Rec VS Tourney by ?
Fastrack Training by David Jarvis
First Tourney by Sean Takeda
Sandbaggers by Sean Takeda
Successful Team Building by ?
How To Captain by Iceman
1st Tourney Prep by Chris Laquinta
Building a Team by Justin Owen
Starting a Team by Robbo


PLAINS, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES - getting to the tourney.
by Martin Multamaki @2001
Literally hundreds of articles are available on the subject of tournament preparation, so it wouldn't be productive for me to simply rehash the same material - rather we should discuss a topic that is often overlooked and potentially of greater importance than running drills and snapshooting. The topic: tournament TRAVEL.
Most new teams have at least an idea of what to expect when entering a tournament, and there are many veteran players at such events willing to help those who are confused, however, tragedy often strikes long before a new team even reaches the venue. Without a solid plan of getting to the event, all hope of winning could be lost. Here's some of the best tips I know to avoid frustration, embarassment, and the desire to strangle your teammates.

1) THE CALLS: Make sure that everyone attending the event with you (this includes friends/film crews as well as players) is contacted two days before and reminded of the time, place, and directions of where to meet. You would be surprised how many "less committed" (ie: soon to be removed) team members suddenly drop out of an event when pressured with final arrangements. These are the people that have known that they couldn't attend months in advance, but somehow haven't gotten around to telling anyone yet. Repeat this process the day before as well, just to be safe - and to leave yourself enough time to track down a replacement player in case of emergencies. Keep in mind that email is not a good way to guarantee that someone got a message.

2) THE MAPS: Make sure everyone, including yourself, has a good map of how to get to the event (hopefully provided by the host). Don't trust your buddy's memory who insists he remembers "exactly" where the field is - he'll remember "exactly" where you hit him after getting the whole team lost and missing the tourney. Smaller tournaments can be quite difficult to find sometimes. Expect most of your players to lose their maps the first time you give them out, requiring you to hand them out more than once before the event. Distribute this with a list of player cell phone numbers that will be taken along for emergency contact during the trip. This has saved our team more than once in strange circumstances and adds significantly to your peace of mind.

3) THE CARS: Make sure everyone has a ride - arrange the car pools and put it in writing on the map and cell phone number sheet. You can add another black eye to the team mate who claims they "didn't know" (likely because they didn't listen) to pick up a fellow player if anyone gets left behind. If someone isn't sure about the reliability or availability of their transportation, be prepared to make other arrangements - don't take their word that they'll "find a way there" or most likely you'll be playing with one person short. If you're flying to the tournament, pick up the tickets in advance and check the spelling of each players name to avoid problems. Also drop in to airport customs and pick up a green card declaring your paintball markers ahead of time.
Never, EVER use the words paintball GUN in an airport under any conditions - in some cases it could be considered criminal. I learned this lesson the hard way in Chicago O'hare - four armed policemen were quick to show me the error of my ways. Fortunately the customs agent intervened before I was roughed up and waived me through. If you intend to fly, make sure your markers are checked in with your baggage and not carried on the plane. Your air and co2 tanks must be completely drained as well. The well disciplined team will already have rental cars waiting for them at the airport - try to get a Sport Utility Vehicle (Ford Explorer, Isuzu Rodeo, etc.) if possible. These are usually cheaper than a mini-van and will stand up to the torment of driving bad field roads, while still hauling the team and gear in style. They're also decent to sleep in, if you're on a budget or just really cheap.
As a last note, flying is always preferable to driving for long distances, as a lengthy road trip tires players quickly and often makes the team edgey. A good tournament can quickly be spoiled by a bad road trip and the extra cost of flying is recouped quickly in stress. Paintball tournaments also have the unique ability to completely drain all of a person's energy, making a long drive home both unappealing and potentially dangerous for those gifted with the ability to fall asleep at the wheel (we are the few and proud!).

4) THE ROOMS: Your hotel room will likely be the rallying point for the team before the event, so ensure that it is close to the field and easy to find. Make sure its location is on the map and book in advance or you may find yourself sleeping under the stars (did you rent that SUV?). One such personal incident involved a team mate insisting he knew of a great motel near the field that we wouldn't have to book in advance. Upon arrival, we found ourselves attempting to check into a nursing home. In the end, it might have been better than the rat's nest where we finally stayed. Also remember that the closer the hotel is to the field, the easier it will be to run back to the rooms when (inevitably) someone realises they forgot half their gear. Yet again, more personal experience.

5) THE TIMING: Depending on the distance to the event, most teams will opt to arrive sometime in the early afternoon the day before a tournament. This allows time to check into hotels, walk the fields, discuss strategy over dinner and wonder why that last player has not yet arrived. This usually leads to the pre-tourney scramble and dozens of cell phone calls. If the field is well known (usually local) and walking the fields in not a priority, then it might be easier to arrive later in the evening and concentrate on having a quick meeting that night. The players will be spending enough time with paintball over the weekend and may enjoy a few extra hours at home to accomodate their family. Roughly translated, this means taking the spouse out to dinner and promising a speedy return before splitting for a weekend of fun.
Whenever possible, do not allow players to arrive the morning of the event - there are far too many complications that can prevent a player from making the trip and not enough time to remedy the situation if this happens. I would recommend as a rule of thumb, that any tournament more than 1 1/2 hours away should automatically warrant staying at a hotel. Once again, long drives before tournaments can be tiring and affect the team's performance.

6) THE LESSONS: On a final note, I'd like to say that the contents of this article have been largely based on the personal experiences gained from playing with the Boonie Boys, however, that is not to say that the team is a bunch of incompetents when it comes to tourneys. In fact, its taken 14 years of tournament play to make all the brilliant mistakes that I've mentioned here (and a few more that weren't). Frankly, I know of several teams that cover all of this ground on a yearly basis - fortunately we learned from our mistakes, as I hope, did you.