This season, the ICPL, the International Classic Paintball League, introduced 4 additional events in response to the growing demand from players for more classic paintball. These events were added as “Open” events in addition to the major events hosted in Maryland and Chicago this year.
After stops in both Florida for the season opener, and Cancun, Mexico in February, the next event on the ICPL circuit is set for this weekend, April 8-10th, in sunny California. The event will take place at Capital Edge Paintball Park, a location familiar to many players, as it is owned by former pro paintball legend, Dave Bains, as well as a location for the National Xball League Golden State Open event.
The event features a mix of professional and amateur teams from all over the country and the smaller and aggressive fields at Capital Edge often provide exciting and fast-paced games in an otherwise slower, methodical classic format.
PROFESSIONAL TEAMS TO WATCH FOR
When it comes to competitive paintball, no team has a more historic record of excellence than Chicago Aftershock. Formed in the early 90’s, they became a Midwest powerhouse for nearly two decades in the pro paintball division. Now, they are one of the strongest rosters in all of classic paintball. Their historic all-time roster of players gives Aftershock a large pool of talent to build their classic roster, featuring current and former pro players. Billy Berrnacchia and Demetrius Ninios are two of the best players in the National Xball League pro division and brings Aftershock a strong mix of offensive talent. When they are paired with all time legends such as Todd Adamson, Renick Miller, and Danny Tiljak, this roster looks like the favorite to win the event. Versatility is key in 10-man, and this team has talent at all levels of the roster and the field.
KAPP has been a staple of the professional ICPL division since the league's inception, and over the last five ICPL events, they have placed in the top three at four of the events. Although the ICPL is still a newer league, KAPP can certainly be considered one of their flagship programs of dominance. Constructed of arguably the best 10-man players in the World like Andy Kopcok, Rodney Squires, and Davey Williamson, all some of the best paintball players of the last two decades, KAPP brings an incredible level of paintball IQ to the field. Additionally, with top pro talents like Tyler Harmon, Nick Leival, and Yosh Rau on the team, this roster should be incredibly balanced. Expect KAPP to play a 7-man style of paintball with strong defensive presence mixed in with offensive sluggers like Kopcok and Leival opening up the field.
AMATEUR TEAMS TO WATCH OUT FOR
The amateur division has always been exciting to both play and watch in the ICPL. The division is full of talented players, former pros, and current NXL divisional players that provide a diverse mix of styles on the field. Throughout the season so far, there has been a wide variety of teams, as the amateur division is a true “open” division where any team can enter to play.
All of the amateur teams in the ICPL are all playing to win the number one spot in the season rankings, and with it, an offer to play in the pro division. Going into the Golden State Classic, there are a few teams to watch that should be in the hunt for a win this weekend.
The Maple Leaf Chiefs opened up their ICPL season at the Sunshine Classic, placing 9th overall in their debut ICPL event. They seem to be building a roster focused on winning a pro spot, and is constructed of current and former NXL pro players from the Sacramento DMG roster in addition to talented divisional xball players. Oftentimes in the amateur division, experience and poise reigns supreme, and this team is loaded with both. Dylan and Jordan Boyum are arguably the two most talented players in the ICPL amateur division and the brothers should be critical for the Chiefs. Many of these players have years of experience on the field together and the level of synergy may be too much for amateur teams to handle this weekend.
Hailing from Extreme Paintball , Black Sunday has been a staple of the classic and 10-man style of paintball for a number of years in California. Often featuring current and past players from team XSV, as well as a diverse mix of talented California players, Black Sunday should be a competitive team heading into stop three of the ICPL. Over the last two seasons in the ICPL amateur division, this roster has slowly climbed its way up the leaderboard, and finally seems ready to be a competitive program in 2022.
For nearly half a decade before their retirement as an Xball team, Asylum was a competitive program that climbed their way up to the semi-pro division before calling it quits. Now, playing in the 10-man classic format, Asylum has established an identity as a competitive and dangerous team. Over their last three ICPL events, they have placed in the top ten three times, with their most recent event being a fourth place finish at the season opener in Florida. Many of the players on this roster have been playing together for a long time, and they should be a staunch competitor to win a pro spot this season. On the faster and more aggressively paced fields at Capital Edge, Asylums recent xball experience brings them a critical advantage that may help lead them to an event victory.
TEAMS WILL FIGHT FOR GOLD IN THE GOLDEN STATE
The Golden State Classic this weekend can be followed throughout the weekend through our event recaps; fans local to the event can watch in person from April 8th-10th at Capital Edge Paintball Park in Sacramento, CA. The ICPL has continued to build a diverse and talented field of teams in the classic paintball division, and 10-man paintball is alive and well in the ICPL. Keep checking back for updates as we provide the major storylines throughout the weekend!
