The owners of the WCPL , the event promoter and Gateway Paintball owner , Tim Schloss , and the Ultimate Judge and coordinator William Bailey planned a pretty picnic for October 12-13 in St . Louis , Mo . Still , as it does , weather played a significant role in the event , albeit not in the traditional sense . In fact , it was a gorgeous weekend with temperatures ranging between the low 60s to the mid-80s with crystal clear blue skies . But , the unseasonable warmth in October did complicate paint conditions , and weather elsewhere affected attendance .
Still , despite the hurricane that blew through Florida early in the week , disrupting travel for several teams and many players , 18 teams assembled for a historical event with an old-school , throw-back vibe from beginning to end .
True to their promise to meet the legends at this tournament , attendees were greeted upon arrival at Gateway Paintball park in St . Louis , MO by the industry power players , Ross Alexander , Jim Lively , and Budd Orr who worked as parking attendants . Players then had opportunity to compete alongside and against legends of the sport including Tom Cole , Fred Schultz , Dan Colby , John Dresser , and many , many more . Lively would even join The Band for their final game taking it all the way back to the 80 ’ s for the spectators .
The fabled UK Predators , with iconic players like Marcus Davis and Bart Farmer amongst others , made the trip across the pond for this event , bringing the heat , advancing into the finals on Sunday , and adding to the lore of the event .
Photo by Danny Knuit