Huntington Beach, CA – Paintball history was made this weekend as the NPPL Super 7 World Series made its debut along the shores of the Pacific Ocean to an estimated 50,000 spectators per day.

“This event was paintball’s coming out party,” said Chuck Hendsch, President of the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL). Hendsch, a Huntington Beach resident, went on to say, “There must have been more than 100,000 people that came to Huntington Beach to watch the best teams in the world compete.”

Nintey-one teams from all over the world were in Huntington Beach on February 7, 8, and 9, competing for their share of $35,000 in cash and $90,000 in prizes. Unofficial estimates by city parking officials and private security put the total attendance over 100,000 for the three-day event. “I thought the event was amazing,” said Ron McLin, owner of The Longboard Restaurant  and Pub on Main Street. “There were people here from all over the country, and I think it was great for the city, and all the businesses in town.”

“This was the best paintball event ever,” said Alex Fraige, team captain of Dynasty, the winners in the Professional Division. Fraige, a San Diego resident added, “It was great to take home a check for $20,000, but what was more important to the sport, and to our team, was the thousands of kids and families that had a chance to enjoy paintball for the first time.”

“Over the past several years, Huntington Beach has become a place where many of the world’s greatest extreme athletes come to compete in various events throughout the year,” said Huntington Beach City Council Member Pam Houchen. “This history, combined with the rising popularity of paintball, makes Huntington Beach a perfect site to kick off this world-class event.”

Paintball is the fastest growing sport in the United States, and is the third largest extreme sport in participation. Yet up to this point, paintball has gone relatively unnoticed by the general public. The LA Times, Orange County Register, Fox News LA, and many others were all on hand to cover the event. NPPL.tv, the official website for the league went from having 41,000 hits per day on February 1, to having more than 700,000 hits over the three days of the event.

This was the first stop of five for the 2003 NPPL Super 7 World Series. From here, the tour goes to Las Vegas on April 11, 12, and 13. Then it’s off to Chicago in June, New York City in August, with the final stop in Miami this October.
 

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