Southern Ten-Man Classic regards to financial contributions ( although those are always nice ) but more social media coverage , vendor presence and team support . It ’ s really a win / win for anyone involved in the paintball industry . I mean , who doesn ’ t want more people to play paintball ?
RUSSELL : The industry side of paintball exists solely to service the players of our sport . I feel strongly that if players want this format , and we present it in a professional manner , it is only logical that the industry will follow the players .
The Classic Format is unique in that it takes the most enjoyable components of past formats and presents them in a way that appeals to current and past players . Offering dimensions of the game that appeal to the widest range of genres , generations and skill levels of players . That is what makes the Classic format new and exciting - and I feel that this specific quality is what is driving the grassroots level support we are seeing from the player community .
P . M : Is there enough industry support now to help a new league get started and to thrive ?
TIM : That ’ s a tough one . Honestly , for me , I decided to host the Iron City Classic to show the industry that it can reach out to different demographics and expand the tournament base . Thankfully several highly influential members of the industry came to the 2017 ICC event and had a really good time and got the opportunity to see the growth potential first hand . We have been working with and speaking with several manufacturers to help get their support for the Classic format . Not necessarily in
P . M : Do you think this style of competitive paintball can have staying power ? Will the younger generations of players participate so the game doesn ’ t age-out ?
TIM : It worked once before , so it should work again , right ? That seems like a reasonable theory . Haha . Our game was built decades ago in the woods , on crazy mounds fields , hyper ball fields , and in the dirt and grass across the world . The stadiums , parks and high-end venues that are currently used for National tournaments are REALLY nice . I truly appreciate them . But that ’ s not really what brought most current players into the game of paintball . It ’ s that essence of hide and go seek coupled with capture the flag . And that ’ s really what Classic Paintball is all about . Younger players can easily associate with that because that ’ s what they ’ re doing for birthday parties or group outings currently . Maybe the younger players only play the Classic format once before fully converting to Xball or maybe they play Classic for several years , but either way , I see Classic paintball filling in that gap between “ recreational ” players and “ Xball ” players . That void is what the game has been missing lately .
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