Post by Hitman4Hire on Aug 16, 2011 23:56:12 GMT -5
Top Paintball Sniper, in association with Tiberius Arms, Dye Precision, LAPCO paintball, Urban Ops Armory and Badlands Paintball is a skills competition which allows players
that enjoy attempting to hit targets on the outside edge of the possible hit area of a paintball with a venue in which they can compete outside of scenario events where they are branded as cheaters due to their wearing of ghillie suits or strange individuals because they have mounted magnification optics on their markers of choice.
We've been fielding many questions over the last little while from our online contacts, many of which are obvious concerns that we would like to address.
The different stages of Top Paintball Sniper were developed based off real world competitions similar to the US and Canadian Military Top Sniper Challenges as well as 3 Gun and IPSC style events. We are attempting to develop a measurable and concise series where skills can be evaluated and quantified and allow players to not only try out their skills that they have acquired over the years, but also bring possibly new or older players back into the fold, if just to only shoot at targets and not fear having to be hit. We know that the series will not please everyone; we realize that the series will not attract huge amounts of players due to its specialized nature however what we are attempting to do is bring a new dimension to the sport, much like IPSC and 3 gun style events as well as the real steel Top Sniper Challenges did to simple range shooting and marksmanship training.
The most frequent question and the one that all competitors were really wondering about is the fact that our original stage descriptions had distances that seemed unattainable by paintball markers. We took a fresh look with a group of volunteers from a local field, with different skill levels and equipment load outs ranging from entry level/rental markers to a T9.1 equipped with first strike rounds. Originally, the stages were set at distances within the effective range of First Strike rounds, but we quickly noticed that standard paintballs were having difficulty with the distance and many hits didn't break and with some of the entry level/rental equipment, the rounds didn't quite have the accuracy to hit smaller 10" x 10" targets. For this reason, we would like to notify all potential competitors of a major change in the target system as well as the distances for all stages. In the interest of keeping the competition fair and easy for any player to participate in, we've adjusted the distances and made the corrections to the stage descriptions on the website. We've also added a diagram of the new targets that are going to become the Official TPS targets for 2011. All events from this point forward will be using these target systems. To see a diagram of the new target and to see the new stage descriptions in accordance with the new distances and target systems, please visit www.toppaintballsniper.com and visit the "stages" tab located under the "rules" section.
Several concerns were brought up regarding the actual operation of the series, specifically with regards to personal protection and the entry fee. We do state in the rules section of our website that all competitors will have to wear ASTM certified eye protection, this rule is to ensure that competitors are operating in the safest environment possible. Staff at the events, when down range are also required to wear full face covering paintball goggles while those that are behind the competitors operating as range control are not required to wear full goggles but must have eyewear that is protective in nature (Crossman shooting glasses, full seal airsoft goggles, etc). This is so that the staff of the events can be heard by all competitors and to make sure all commands are fully understood while not having them restricted to full-face paintball style goggles. If ever a stage requires the staff member to pass the competitor’s firing line, the staff member will be wearing full ASTM paintball certified goggles.
As for the $100.00 entry fee to each event, it is correct that 50% of the entry fee goes back to the competitors by way of the prize pool. There is also the 10% donation from each entry fee that is donated to charity in support of the armed forces overseas which is donated to the country the event was held in. Top Paintball Sniper is officially partnered with Wounded Warriors.ca in Canada and will be making a private donation to the wounded warrior project in the United States following each event in the United States. To provide a transparent view of the entry fee breakdown we will publicly declare what we are operating on:
50% of entry fee to Prize pool: $50.00/entry fee
10% of entry fee to charity donation: $10.00/entry fee
the remaining 40% is split evenly between the host field and Top Paintball Sniper in order to cover field rental fees, field insurance, Air for markers to function, travel, etc. As you can see, this is far from a cash grab/scam series. We give back half of everything gained to the players. We are not charging for paint as this series is BYOP as certain competitors may like specific paint brands and we can’t guarantee what is available at all locations. Our question to you is in the interest of dropping the entry fee, would competitors like to compete for less of a prize? We, as paintball players, were excited to see what would be available as a prize should the numbers be balanced in the player’s favor, this is what we came up with.
A few other points of contention that were brought to our attention were those of the fact that competitors only had approximately 15 minutes on their markers and were only firing approximately 30 rounds. For $100.00 competitors should be able to shoot all day without interruption is the argument that we were offered, that’s what they do at big games and scenario events after all. Sure, after dumping 1000-2000 rounds, that’s what they get, a full day of play. What we are providing is a skills competition where participants get a chance to display their true skill with their marker, paint choices, optic selection and pure shooting ability, why have them dump 1000 rounds down field with the hope of hitting a target when they can prove it with just 1? We also made an error in adding information to the website, we noticed it after this argument started and have updated it accordingly by updating the sample schedule and the final stage write up so that it’s clearer. We forgot a “0” when entering in the length of the stage, instead of reading 50 minutes, it read 5. We apologize for the oversight and have corrected it accordingly.
And finally, it was asked what competitors are going to be able to do while the final stage of the day is going on. It is the longest stage of the competition and possibly the hardest. Competitors are only given 1 round to complete this stage. While the stage is being held, lunch times are staggered for all competitors by group, this will allow competitors to take a break, get to network with fellow competitors, exchange hints, hit the practice range (available to all competitors throughout the day). In addition to the different things that competitors are able to do during their downtime, each venue will provide an area for our sponsors to set up vendor/storefront/tech areas. We will also be holding round table discussions available to competitors free of charge on different subjects ranging from cover and concealment, marksmanship, breathing techniques, observation skills, etc. During these interactive discussions, we are attempting to open up the floor to competitors to hold a round table like discussion about experiences they may have or to ask questions they are afraid to ask online or in public view. The discussion sessions are monitored by a TPS staff member, but will be entirely group driven depending on what they choose to talk about. This is to open up lines of communication, get people talking and networking and to allow them to gain a little knowledge from each other, as we all know, knowledge is a little power that we all need from time to time.
As you can see, this isn't only a competition series, it's a social event where like minded competitors will have a chance to broaden their knowledge, their skill sets and make lasting connections throughout their area. It also allows those that are curious about the paintball "sniper" to have a chance to pull back the ghillie and see what lies underneath to see what makes up the skills required for a player to be a successful asset on the field.
We would like to thank you for your time, and should you have any comments or concerns, please feel free to look us up on facebook under “top paintball sniper”.
Thank you.
that enjoy attempting to hit targets on the outside edge of the possible hit area of a paintball with a venue in which they can compete outside of scenario events where they are branded as cheaters due to their wearing of ghillie suits or strange individuals because they have mounted magnification optics on their markers of choice.
We've been fielding many questions over the last little while from our online contacts, many of which are obvious concerns that we would like to address.
The different stages of Top Paintball Sniper were developed based off real world competitions similar to the US and Canadian Military Top Sniper Challenges as well as 3 Gun and IPSC style events. We are attempting to develop a measurable and concise series where skills can be evaluated and quantified and allow players to not only try out their skills that they have acquired over the years, but also bring possibly new or older players back into the fold, if just to only shoot at targets and not fear having to be hit. We know that the series will not please everyone; we realize that the series will not attract huge amounts of players due to its specialized nature however what we are attempting to do is bring a new dimension to the sport, much like IPSC and 3 gun style events as well as the real steel Top Sniper Challenges did to simple range shooting and marksmanship training.
The most frequent question and the one that all competitors were really wondering about is the fact that our original stage descriptions had distances that seemed unattainable by paintball markers. We took a fresh look with a group of volunteers from a local field, with different skill levels and equipment load outs ranging from entry level/rental markers to a T9.1 equipped with first strike rounds. Originally, the stages were set at distances within the effective range of First Strike rounds, but we quickly noticed that standard paintballs were having difficulty with the distance and many hits didn't break and with some of the entry level/rental equipment, the rounds didn't quite have the accuracy to hit smaller 10" x 10" targets. For this reason, we would like to notify all potential competitors of a major change in the target system as well as the distances for all stages. In the interest of keeping the competition fair and easy for any player to participate in, we've adjusted the distances and made the corrections to the stage descriptions on the website. We've also added a diagram of the new targets that are going to become the Official TPS targets for 2011. All events from this point forward will be using these target systems. To see a diagram of the new target and to see the new stage descriptions in accordance with the new distances and target systems, please visit www.toppaintballsniper.com and visit the "stages" tab located under the "rules" section.
Several concerns were brought up regarding the actual operation of the series, specifically with regards to personal protection and the entry fee. We do state in the rules section of our website that all competitors will have to wear ASTM certified eye protection, this rule is to ensure that competitors are operating in the safest environment possible. Staff at the events, when down range are also required to wear full face covering paintball goggles while those that are behind the competitors operating as range control are not required to wear full goggles but must have eyewear that is protective in nature (Crossman shooting glasses, full seal airsoft goggles, etc). This is so that the staff of the events can be heard by all competitors and to make sure all commands are fully understood while not having them restricted to full-face paintball style goggles. If ever a stage requires the staff member to pass the competitor’s firing line, the staff member will be wearing full ASTM paintball certified goggles.
As for the $100.00 entry fee to each event, it is correct that 50% of the entry fee goes back to the competitors by way of the prize pool. There is also the 10% donation from each entry fee that is donated to charity in support of the armed forces overseas which is donated to the country the event was held in. Top Paintball Sniper is officially partnered with Wounded Warriors.ca in Canada and will be making a private donation to the wounded warrior project in the United States following each event in the United States. To provide a transparent view of the entry fee breakdown we will publicly declare what we are operating on:
50% of entry fee to Prize pool: $50.00/entry fee
10% of entry fee to charity donation: $10.00/entry fee
the remaining 40% is split evenly between the host field and Top Paintball Sniper in order to cover field rental fees, field insurance, Air for markers to function, travel, etc. As you can see, this is far from a cash grab/scam series. We give back half of everything gained to the players. We are not charging for paint as this series is BYOP as certain competitors may like specific paint brands and we can’t guarantee what is available at all locations. Our question to you is in the interest of dropping the entry fee, would competitors like to compete for less of a prize? We, as paintball players, were excited to see what would be available as a prize should the numbers be balanced in the player’s favor, this is what we came up with.
A few other points of contention that were brought to our attention were those of the fact that competitors only had approximately 15 minutes on their markers and were only firing approximately 30 rounds. For $100.00 competitors should be able to shoot all day without interruption is the argument that we were offered, that’s what they do at big games and scenario events after all. Sure, after dumping 1000-2000 rounds, that’s what they get, a full day of play. What we are providing is a skills competition where participants get a chance to display their true skill with their marker, paint choices, optic selection and pure shooting ability, why have them dump 1000 rounds down field with the hope of hitting a target when they can prove it with just 1? We also made an error in adding information to the website, we noticed it after this argument started and have updated it accordingly by updating the sample schedule and the final stage write up so that it’s clearer. We forgot a “0” when entering in the length of the stage, instead of reading 50 minutes, it read 5. We apologize for the oversight and have corrected it accordingly.
And finally, it was asked what competitors are going to be able to do while the final stage of the day is going on. It is the longest stage of the competition and possibly the hardest. Competitors are only given 1 round to complete this stage. While the stage is being held, lunch times are staggered for all competitors by group, this will allow competitors to take a break, get to network with fellow competitors, exchange hints, hit the practice range (available to all competitors throughout the day). In addition to the different things that competitors are able to do during their downtime, each venue will provide an area for our sponsors to set up vendor/storefront/tech areas. We will also be holding round table discussions available to competitors free of charge on different subjects ranging from cover and concealment, marksmanship, breathing techniques, observation skills, etc. During these interactive discussions, we are attempting to open up the floor to competitors to hold a round table like discussion about experiences they may have or to ask questions they are afraid to ask online or in public view. The discussion sessions are monitored by a TPS staff member, but will be entirely group driven depending on what they choose to talk about. This is to open up lines of communication, get people talking and networking and to allow them to gain a little knowledge from each other, as we all know, knowledge is a little power that we all need from time to time.
As you can see, this isn't only a competition series, it's a social event where like minded competitors will have a chance to broaden their knowledge, their skill sets and make lasting connections throughout their area. It also allows those that are curious about the paintball "sniper" to have a chance to pull back the ghillie and see what lies underneath to see what makes up the skills required for a player to be a successful asset on the field.
We would like to thank you for your time, and should you have any comments or concerns, please feel free to look us up on facebook under “top paintball sniper”.
Thank you.
