The Perfect Storm
And so The Classic would live on as the ICC / Montressor Classic 2023 at Fox Paintball was born .
The Perfect Storm
The Friday at the event was hotter than hot with a real feel temp at the field of 114 degrees Fahrenheit . But as the players walked the three brand new fields , two in the woods and one hyper pipe field , the excitement was palpable . Now , anyone from the Midwest knows that that kind of heat and humidity means trouble in the skies . High pressure systems of that magnitude typically draw high energy release . And that it did .
As most of the people at the event were winding down their dinners and libations , a sudden microburst storm hit the area , ripping the tents at the field to shreds , knocking down trees , and blowing out the electrical service for 35 square miles .
In anticipation of the event , Glavin had installed an entirely new air system at the field . A massive beast of a compressor , the machine can run tanks at 4500 psi for days , but there was one issue : It ’ s electric . To add to the debacle , the field had blown their two backup compressors only weeks before at the Illinois Players Open .
And so 22 teams were assembled for an event , but there was no air .
But the industry rallied . Fourteen people set to working on the system . Everyone from Dan Colby himself to an active Colonel in the Army Reserves who was playing at the event began making phone calls to find a solution or an alternative . Finally , Jenn Montressor was able to reach Renick Miller of Badlandz and , out of sheer generosity , Miller agreed to send a portable air system to save the event .
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