PaintballX3 Magazine September 2013 | Page 60

TOURNAMENT Professional paintball has always been an intensely competitive affair, but 2013 has seen some incredibly intense battles between some of the very best players and teams the sport has ever seen. And, like it does every season, it all comes down to World Cup. Teams in both the PSP Champions and Challengers divisions are working harder than ever for a final shot at glory and a spot on the podium as pro paintball enters the home stretch. While only a handful of teams have consistently finished at the top at the previous PSP events in 2013, World Cup always brings with it an intangible that draws out the very best in the players who step inside the net there. So who might capture gold at the 2013 PSP World Cup? PaintballX3 breaks down some of the favorites as we see them. 60 1. Tampa Bay Damage – after backto-back second place finishes at the first two events in 2013 and a fifth place finish that was well below their high standard, Damage finally earned a Gold trophy all the way across the country at the PSP West Coast event. Now they get to play the final event of 2013, the World Cup, on their home turf in Florida. Powered by Dye guns and gear and bringing top players like Jason Edwards, Ramzi El-Yousef and Bryan Smith inside the net to sling paint, Damage is the favorite to take a World Cup trophy home as they are one of the very best and most consistent teams in the world, because they are riding high off a victory at the previous event and because they have a home-field advantage. PAINTBAL