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Some paintball web site articles and message board posts have recently been quoting an out of date World Cup Rule change, misleading players and the public into believing that the 2002 NPPL rules are being modified for the 2002 Paintball World Cup.

This year’s World Cup begins on Sunday, October 20th, and runs through Sunday October 27th.  As usual, the Paintball Sports Promotions event will feature NPPL sanctioned 5 man and 10 man tournaments, but this year it will also add two X-Ball tournaments, one consisting of college teams from the National Collegiate Paintball Association, and one consisting of professional teams.

Recent online attention has been drawn to an out of date rule used at the Paintball World Cup in 1998.  The Smart Parts Turbo mode was new that year, and some players argued that it fit the NPPL rules definition of a semi-auto, while others argued that it did not.  At the time, the Paintball World Cup was produced by Jerry Braun of Paintball Sports International (this was before the formation of PSP).  Since the NPPL rules hadn’t yet caught up with that latest advance in technology, Braun ruled that enhanced trigger modes like Turbo mode would be allowed, if restricted to 8.75 balls per second.

This change was never actually made to the NPPL rules.  For the 2000 season, the NPPL rules were modified to more clearly define semi-auto firing in a way which made enhanced modes like the Smart Parts Turbo illegal at NPPL sanctioned events. 

While the temporary 8.75 bps rule modification was only used at the 1998 World Cup, it continues to resurface and confuse players and fans alike on an annual basis, because when it was initially published on the paintballworldcup.com web site, it did not specify the year for which it was written.  Even though the web page listing the rules change is no longer a part of the World Cup web site (worldcuppaintball.com), and can not be found by clicking through the site's menus, the file is still on the server at the time of this writing.  Because of this, other web sites and forums have been able to link to the page making it appear legitimate, as worldcuppaintball.com is a part of its address.

In an online interview with WARPIG.com, NPPL Rules Commissioner Bill Cookston confirmed the rules in use at the Cup.  “The 2002 Paintball World Cup will use the 2002 NPPL rules set with no modifications,” Cookston said. 

Cookston also has issued a reminder of the league’s most recent rule changes to teams.  These changes include the following:
 

“1) No Metal Cleats will be allowed on the field (5.07).

“2) There will be NO end game chronographing – all players will be chronographed onto the field, and players may be chronographed during an active game (7.1).

“3) When game suspensions are issued to a player, the team will have to play short also unless the offending player is removed from the team for a minimum of one year. 
Player suspensions will carry over from tournament to tournament but teams will only have to play short within the tournament that the infraction occurred (12.60).

 “4) A live player will be removed each time that eliminated player looks around or over the elimination box during a live game (12.61).
 

“5) Scoring for five-player game will be conducted on a 100 Point system and will be awarded as follows:
(i) a team will be awarded 4points for every player on the opposing team eliminated;
(ii) a team will be awarded 2 point for every player on such team not eliminated:
(iii) a team will be awarded 20 points if it pulls the center flag first; and a team will be awarded 50 points when the flag is hung in its opponents’ flag station (3.02)” 

A current copy of the NPPL rules can be found by following the rules link on the NPPL page in the Tournament section of WARPIG.com, The Official Internet Resource of the NPPL.  Team captains are advised to review these rules for any changes made in recent years with which they might not be familiar. 

The NPPL sanctioned competitions and trade show, both of which are free of charge to the public, will be held at the traditional World Cup site in Kissimmee, Florida.  From the Orlando International Airport, take the Beeline Expressway (Route 528) West to Interstate 4. Take Interstate 4 to Exit 25A. Go East on Highway 192 approximately 2 miles to motel and go 2 more miles on Highway 192, turn right on to Poinciana Blvd. And go 1.5 miles to site. 

Alternatively during late afternoon and early evening hours, the heavy Disney related traffic on I-4 can be avoided by heading East from the Airport on the Beeline Expressway (Route 528) to the Florida Central Greenway (Route 417).  Head West (South) on 417 to 535 (the last exit before I-4) and head South.  Turn right (West) on 192 and left (South) on Poinciana Blvd to the Paintball World Cup Site.  This route adds distance, but can save time.  All of the main hotels associated with World Cup are on 192, located at or west of Poinciana Blvd.

Some of the Paintball World Cup’s X-Ball competitions will be held at ABC’s Wide World of Sports.  To get to the site from the main World Cup site and hotels, head west on 192.  Drive past I-4, and take a right turn (North) on Victory way into the main Disney World complex.  Turn into the main parking lot for ABC Wide World of Sports and enter through the main entrance. 

In past years there have been issues at World Cup with alcohol being consumed by minors, this even led to one sponsor being banned from exhibiting at the event.  This year is the first year that the tournament has been declared a “dry” event.  Alcohol will  not be permitted on the property.  Persons caught with alcohol will be escorted from the site.  Minors caught with alcohol will be removed, as will the person giving them the alcohol.  Paintball Sports Promotions has given the vendors and exhibitors a guideline of conduct for the event which places responsibility for alcohol and lewd behavior in their areas in their hands.  In response to these changes, Warped Sportz, which teamed up with Angel manufacturer WDP to produce the first “Heaven” paintball lounge at the 1999 World Cup has publicly announced that it will be a no-show at the event.  Ironically, Warped Sportz owner Ed Poorman is also one of the owners of Paintball Sports Promotions.  (For more information, see the Warped Sportz press release HERE).

Stay tuned to WARPIG.com for on-scene coverage of the NPPL’s 2002 Season Finale, Paintball World Cup.

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