Paintball Magazine November 2018 Issue | Page 56

Skirmish, one of paintball’s legendary destinations, hosted their yearly Invasion of Normandy event in mid-July, 2018 drawing thousands to their Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania park to recreate the pivotal event of World War Two, when Allied forces stormed ashore on the beaches of France to begin their liberation of Europe from Nazi tyranny. Supported by a vast cross- section of paintball industry companies large and small and featuring epic battles and a full weekend of play on varied terrain, Skirmish ION, as it has become known, draws recreational weekend players, serious scenario teams, tactical mag-fed operators and even serious tournament players and industry celebrities and has grown to become consistently the largest event in paintball. 56 paintball.media magazine 2018 saw just over 4,000 players of all ages and skill levels converge on Skirmish for the Invasion of Normandy, and the paintball industry rallied to support them. G.I. Sportz brought paintballs for the event along with an army of equipment technicians supporting their various brands including Empire and Tippmann, while other brands including Valken, Ninja, Inception and HK Army made the trip as well as numerous smaller vendors offering everything from clothing to combat boots and tech services. Like they do every year, a massive number of players at the event choose to camp on- site and the event took on a festival, almost Woodstock-like atmosphere allowing players from all areas of the country and all walks of life to mix, mingle and enjoy the paintball life.