Ramonan captains team to world championship
The Velocity Wrecking Crew paintball team based at Velocity Paintball Park in Ramona and captained by Ramona’s Dustin Lund won the Paintball Sports Promotion World Cup Division III championship Oct. 7-11 in Polk City, Fla.
In addition to serving as the team captain, Lund hung the opponent’s flag during the three of Velocity’s four wins in the six-game final match between Velocity Wrecking Crew and Boom. Velocity took the championship with a 4-2 victory in the final game.
“It was so fitting that Dustin hung the flag and captained the team to this win. He’s worked so hard over the years, and he’s such a smart player it’s like having a coach on the field,” said Denise Hazlitt, Velocity Paintball Park manager .
Velocity Wrecking Crew practices and plays local matches at Velocity Paintball Park. In the Velocity Summer Series, three players on each team begin competition and teams have five-player rosters to allow for alternates. In the Paintball Sports Promotion World Cup, five players on each team begin the game if no penalties are being served.
Tryouts were held in August to add to the roster for the world championship, and four Arizona players began to travel to Ramona on Friday nights and spend weekends in town to practice.
The 11 players who represented the Division III team in Florida were Lund, Jensen Boudreau and Ryan Nieto of San Diego, Greg Petterson of Murrieta, James Lopez of Chino, Reuben Castro of Los Angeles, Corey Hall of Chandler, Ariz., Phoenix residents Dylan Clark, Eric Contreras and Chaz Zurovec, and Brandon York of Corpus Christi, Texas. The Division III team also included three coaches: Alex Rodriguez, Josh Little and Daryl Hudnall. Steve Humphreys was the coach for the overall Velocity group of teams but spent the Division III matches in the pits rather than in the coaching box.
Velocity Wrecking Crew also sent 10 Division II players to the Paintball Sports Promotion World Cup, although the Division II team did not advance beyond the preliminary round.
The Division III matches in the Paintball Sports Promotion World Cup lasted until one team earned four points, with one point being given for capturing and hanging the opponent’s flag, or until time expired on the 10-minute clock. The clock is stopped for a two-minute pit break after each point, which allows players to reload and otherwise prepare for the ensuing game.
After a point is scored, players eliminated in that game can return for the following game if they are not serving a penalty.
The Paintball Sports Promotion World Cup began with a preliminary pool play round Oct. 7-8.
On Oct. 7 Velocity Wrecking Crew took a 4-2 victory over Ninjinhas Rapidas and a 4-1 win over South Florida Pirates. Time expired before either team could score four points in Velocity’s 3-2 win Oct. 8 over Palm Beach Venom Kids, and Velocity completed a sweep of pool play in a 4-1 match Oct. 8 against Federation.
Velocity then competed in the single-elimination rounds. On Oct. 10 Velocity earned a 4-2 victory over AK and a 3-1 win against Cross-Eyed People. In the semifinals Oct. 11 Velocity advanced with a 4-2 victory against CFP Factory.
The finals against Boom, which is based in Wisconsin, took place Oct. 11. In the first game Lund knocked out the final Boom player and hung the flag. Boom won the point in the second game.
The third game lasted longer than either of the first two matches, but Petterson eventually earned the point by taking and hanging the flag.
The final Velocity player in the fourth game was eliminated on a penalty, evening the match for Boom. Velocity began the fifth game one player down but knocked out a Boom player early in the game, and eventually Lund hung the flag for the go-ahead point.
In the sixth game Lund, Brandon York, and Eric Contreras collaborated to eliminate the final Boom player, and Lund hung the flag for the championship.