Paintball Magazine Paintball Media Magazine April 2016 | Page 21

My 25th season of covering professional
paintball commenced this past March 18th as I made
the trek from my home in northern Virginia to Las Vegas,
Nevada to attend the NXL’s 2016 season opener. A lot has
changed in professional paintball in the past year, not the
least of which was a changing of the guard from Paintball
Sports Promotions (PSP) to the rebirth of the National
XBall League, which took control of pro tournament
paintball in the U.S. after the PSP’s first and last event of
2015. The abbreviated 2015 NXL season included three
tour stops: Cleveland, Virginia Beach and the World Cup
held near Orlando, Florida. This year’s NXL schedule is set
with five events: Las Vegas, Dallas, Nashville, Cleveland

and Orlando/Kissimmee.
Las Vegas is not new to tournament paintball by any
stretch. Major paintball events have been held in Las Vegas
since the early 90s. This one was held at the Craig Ranch
Regional Park, a short drive from the Vegas strip and close
to hotels, restaurants, the Airport and all of the craziness
Vegas has to offer. Craig Ranch Regional Park provided the
perfect backdrop for this event, with more than enough
space and real grass fields. And perfect sunny and warm
weather made the event even better.

Photo by Gary Baum

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