WPF tournament in Colorado

[ragnarok]

Just thought I'd let everyone know about my experience here in Denver. The event was at Paintball Adventures. The venue was great, the field was great. My biggest problem was that when I went to finialize the registration for my team and sign in at the event, not one other team registered in my division. The WPF owners, Ann, and Wayne told me that I would have to move up a division and would not get any of the prizes unless I beat every team in the division above me. My team and I discussed the matter briefly and decided that we just wanted our money back since the WPF would not honor the Indian Creek Designs, Air Guns Designs, ACI, PMI, and Ricochet prize package for first place. We asked for our money back. The owners of the WPF said "NO, you paid in advance and are not cancelling within the 5 days prior as the cancellation policy states." I made my plea that there were mitigating circumstances in this instance and that any good tournament promoter would do just that. All I hear from them is a resounding "NO". I was told that my option was to either try for the prizes in the Novice division or go home and forefit my entry fee of $550.00, including membership to the WPF. Team Draco (a novice team) showed up to play and bailed us out of our jam by paying us the money that we paid for the entry fee so that they could play under our entry fee that was prepaid to the WPF 2 weeks in advance. The owners of the WPF said that if 5 team's entered the Rookie division they would honor the prize package. Nobody showed up, the WPF didn't honor the prize package in the upper divisions as well as the rookie division. Nobody went home with the prizes they came to play for. The whole event was a disaster, but thanks to the folks at Paintball Adventures the reffing and staging of the event (put on by the WPF) ran remarkably smooth, considering all the scheduling problems created by the WPF. I tell you what, not even the Vegas NPPL event was this bad. The venue was better here in Colorado but at least when you play in the NPPL you know the prizes suck. The WPF guaranteed prizes, took them back, and has no disclaimer about if there is not enough teams they won't give out the prize package. I hope all the sponsors of the WPF don't condone this type of action. If so I and others like me will not support them. I did speak with the vice president of ACI sports, Greg Sulivan. Greg agreed with me that it was not fair for the WPF to fail to give out a prize package that was promised weeks in advance. The WPF told him that there was nothing they could do and that they had the final say. Greg was very kind to our team and told me that ACI Sports would help us out as soon as he returned to the office in early September. We will see what happens. It's just sad that any team, Rookie, Novice, Amature, or Pro would get penalized just for showing up. But I guess that is what the WPF is all about, since they didn't honor one prize package that was posted. Nobody recieved the prizes that were to be given away at the event. The WPF changed all the prizes at the last minute and shafted every team there.

Signed,
Another rookie team that got the shaft

P.S. If you could do me a favor and tell the sponsors of the WPF that your agree with me that would help our team alot. Thank you for your support.