Woodsball - back to the future - continues to expand and influence players and the entire game, internationally. The rugged east coast of Canada - far from Special Ops headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah - is home to the Atlantic Woodsball League (AWL), part of paintball's growing woodsball factor.
The AWL was founded by Shaun Langille, captain of the Milsim Maniacs. Loosely based on the highly successful Special Ops Scenario Paintball Players League (SPPL), the league follows the SPPL format.
Langille's response was straight to the point when asked why go to all the trouble of creating a paintball league from the ground up: "With the closest event a 16-hour drive away, for Atlantic Canadian players to attend an SPPL event can be a challenge. A challenge not only in time but in money, many players simply can't afford to go. The most logical thing to do was set up our own regional league using the SPPL as the benchmark."
The AWL follows the basic SPPL format: three capture points, one hour matches, and points for eliminations. The remainder of rules were simplified for the first season. Langille said, "We wanted to keep the spirit of the SPPL in the AWL, but more importantly wanted to get the league off and running as the first priority. We will add additional dimensions and expand the rules to more closely mirror the SPPL in future seasons."
The inaugural Atlantic Woodsball League season saw three of the best woodsball teams in Atlantic Canada face off in three events, at various fields, ending with the AWL finale. Overkill Sportz, Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia, hosted the finale on October 6, 2007.
The Tippinators, from Mersey Road Paintball, East River Nova Scotia, finalized a strong season with a perfect 6-0-0 record. This is not to say the Tippinators walked from the parking lot straight to the podium. Every match of the season proved a battle to the bitter end with the Milsim Maniacs and Mersey Mercenaries. The matches were so close that the league title wasn't decided until the final weekend of play.
Steven Fong of the Tippinators said, "We spent this season training hard, and playing harder. We were up against some fierce competition at every event. Each game was much more intense, and fun, than the previous! 2007 was a great year." The team plans to play AWL in 2008 and expects the league to grow.
Langille believed that a woodsball league was long overdue. He said, "Having the best woodsballers in the region shooting it out in a friendly, competitive, environment has been great for the sport, and something we have needed in Atlantic Canada for some time. Having the championship decided on the last weekend of play shows the quality of the players and the spirit of everyone involved."
Austin 'Juno' Flaherty of the Tippinators said, "Playing in a woodsball league with my friends and teammates reminds me why I got into paintball in the first place." Flaherty continued "The events were fun. It was an easy concept, simple rules, with a lot of action. We all had a blast."
Chris "Fuzzy" Landry of the title-winning Tippinators said, "This inaugural year of the league was a resounding success, well organized, with great players turning out for every event." Landry continued, "I'm happy to have been a part of Atlantic Canadian paintball history and can't wait for the 2008 season."
The AWL goes to prove that the creation and successful running of a highly competitive league can be accomplished - wherever there are dedicated organizers and diehard players, who play for the love of the game.
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