1997 Hyperball Championships by WDP.

[Simon]

I was there!

And here's the picture to prove it...



I can't believe I was ever that skinny...

This is the event that brought paintball out of the Woods. It was the brain child of WDP.

I sat next to John Rice in the stands when Ledz from Planet Elcipse used the Angel in it's first ever public game of paintball. He was playing with the Banzai Bandits. Watching the rope of paint from that gun was something else. The Banzai's won the game, the Angel was a huge hit, and the rest is history.

[Ollytheosteo]

This thread reminded me I had a copy of the video on VHS lurking in a drawer, so turned it into internets with the kind permission of WDP/APS and here you go;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCslwbQBk1w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HutLpQ9a0Sc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wxn1-t-L74

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFMbWkezycU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4ouRBIddYY

[Simon]

Awesome videos! Man that brings back some memories. :) Thanks for converting and posting them.

[Ollytheosteo]

Mag or cocker sir? Some fine old school kit on display there:cool:

[Simon]

I am seriously loving them. Seen some old team mates, and seeing the lack of choice in guns is a great reminder of how things were!

[Ollytheosteo]

Only two guns (pretty much ;) ) but no two guns the same,looking at the variety of regs, expansion chambers and feet of braided hose makes me a bit sad that now people rate cosmetic stuff and shaving another ounce off over having something that was unique in the way it worked.

[Junior Brown]

A little part of me thinks going back to fields like that would be a good thing! It lets all types of players play speedball and this is something we are missing today!

Putting them onto youtube was a very good call. Thank you.

[Simon]

I definitely miss bigger fields, and more people on the field. There was more back and forth and some crazy plays, but a single run through rarely completely ended a game. There was more "trading" and chess like moves in the old 10 man days. :)

[Dirtybird]

The mounds fields in Pittsburgh were hellafun.