The mud changed the dynamics a bit this year. After sundown, attendees will typically find themselves camp hopping and stumbling into adventures, and moving seamlessless from the the vibes of Slipknot to the‘ Pink Pony Club’. But because the walkways were so treacherous, most people stayed within their own encampments. While some of the typical festivities were tempered, the confined quarters also had the unfortunate sideeffect of revealing the intentions of one bad-actor in particular who got himself dug in so deep that the tow truck who tried to bail him out got stuck, and a wrecker had to be called in to pull them both out. The moment was celebrated by most people on property. Hold that thought. We’ ll return to it later.
Still, the one off-field component of IoN that could not be denied this year was the importance of legacy and family.
Standout sibling stories shone on both sides of the field.
The brothers, Mike and Richard Bates, came out to represent the Axis army, and they showed heroic sportsmanship that is becoming a celebrated part of the sport when they dropped their gear to care for a referee who fainted on field. They rendered aid to the ref, and then they escorted him off of the field, and were honored with the MVP for their efforts.
For the other side, the Bylewski brothers, Adrian and Evan, have attended IoN nine times since 2013- taking a four year reprieve from 2016-2020. They have played both Axis and Allied, but until this year, had yet to earn a win. They actually took to calling themselves“ Special Buffalos” since they are from Buffalo and couldn’ t seem to manage a win. This year, they played Allied, and they finally broke the curse.
And the event has established itself as a generational tradition. Parents have been bringing their kids to this event for years, but this year, the legacies started to show their impact. In every aspect of the game, a new generation is being introduced to the production.
Just a few examples www. paintball. media
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