“ My wife Lily has to get the credit for this . She was the brains behind it . We started a 501c3 non-profit . No one else was doing that .”
Once the model was in place , others began to recreate it in other locations .
“ Within a week of Tim [ Montressor ]’ s passing , I contacted Jennifer and we discussed a young gun ’ s team ,” said Eric Holland , coach of the Tri-State Montressor ’ s Marauders . “ After ICC ( 2020 ) it just exploded .”
That isn ’ t an exaggeration . In less than 18 months , the Mauraders had grown to two full squads ; Holland ’ s Tri-State chapter and the Empire State chapter headed by Steve Ross .
“ Mark Gong was the example . He ’ s been doing it on the West Coast for more than two years ,” said Jennifer Montressor of Montressor ’ s Marauders . “ Other people have jumped onto the youth movement , and that is great . But [ Mark ] has been doing it longer and better than anyone else . We are just following his example here on the East Coast .”
Drawing on this momentum , the leadership amongst these organizations began tossing around the idea of a youth tournament at the World Cup , and in early 2022 , Gong convinced Tom Cole to move on it . Once announced , teams from everywhere quickly bought in .
Not every team had grandiose beginnings like the Herman ’ s and the Mauraders . Most had far more organic beginnings . The Maui Misfit Minis , for example , started with just three players and a dream .
PHOTO BY JOHN AMODEA www . paintball . media
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