Tippmann Challenge 2013: Success!
03/09/2013
Upon our arrival, Thursday morning on August 8th, to complete last minute preparations surrounding the event, we could feel the excitement brewing in all of our employees. Throughout our preparations, we could feel the anticipation growing in the campers who were already set up for the weekend. It was late Thursday night when we left the site, leaving behind a hundred campers who take advantage of this event as a seasonal vacation and who were prepared for the traditional Friday of the Tippmann Challenge.
It is Friday at midday, when inscriptions officially opened, that we realized we were going to have a record setting number of participants. At this point, more than 300 participants were standing in line before the registration counters. We knew the record would be broken because of the staggering amount of pre-registrations, campers already on site, and the buzz surrounding this event. This year, as sponsors, we had Vitamin Water, who handed out several hundred beverages; an animator from CKOI; Videotron; Microplay, who brought several game consoles where all 'gamers' could play; and the Canadian Forces, who showed up in an impressive convoy which included a vehicle named "The 5 Ton Truck" in military jargon. Throughout the day there were many contests and events like: the warriors course, the elite sniper, the 2vs2 tournament, scenario games, and the MKS Milsim "Zombie" event. To close off this opening day, we had a performance from the French comedian Cathy Gauthier. It was in the calm of night that campers returned to their tents to prepare and strategize for Saturday's Challenge.
When the site opened, Saturday morning at 5 am, we passed through several hundred campers and realized how calm and quite everything was; a sure sign that all our participants would be rested and ready. There was around a hundred participants waiting for the registration counters to open and, at this time, the entrances of our sponsors were being noticed. Between 5 and 9 am, we could sense the increasing energy of all our participants who were putting the final touches on their preparations before the start of the event. This year, we have installed an ultra rapid air refill station allowing up to 16 participants to refill air canisters of up to 4500 psi at the same time. At 9 o'clock, the sound of a trumpet could be heard leading the convoy entrance of our generals who were being transported in our very own military 6 wheel two ton trucks. It was very impressive to see 1'500 participants, gun in hand, ready for the Tippmann Challenge as they received the security briefings. It is at 9:45 that the event was officially started by the impressive firework explosion provided by the company PureFX.
Following this the East army, the West army, and the Mercenaries, made their ways to their respective starting points. At 10:01, the event was on and it was only a few minutes later that the first signs of battle were heard on the fields of "Boise 2" and "Battle of Normandy". Both front line battles occurred near each of the Mercenary camps which fell to the attacking armies by 10:40. Each secret box hidden in the camps were retrieved, one by each army. During this time, the East army starting taking the lead by completing several Ambassador missions. The East army was also the first to fill their Water Barrel objective, bringing them an extra 25 points and increasing their lead. All throughout the first half, the flag station battle remained equal between the two armies. It is at 12:05 that the West army accomplished a massive advance towards the East Army headquarters, granting the West considerable control over the playing field and allowing them to reduce the gap in points between the two armies. At 12:27, the West army successfully gained control of the East army headquarters causing a truce 3 minutes before it was scheduled. After the first half, the points were 112 for the East army and 81 for the West army.
During the lunch hour, our very own DJ Mathieu provided the entertainment for everyone. Many prizes were distributed and many pictures were taken by both our photography team and that of Blue's Crew; the American paintball team who we had the honor of hosting during this event. Along with Blue's Crew, we had participants from France, USA, eastern Canada, Western Canada, and all over Quebec. It was with great pleasure that the representatives from Tippmann and PBL Action Sport answered questions and repaired equipment that all these participants brought to their booths.
It was at 2 pm that the second, and final, half of this event began. Off the start, the re-spawned military camps were bombarded and both succumbed to their attackers in the first 10 minutes. According to our sources, the West army changed their strategy by instating a new ambassador. This warrior completed his mission 3 times while the East army only completed it once. Furthermore, the West army also accomplished their Water Barrel mission. During this half, we sensed unity and strength in the soldiers of the West army which allowed them to rapidly advance towards the East army headquarters. This caused the East army to only control a minimal amount of flag stations throughout the second half. At 4:29, much like during the first half, the West army which was led by General Steve Jobin, took possession of the East army headquarters. This caused the end of all hostilities.
It was with corn in hand that, during the prize ceremony at 6 pm, participants were informed of the final score which took into account each armies collection of hidden dog tags, military helmets, and medical boxes. The points were 205 for the West army and 147 for the East army. Several special mentions and awards were handed out during this ceremony. The one that we found most surprising was the Veteran award, given to the oldest participant, who was 74 years old. Paintball Mirabel and Impact Proshop would like to thank all their employees, sponsors, and participants that were present during this event and took part in it's being such a huge success. We hope to see you all again next year on August 8 and 9, 2014.