AO Army, Let Your Voice be Heard!

[Python14]

I pretty much agree with everything Shartley said. The reasons he listed are the same reasons I don't really have any desire to play tournament paintball. Why should players pay more for stuff they should be getting already? It's like having to pay extra for the wheels on a car. Wheels should come with the price of the car, just as good fair reffing, good paint(at a humane price, I don't care who makes it, paying more than $70 for a case of paint is really quite absurd), a well groomed field, and a decent day of paintball should be part of the tournament experience. If that was the case, and no one had any problems with the tournament paintball scene, I think not only would competitive paintball grow emensely, it would also become a more positive and enjoyable experience.

Come on promoters, start putting on high-class events that are worth what we pay.:)

[Blaster]

I've only played about a dozen local tournaments and for the most part they are run pretty well.
I think you could always use cheaper paint prices, but the biggest thing for me is attitude.
I would easily pay twice as much to play with a bunch of professional teams/players. By professional I mean individuals who do not run around cursing, throwing tantrums at every opportunity and trying to cheat whenever possible.
It would be so nice to see these individuals/teams thrown out instead of always given the proverbial warning. It's been said before it's the biggest item keeping paintball down.

[Army]

Although I have never played a tourney, I would like to see more promotion outside of the paintball community. Magazine and internet announcements are fine...but only for "us" that go to those sites or read "those" magazines.

Huntington Beach was a great example of high profile promotion, and look at the results. Granted, a lot of foot traffic was simply passerbys and tourists, but the tourney was "in your face" and on the beach. For you "easterly" people, Huntington Pier is one of the most famous in the country. Annually, over a dozen major and minor surfing contests are held there. The Beach Boys made HB famous too!

In contrast, who outside of paintball knew about the PSP and NPPL tourneys in Vegas? What about "Muddy Gras"?

A couple more bucks to cover billboards, and announcememts in Sports Illustrated and the like, would go far in mainstreaming paintball.

[logamus]

while i dont think tournys will allow byop, it would be nice if there was more than one or two choices. same goes for big/scenario games.

as far as advertising goes, i dont know if ads for tournys are as important because people walking on off the street dont play tournys. however, increasing the sports visibility would increase the number of walk ons first time players which only helps the game grow.

[Wickster]

paying more

I haven't been on the tuorney circuit since about 93 when the games were actually in the woods, but I still have my thoughts.

I agree with much of what is already stated, especially about paying WAY too much for mediocre to poor paint (I remember when IAO used zap paint). Since the new games are now all speedball, I suggest a few video cameras on the field. Anyone caught wiping (or cheating) is done for the year and their team plays every subsequent game in that tournament 1 man down, etc.

Anything that stops the cheating is what is really needed.

Lastly, what was described earlier at the NPPL would be great.

[Quackman71]

My opinion

In my opinion we need more local field turnys with:
Lite Pricing 50-60 per 3 man
Small Prizes Spyders, 12V Revs, Redz Packs
Only about 16 teams in 2 brackets
Good medium paint (RP Big Ball) or like.
And Lunch Provided
Nice trophys
3 refs on the field
and quick games to make it work
10 min each with 3 min break between games
with each team playing 6 games minimum (to ensure eveyone enjoys the playing even if they are not that great of players).
SNACKS are SELF-provided (snacks are snacks)
and what i would pay more for
High QUality Games

[Dragoon]

What would I pay more for?

Well, good refs are at the top of my list.
Followed by:

Less down time between games.
Shorter air line ups, and full 4500# fills
Sheltered staging areas.

Thats my .02

Douglas

[AGD]

Ok so pretty much most of you didn't answer the question. The AO Army is saying tournaments are too expensive already.

I'll pass the word but its not likely to change anything.

AGD

[Mossman]

Tom, i feel that most of our sentiments (well, mine at least), is that they tourney promoters gouge us every place they can, from paint prices (like 3x what they pay for it), to entry/air (you'd think every single person there shooting a case of paint would be almost enough for em), and then only give us the minimum they can without extreme complaining. Anyhow, tourney promoters, in the Mass area at least, definately charge the absolute most for everything that they can without deterring the majority of respectable teams in the area from coming.

That's fine and dandy, but the problems arise when the promoters deliver the bare minimum they can to get by. If you're 5 man team pays 300 bucks to get in a tournament, and buys 5 or 10 or however many cases of paint, with around 40 bucks profit per case, it's absolutely bogus for the teams good enough to win prizes have their "cash prizes" in the form of gift certificates, restricting the way they can spend the money they rightfully earned. The day you can buy entry to a tourney with a 80 dollar "retail" item you can get for 30 online is the day I'll be accepting of gift certificates as main tourney prizes.

I hope you didn't even read this Tom, It's like 2:30 and I had a long day :) Nothing like some mindless babble to get you ready for bed though, eh?

[shartley]

Originally posted by AGD
Ok so pretty much most of you didn't answer the question. The AO Army is saying tournaments are too expensive already.

I'll pass the word but its not likely to change anything.

AGD

[FutureMagOwner]

yeah i agree with what shartley posted earlier on before they go changing prices they should bring the quality to what it already SHOULD be

[MicroB]

Would pay more for:

1. BYOP, especially if your sponsored. It frustrates me to see everyone and their brother holding up Diablo banners at the end of the tourney. When thats all your allowed to shoot. I and my team would pay double or triple the entry fee to BYOP.

2. Refs should be paid better. I was a PRO ref before I moved to texas. I reffed many NPPL events and was paid worse than the teams that were hired to ref. I did see bias on team reffing, hense the creation of pro refs. How is it going to get better if PRO refs get paid less and not given the respect as a known player who is reffing. I would pay more for refs that were not a known or local team to get rid of bias. Bottom line; you can't have a good tourney with bad refs. Train refs and pay them better.

3. Better organization of who's playing where and when. My team many times has been called to play on two different fields at the same time. I don't understand why you can't block all the times so everyone knows what time they have to be at each field. Not, the 3 previous teams rolled and this field is now three games ahead of everyone else. This would also help for teams not being to a field on time. Schedule lunch time to be the same for each field and max of an hour long.

I'm a little peeved that that is all you got out of the other posts Tom. Yes we say tourneys are exspensive, but thats mostly because we don't get what we pay for. I agree with shartleys post. Not once have I left a tourney satisfied no matter how my team did. WE pay ALOT for: Bad paint, poor organization and underpaid ref staff that does'nt care.

Thx,B

[Nick1Shot]

Originally posted by shartley

Tom,
That is not what was being said. I find it distressing that that is all you got out of what was posted.
<>
And for you to walk away from this thread with a one liner like that is an insult to everyone who took the time to actually answer your question or post on the matter at all. It makes me wonder if you even read the responses at all????.

Shartley,
Remember Tom's original question was "what would you pay MORE for at a tournament?" Very few people answered that question. Everyone instead starting listing what they don't like about tourneys. Some said how they would do it different. And most said (alluded) that they wouldn't pay any more for anything. I think everyone missed answering Tom's question.
Having said that, I wouldn't pay more for better refs, cheaper paint, nicer fields, players parties, or fewer teams. Most of the tourneys I go to are the bigger ones with over 100 teams. These are pretty nice tourneys already. Smaller tourneys with <30 teams don't really make a huge profit in my neck of the woods. And the fields are just rec fields where they play an occasional tourney. I like those tourneys, but no one is getting rich off of them.

bob

https://www.1shotprod.com

[shartley]

Originally posted by Nick1Shot
Shartley,
Remember Tom's original question was "what would you pay MORE for at a tournament?" Very few people answered that question. Everyone instead starting listing what they don't like about tourneys. Some said how they would do it different. And most said (alluded) that they wouldn't pay any more for anything. I think everyone missed answering Tom's question.

Having said that, I wouldn't pay more for better refs, cheaper paint, nicer fields, players parties, or fewer teams. Most of the tourneys I go to are the bigger ones with over 100 teams. These are pretty nice tourneys already. Smaller tourneys with <30 teams don't really make a huge profit in my neck of the woods. And the fields are just rec fields where they play an occasional tourney. I like those tourneys, but no one is getting rich off of them.

bob
www.1shotprod.com

[Blaster]

Hammer....Nail....Right on the head Shartley!!!!