In just under 24 hours the Bolingbrook Aquatic Center will be swarming with paintball enthusiasts and sounds of buzzers and flying paintballs. The 2008 Chicago Open is a national paintball tournament hosted by the PSP, and will take place June 25th-29th. Last year the Chicago PSP event consisted of over 2,400 players in the tournament, and this year is expected to be even bigger. The Chicago PSP event has historically been considered one of the bigger tournaments of the year, so you should expect to see some real competition on the field. Dynasty, Ironmen, X-Factor, Red Legion, and all the other big team names will be playing at the event among the rest of the lower divisions.

The Chicago event is ironically located in Bolingbrook, IL, a close suburb of Chicago. Its location is perfect for anybody of any age to come and watch the games for FREE. Personally, I was first introduced to the sport of paintball by simply watching the tournaments at events like these. It's truly something you need to experience in the first person, especially while it's summer.

For the people curious as to what the teams are playing for, here is a list of the prizes for each division:
Read the rest of this entry »

I usually like announcing when major paintball tournament venues announce their schedules for the new year (happy new year by the way). Paintball Sports Promotions is hosting their first tournament of the year in Phoenix, Arizona from March 13th to 16th, 2008. Tournaments like these are a great opportunity where paintball players of any experience, from nooby to pro, can enjoy the fun and excitement paintball has to offer. So, if you're in the mood to see some intense games of paintball being played right behind the nets, be sure to check out this tournament.

Paintball Sports Promotions is excited to announce our first event of the season, the 2008 Phoenix Open. The event will be held March 13th-16th at the Glendale Youth Soccer Complex at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ. Read more.

Smart Parts released a few more paintball guns into their 2008 product line. The Ion XE, EOS, Vibe, and SP-1 are all now part of the Smart Parts family. I put together a small Smart Parts paintball gun comparison table with information pulled from SmartParts.com. The table depicts the differences in specifications between the markers, from weight to operating pressure. I figure it will help some people out in deciding which Smart Parts paintball gun is right for them.
Read the rest of this entry »

Something quick and simple... but useful. I've put together a paintball calendar of tournaments and events. The purpose obviously being for any paintballer to see all the upcoming paintball tournaments and events. I've added all major organizations tournaments, including the PSP, NPPL, CFOA, and most college-level tournaments.

Hope it helps.

Getting Sponsored: The Holy Grail

You might have be the best back player in the world, surrounded by the best teammates you could possibly wish for. You guys click with each other, play to each others strengths, and cover up each others weaknesses. You guys are unstoppable. Unfortunately, you guys can't afford to play tournament paintball on a professional level. Most people can't. The cost of paint alone is more than enough to drive most people to bankruptcy, let alone the cost of transportation, lodging, food, and tournament entry cost. Let's not factor in the opportunity cost of practicing (meaning you can't be working if you're practicing for the next tournament).

So you have this great idea of finding a sponsor. You and the other 5000 teams out there. How do you differentiate yourself? How do you actually FIND a sponsor?

Read the rest of this entry »