Re: 1:1 FMAS

> Considering how much difference the right kit can make (Something
about
18+
> balls a second sucks...  Don't know what it is yet), they restrict the
> rankings by legal equipment as much as experience (though that counts
> too).

Angels, Diablos and Bushmasters have made a few peoples' lives miserable
-
they're good gear but finicky - I have used one in a tournanment about
three
weeks ago and really didn't like them - they break down easily and don't
suit a running play style due to their balance and weight - Automags for
me
thanks...

 Interestingly enough, the Am and Pro levels are allowed comm
> equipment of various types, but the middle Novices aren't.  Usually. 
A
ref
> once told me the Am's tend to do more damage to themselves with the
comms,
> which is why they're allowed, and almost anything non-lethal and law
legal
> are allowed in Pro.  (I _HATE_ automatic weapons.  At least, when I
don't
> have one.  Or my grenade launcher.  I love my airbursts.)

Comms gear! - absolutely banned in all tourneys here - unless you yell -
thats it thanks very much. Communication is a major component of any
fighting forces armoury - I don't feel that the paintball experience is
enhanced by such additions.

>
> 300 fps is kinda hot around here.  Luckily for me *sarcasm* when I
switched
> to N2 my gun quit firing anything faster than 250 (on a good day).
> Yes, I've tried a new spring.  I did some airsmith work for the local
> fields for a while.  Fun stuff.
>

N2 is hard to find in OZ - not enough support, pretty much entirely HPA
-
many of the Pro team have compressors that they bring along and rent out
for
tourney fills @ AU$10.00 per day (about USD $4.50) - 300 fps is the
legal
limit here and all tourney players tune their gear to about 295-297 fps
-
CO2 doesn't get used at all due to the wildly varying conditions that
can
occur during a game - we call it the "evil gas" ;-)

> Worst injuries I've seen to date (not including the above URL which I
> haven't witnessed) mainly exclude paintballs themselves.  Except for
the
> very near miss to an eye due to an idiot removing his mask (burst alot
of
> blood vessels and did some internal damage that affected the guys
sight)
> the major injuries I've seen are several broken bones due to falls, a
major
> concussion and a lot of blood from an joker who ran straight down a
steep
> hill into a tree (Very cartoon like, without the cartoon characters
innate
> ability to bounce back uninjured), one near beheading from running
into a
> rope for a flag...  Interesting story there.	Extreme hats off to the
Refs
> at Paintball Atlanta.  They saved the guy's eyes, if not life.  It was
a
> final round tourney, the guy made a end game run for the flag, caught
the
> rope right across the windpipe, mask went one way, his legs went out
from
> under him, and he was already taking _major_ fire.  2 Refs jumped
> litterally on top of him, the other four corner judges ran to the
center,
> hands up, taking a lot of shots, yelling cease fire.	(Before anyone
jumps
> on the teams throats, in speedball, there's usually 100-200 shots in
the
> air at any one time.	And every second, as many as 180 more go.  It
takes
a
> second or two to register the cease fire order)  When they guy got up,
we
> noted over 30 distinguished hits, and several spots that were 2 or
more
> hits splotched together.  He had none the moment before he hit the
rope.

- I can relate to that - I crashed through a wooden barricade when the
sun
got in my eyes during a speedball final in Queensland last year - my
mask
sailed away so I jammed my hands hard against my face rolled face down
and
waited for the refs to catch on - it only took a few seconds and I
didn't
take a single hit during the whole incident - good referees are worth
paying - we just find that there is an amazing variablity of ref quality
here - most are really shitty with a few top notch groups (Top Hat
Jokers
from Sydney play and ref - they're great). I started playing in 1984
when
the sport was still in its' infancy and have experienced the evolution
of
the game - just like any sport we need a regulatory body to ensure class
referees and good organisation of leagues - it'll take a bit of time
here
due to the small population base down under.

> Worst I ever had was the newbie with an auto that didn't know when to
quit
> shooting.  I took it on the back, but having only a camo shirt on, and
he
> being 6-7 feet away (a complete ambush...) it hurt alot.
>

PMI-2 rifle at 3 inches to the upper lip (by a newbie) during the days
before face shileds - I love my JT spectra and wouldn't play without it
-
however special rules had to be introducted to prevent the hard core
pros
from cutting thier masks to expose lips and cheeks - a pellet may not
break
on these areas and they'd rather a fat lip than elimination.

Brendan