The theme of the event is always winter holidays , complete with Santa suits , candy canes , elves and more . Mother Nature often does its part to add ambiance , and this year was no exception . Though there wasn ’ t any snow , temperatures wreaked havoc on New Jersey the day of the game . The week prior had been beautiful . But the day of , a polar vortex took the temperatures from the mid-60s to into the low 20-degrees fahrenheit like a Virginia Beach driver who just spotted the Highway Patrol .
Players struggled with equipment issues due to freezing temperatures , some even finding ice in their hoppers and magazines . Holland said he went through an entire case of hand warmers , and that still wasn ’ t enough to keep the cold at bay . But that is all part of the game ’ s lore . And demonstrating resilience and that extra level of crazy love for the game , players still turned out in droves .
Battle of the Snowmen
This year , Holland took a new approach , recruiting two magfed team leaders to general the event , which changed the audience a bit and created some interesting play with a strong mix of magfed and speedball players . “ The hosts , On Target Paintball , and Big E asked me if I would take command of the Red Team ,” said Kyle “ Joker ” Walden of the New Jersey-based Team Ghost Company ( TGC ). Athough he says he was admittedly nervous , he was happy to accept the challenge .
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