ICC RECAP
The dust has finally settled and it's time for us to reflect on what an epic and awesome event the Iron City Classic was! With all of the planning and preparation that Tim Montressor and Russell Jackson put into this event, it is definitely one for the record books. With over 1,000 players attending they managed to get all of those people squared away and kept the schedule moving smoothly, which was a testament to their organizational skills and careful planning.
This event is more fun than your normal throwback style event. It brings out all of the legends from the game. Teams made up of throw together OG players, current pros, families, friends, and even field teams. Whether you were there for "fun" or to show off your skills, the chances of you having a good time were very high! It'sa safe bet to say that everyone that attended is still trying to figure out how to remove the pink stains from the hands and knees. Listening to all of the game stories, and seeing buddies drinking beer while sitting on the rocks watching the center stage hyper ball field, the heckling after matches, and the fathers and sons hugging after defeating some legendary players were all experiences everyone in paintball should have a chance to enjoy.
I played with the Philly Americans for the 3rd year in a row while the Ormrod brothers played with the Rushers, and Chris, Greg, and Tom played with Lockdown. With all of the employees of Virtue and BK working and playing we sought some help running the booth. Thankfully Kendall and her father Ken who are good friends of mine were willing to help run the booth when our playing schedules conflicted. They did one heck of a job keeping smiles on everyone's faces and making sales! We couldn't thank them enough for all of their help! Eventually, Lockdown missed the cut, and the rushers missed moving on from the second round, so the majority of the guys were back to work Sunday Afternoon.
Philly ended up finishing in 3rd place after dropping our first finals game to Image and then the following game to Dynasty. We seemed to play the hyper ball field too slow and definitely didn't put up enough guns on the breakouts which always cost us to start down bodies and in bad spots. Image and Dynasty both played aggressively and took smart low-risk moves throughout the matches which helped them secure the win!
The booth tear down wasn't that bad, even when it started to rain during it. The Virtue & BK crew are always able to kick it into overdrive and work hard after the events to tear down, clean up, and pack it all up. I am very proud of my paintball team and our 3rd place finish, and my work crew for always going the extra mile to give our customers the best experience ever!
Looking forward to seeing everyone in Chicago for the NXL Event!
