking Adrenalin Army team for all the marbles. Red NRG would battle a finally-dethroned Carolina Kartel squad for third. Both matches were battles, as they should have been, with each squad giving their all and digging deep for the last ounces of fuel left to get them through to the money. Cross Eyed Grey showed the composure that can only come from past victories, and they hung another first place plaque on their wall, besting Adrenalin Army. Red NRG outlasted Carolina Kartel for third place, and with the winners crowned and prize checks written, CFOA X-Ball Four drew to a close.

The CFOA will host one more five-man event and a final X-Ball tournament in 2008, capping off another thirteen-event season. For more information on the CFOA visit the league’s official website, www.thecfoa.com.

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