Best of 2011: PRO Paintball Players and Teams

The following article highlights the triumphs of Pro paintball players and teams this past 2011 Season. The main focus is tournament paintball within the PSP, NPPL and Millennium Series events. Congratulations to the players and teams of 2011!

Best Team of 2011 Paintball Season- San Diego Dynasty



Dynasty is heavily promoted in the early months of the year, taking in 3 event wins and posting career benchmarks. This puts them into an early lead for the NPPL in 2011 before a tough loss in Chicago (PSP) ends the U.S. win streak. Oliver Lang returned to the roster in addition to new recruits and a staff with retooled purpose. Dynasty would eventually rack up top 4 finishes (dropping to a fifth place finish in Germany) and taking 2nd in the Millennium Series . Dynasty, despite event losess, earn Series win in the PSP as well as the NPPL , Dynasty wins 2/3 of the major series (12 events- winning 4/12=1/3rd first place finishes) and coming in a close second to Art Chaos in the MIL Series. Improvement and proficiency over a 2010 season saw Dynasty maximizing their on and off the field efforts with a three League exposure and proven talent to back it up. Major rivalry went against Russian Legion/Art Chaos in 2011. End of the year would see the team reaping the rewards of an early successful start. A truly unforgettable season for Dynasty with many ups and many downs.

Honorable Mention in the PSP Series – Tampa Bay Damage



The team wins PSP World Cup and PSP NJ taking two events under their belt to end the season. Carthy, Holiday, Propst and Smith are the core of Florida Pro Paintball and have proven time and again that their professionalism as players leads to victories on the field. New Jersey PSP saw TBD battling through mud against Dynasty in a gun up game that will be remembered for years to come. History on the team and well-weathered coaching patterns made consistent improvements as the powerhouse Southern team in the PSP.

Honorable Mention in the NPPL Series – Edmonton Impact/Chicago Aftershock

Close second and third place finishes. Impact shows a strong season throughout with Aftershock winning the 2011 NPPL Vegas Championships. Both teams have been putting in good workouts on the field. This success has reflected well on the local paintball communities home to these pro paintball teams.

Honorable Mention in the Millennium Series – Art Chaos Moscow

Not much explanation needed here. Art Chaos Moscow was a dominant force throughout the 2011 Millennium Paintball Series. After fighting out the Ton Tons, Icon, Dynasty, Syndicate and others, Art Chaos Moscow team secured a series championship. The team is powered by several of the world famous Russian Legion pro paintball players and we predict they will continue to reign over the European teams.

Most Valuable Player of 2011 – Oliver Lang



Considering all the statistical data (4/12 Event 1sts; 10/12 Top 4 finishes) leading to a full season of 12 events worldwide in each of the major leagues– Lang’s placement on Dynasty for 2011 was a pivotal move. He helped his team with creative and competent play making decisions throughout the year. Winning 1/3rd of worldwide events, placing on average about 80% success rate to make top four finishes, Lang beats out most of the other competitors this year on whole series finishes. It’s a tough call to make because in all discussion, Federov has a slightly better yoke on stats (He’s 7 of 8 for top 4 finishes, four of which happened in the MIL and 3 in the PSP), but not NPPL or PSP series wins. Likewise, Lang has a bit more tenure on his season than Rabackoff does with better overall finishes. To compare to his teammates- Lang was the missing piece after a trying and depressing 2010 season. With his return, Dynasty saw American wins and overseas success (taking 2nd in the Millennium Series). Franchise dimensions included new Dynasty gear and Oliver was once again included within a strong Dynasty organization, rebuilt in part by Mike Hinman. Lang shot the pocket and won 2011, but retains a model of MVP due to both his winning record and how he has used those wins to further his playing career and Dynasty’s reign of victories.

Honorable Mentions – Konstantin Federov, Alex Goldman, Justin Rabackoff, Ryan Greenspan

Paintball Coach of the Year- Paul Richards (Tampa Bay Damage)

Voiceful, smart and tactical, Paul Richards is no stranger to producing franchise victory. Paul has been involved in the Florida paintball scene for years. His ability to coach pro team DAMAGE succeed both in years past and this year put him on the top of the hot list in 2011. When not leading the pro’s from Damage to victory, Coach Paul shares his insight and experiences on View from the Deadbox. Richards stood out to ProPaintball due to his efforts in teaching players old and new how to read the fields. This has been accomplished through extensive layout evaluations posted on his blog. We invite you all to bookmark View from the Deadbox and make it part of your daily reading.

Paintball Event of the Year: PALS World Cup Asia

The PALS Series pulled out all of the stops for the 2011 World Cup Asia event and it showed. From the location (hosted on the beautiful island of Langkawi, Malaysia), to the referees (Professional ref crew from the Millennium Series), to the after play events, guided tours, field setups and player support; PALS World Cup established a new level of paintball league professionalism. The competition was fierce, and the promoters were heavily involved in insuring a wonderful experience for all participants. PALS has done a magnificent job reaching out to major out of industry sponsors and their hard work paid off. We noted respectable tie-ins with among others, outside industry sponsors AIR ASIA and Tune Talk. These two companies stepped up their promotion and support for paintball players, literally rolling out the red carpet and then providing discounts and specialty rates for all participants.

Pro Paintball had the opportunity to witness and participate in this event first hand. PALS World Cup Asia 2012 should be on every paintball players bucket list. This is one event you do not want to miss.