MWHSPL Rulebook
[RaceTo-2]
December 2, 2011
1st Revision
Contents
1. Organization ................................................................................................................................................. 4
1.1. Information .......................................................................................................................................... 4
1.2. Judges ................................................................................................................................................... 4
2. Classification ................................................................................................................................................ 4
2.1. Player Class ......................................................................................................................................... 4
2.2. Roster Classification Limits ................................................................................................................. 5
2.3. Roster Size Limits ............................................................................................................................... 6
3. The Game ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
3.1. Staging Area ........................................................................................................................................ 6
3.2. Field of Play ......................................................................................................................................... 7
3.3. Point Start ............................................................................................................................................ 7
3.4. Player Status ........................................................................................................................................ 7
3.5. Occupation, Possession and Exchange ................................................................................................ 8
3.6. Flags and Flag Carriers ........................................................................................................................ 9
3.7. Eliminated Players ............................................................................................................................... 9
3.8. Hits ....................................................................................................................................................... 9
3.9. Point Stoppages ................................................................................................................................. 10
3.10. Point Completion ............................................................................................................................... 10
3.11. Penalties ............................................................................................................................................. 10
4. Match Structure ......................................................................................................................................... 13
4.1. RaceTo-2 ............................................................................................................................................ 13
4.2. RaceTo-4/5/7 ...................................................................................................................................... 13
5. Scoring ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
5.1. Point Score ......................................................................................................................................... 14
5.2. Round Score ...................................................................................................................................... 15
5.3. Forfeits ............................................................................................................................................... 15
5.4. Score Sheets ....................................................................................................................................... 16
6. Ranking and Seeding* ............................................................................................................................... 16
6.1. Season Ranking ................................................................................................................................. 16
7. Tournament Structure ............................................................................................................................... 17
7.1. Preliminary Round Seeding ............................................................................................................... 17
7.2. Advancing from the Preliminary Round .......................................................................................... 17
7.3. Playoff Seeding .................................................................................................................................. 17
7.4. Playoff Bracket Schedule ................................................................................................................... 18 3
7.5. Playoff Structure ............................................................................................................................... 18
8. Interference, Sportsmanship, Suspensions and Ejections ......................................................................... 18
8.1. Interference and Sportsmanship ....................................................................................................... 18
8.2. Suspensions ........................................................................................................................................ 19
8.3. Ejections ............................................................................................................................................. 19
8.4. Fines ................................................................................................................................................... 19
9. Equipment .................................................................................................................................................. 20
9.1. Clothing .............................................................................................................................................. 20
9.2. Protective Gear.................................................................................................................................. 20
9.3. Markers .............................................................................................................................................. 21
9.4. Velocity............................................................................................................................................... 22
9.5. Paintballs ........................................................................................................................................... 22
9.6. Other Equipment ............................................................................................................................... 23
9.7. Prohibited Equipment ........................................................................................................................ 23
10. Miscellaneous ......................................................................................................................................... 23
10.1. Maintenance and Cleanup ................................................................................................................. 23
10.2. Appeals ............................................................................................................................................... 24
10.3. Rules Modifications ............................................................................................................................ 24
10.4. Field Layout ....................................................................................................................................... 25
10.5. APPENDIX A: Preliminary Round Structure ................................................................................. 26 4
1. Organization
1.1. Information
1.1.1. The most recent, official version of these Tournament Paintball Rules can be found at wwww.mwhspl.weebly.com
1.1.2. A team and its players are responsible for learning and understanding these rules, as well as for staying abreast of changes to these rules.
1.2. Judges
1.2.1. Each field‟s head judge is the highest authority on that field.
1.2.2. Any call made by the head judge on their field is final.
1.2.3. Ultimate Judge will not overturn any on-field calls by a head judge.
1.2.4. The Ultimate Judge is the highest authority at an event.
1.2.5. Any decision of the Ultimate Judge is final.
2. Classification
2.1. Player Class
2.1. All players are classified as High School
2.2. Roster Classification Limits
2.2.1. RaceTo-2
2.3. Roster Size Limits
2.3.1. RaceTo-2
2.3.1.1. There may be no more than 5 players on a team
2.3.1.2. There may be no more than 2 staff members on a team
2.3.1.2.1 Staff members may not be on the field of play during a point
2.3.1.3. There may be no more than 1 coach on a team
2.3.1.3.1 The coach is not allowed on the field of play during a point
3. The Game
3.1. Staging Area
3.1.1. Each team will be provided with a staging area adjacent to the field of play. All team players and staff must remain in the team‟s designated staging area during any points on the field of play, except:
3.1.1.1. Players may be on the field of play for a point in which their team is scheduled, or during the break period directly before or after such point.
3.1.1.2. Staff and coaches may only be on the field of play in between points which their team is scheduled.
3.1.1.2. To travel directly to and from a place where paintballs may be purchased, or
3.1.1.3. To travel directly to and from the nearest place where air tanks may be filled, if fills are not currently available in the team’s designated staging area, or
3.1.1.4. With permission of the Head judge.
3.1.1.5. No person appearing on the roster of a team may employ an electronic or mechanical device to communicate with any other person during any of their team’s points or matches.
3.1.1.5.1. The team of any person violating this rule will forfeit the match during which the infraction occurred.
3.1.2. No communication is allowed by anyone from the designated staging area to the active field of play during any team points or matches.
3.2. Field of Play
3.2.1. The field of play will consist of a level rectangular area called the “in-bounds” area, and any area between the in-bounds area and the netting surrounding the in-bounds area.
3.2.2. The field of play will be free of any undue obstacle or hazard to participants or officials.
3.2.3. The edge of the in-bounds area will be marked by a boundary line. The boundary line and any object or ground outside of the boundary line is out-of-bounds.
3.2.4. The in-bounds area will include at least 40 obstacles arranged symmetrically across the midpoint or the midline of the in-bounds area.
3.2.5. Obstacles will be at least 1 meter away from any boundary line.
3.2.6. The field of play will include a starting station in the center of and parallel to the boundary line at each end of the in-bounds area consisting of
3.2.6.1. A vertical rectangular surface one meter high by two meters wide, or
3.2.6.2. An inflatable obstacle one meter high by two meters wide, or
3.2.6.3. A netted penalty box 2 meters wide and at least 2 meters high.
3.2.7. The starting station and penalty box netting is in-bounds.
3.2.8. Each team may field up to 5 players for each point. Any team that has more than 5 people on the field of play during a point will be assessed a minor penalty.
3.2.9. Teams will be permitted to examine the field of play during field-walking times designated by the promoter.
3.2.10. Any person who intentionally alters the field of play will be assessed a minor suspension.
3.2.11. Any team whose player, staff or affiliated member alters the field of play will be ejected from the event.
3.2.12. Any person on the field of play outside of field-walking times designated by the promoter or immediately before, during or after a point in which the person is listed as a player or staff member of a competing team without the permission of a judge or authorized event staff will be assessed a major penalty.5
5 This effectively establishes a major penalty for entering the field of play at any time without a judge‟s approval or checking in.
6 During a point, a player is always active, inactive, or eliminated. Inactive is when a player is out of the point and his shots should not count, but the player would not be expected to know he is out of the point (i.e. the player‟s foot touches tape line, then the player bunkers two people – the player should be eliminated with no penalty and the two people bunkered should be left in). Eliminated is when a player should know they should not still be playing, either because a judge has told them they are eliminated, or because they have an obvious hit, or because they were never on the field at the start of the point to begin with. Thus, when assessing appropriate penalties, a judge must only determine whether the player was active, inactive, or eliminated when the infraction was committed.
3.3. Point Start
3.3.1. Points will be preceded by a break period. The point starts when the break period ends. The point start will be signaled by the scoreboard buzzer or other sound device.
3.4. Player Status
3.4.1. An “active” player is any player in the in-bounds area at the start of the current point who has touched their barrel to the starting station during the final 30 seconds of the preceding break period and has not subsequently become inactive or eliminated.
3.4.2. An “inactive” player is a previously active player who has not been eliminated and
3.4.2.1. Has pointed their marker downfield after becoming active but prior to touching their
barrel to their team’s starting station, or
3.4.2.2. Has touched any ground, area or object outside the in-bounds area7, or
3.4.2.3. Has an unobvious hit, or
3.4.2.4. Has lost possession of equipment other than pods, squeegees, or paintballs or a point flag passed to an active player or a judge, or
3.4.2.5. Has passed between two bunkers that were in physical contact with each other.
3.4.3. An inactive player will be eliminated by a judge.
3.4.4. An “eliminated” 8 player is any player
3.4.4.1. With an obvious hit; or
3.4.4.2. Who was not on the field of play at the start of the point; or
3.4.4.3. Who has signaled their elimination by
3.4.4.3.1. Removing or losing their goggles, or
3.4.4.3.2. Saying “hit” or “out”, or
3.4.4.3.3. Raising their marker or an open hand above their head, or
3.4.4.3.4. Placing their barrel sock on their barrel; or
3.4.4.4. Who has been eliminated by a judge.
3.4.5. Under no circumstances may an eliminated player be made inactive or active or may an inactive player be made active.
3.4.6. A player being approached by an official may not advance. Players who advance to avoid an official will be assessed a major penalty.9
7 Players are thus inactive if they are touching any out-of-bounds area at the start of the point
8 Note that in these rules, the phrases “is inactive” and “is eliminated” means the player‟s status is IMMEDIATELY and AUTOMATICALLY changed to inactive or eliminated, respectively, without any action by a judge. The phrase “eliminated by a judge” means the player maintains their current status until a judge informs them that they are eliminated, either verbally or by signal.
9 The minor penalty is in addition to any eliminations/playing on penalties. If the player is not hit and avoided the official, that player is eliminated. If the player is inactive and avoided, they are eliminated (for being inactive) and a teammate is eliminated (for the minor penalty). If the player has an obvious hit, they are eliminated, a teammate is eliminated (playing on) and another teammate is eliminated (official avoidance).
10 Merely touching equipment does not establish physical control. Generally, any equipment that will advance with the player if the player advances can be considered to be in the physical control of the player. This includes bunkers – so if you move a bunker because you accidentally run into it, you‟re ok, but if you intentionally move the bunker, you‟re eliminated.
11 If you start the point with it or pick it up, you possess it until you either drop it (pods, squeegees, paintballs and flags) or until you get more than five feet away from it (anything else) unless a judge or another player takes it from you.
12 Anything that your team didn’t start with (other than pods, squeegees, paint and flags) you can‟t take/pick up.
13 Once you lose possession of any of your equipment (other than pods, squeegees, paint and flags), you‟re eliminated. If you‟re eliminated on the field of play and you lose possession of any of your equipment prior to exiting the field of play one of your teammates will be pulled. This also means you can‟t exchange anything other than squeegees, paintballs, pods, or the flag.
3.5. Occupation, Possession and Exchange
3.5.1. Equipment in the physical control10 of a player or that was in the physical control of a player at the start of the point is possessed by the player, except for squeegees, pods, and paintballs that leave the physical control of the player, any other equipment that is separated by more than five feet from the player and except equipment which is in the physical control of another player or a judge.11
3.5.2. Players may not possess any equipment during a point that was not in their or their teammate‟s possession at the start of the point12, except that players may take possession of the flag. Players who take possession of any other equipment will be assessed a minor penalty.
3.5.3. Players on the field of play who lose possession of any equipment other than pods, squeegees, paintballs and flags will be assessed a minor penalty,13 except that a judge may take equipment from a player and an eliminated player may discard equipment out-of-bounds.
3.5.4. A player who loses possession of the point flag will be eliminated unless the point flag is possessed by another live player or a judge.
3.5.5. Players who lose physical control of any equipment that has a valid hit, except equipment taken by a judge, will be assessed a gross penalty. 9
3.6. Flags and Flag Carriers
3.6.1. Each point will start with a single point flag placed at a flag station located equidistant from the two starting stations in the in-bounds area of the field.
3.6.1.1. A player in possession of the point flag who hides or attempts to hide the point flag from plain view will be assessed a minor penalty.
3.6.1.2. If a player is eliminated while possessing the point flag, the player will drop the point flag at the point of elimination. A judge may hang the point flag on a nearby bunker.
3.6.2. RaceTo-2 points will start with a single white surrender flag placed in front of the score table.
3.6.2.1. Only coaches may approach and pull/throw the surrender flag during any point to concede the current point to the opposing team.
3.7. Eliminated Players
3.7.1. An eliminated player must immediately and swiftly raise their marker or an open hand above their head and proceed out-of-bounds by the most direct route or as directed by a judge.
3.7.1.1. An eliminated player who fails to follow the procedure in 3.7.1, except as provided in 3.8.6, will be assessed a major penalty.
3.7.2. An eliminated player who fires or otherwise operates or adjusts their marker or air system prior to exiting the field of play will be assessed a minor penalty.
3.7.3. An eliminated player who intentionally re-enters the in-bounds area during the point will be assessed a gross penalty.
3.7.4. An eliminated player who shoots an opposing player from in-bounds will be assessed a major penalty.14
3.7.5. An eliminated player who shoots a player from out-of-bounds will be assessed a gross penalty.
14 This means that in addition to getting a one-for-one for playing on, an additional player should be pulled for any opponent the playing-on player manages to shoot, whether the opponent is erroneously eliminated by a judge or not.
15 The chances of a player receiving a hit, not feeling, seeing or hearing the hit, and accidentally removing the hit are so small that it is preferable to rarely assess a gross penalty in such a case to prevent players from removing hits on a frequent basis via slides, rubbing bunkers, etc.
16 If it hits the hopper and sprays on your goggles, it‟s obvious. If it smacks into your earflap, it‟s obvious. If it hits your facemask and sprays paint on your face, it‟s obvious. If it hits your elbow pad that is 2” thick and you didn‟t feel it, it‟s still obvious – players should not wear padding so thick that they cannot feel hits. If it grazes off the side of your hopper where you can‟t see the hit or it‟s in your pack then it may not be obvious if the judge does not have any reason to believe you should know a paintball hit you there.
17 It is much better if players have to rarely stop playing for a few seconds to get hits checked than it is to have players regularly playing on because “The hit might have bounced” and they can keep playing until a ref drags them off the field, so players are eliminated when an obvious hit is received without any action from a judge being required. A player who is shot in the back and continues to shoot will receive a major penalty. A player making a bunker move who is shot and runs another 5 feet to complete the move will be assessed a major penalty and an additional minor penalty for shooting a player while eliminated.
3.8. Hits
3.8.1. A paintball is live from the time it is shot from a paintball gun in the possession of an active player until the paintball comes to rest.
3.8.2. Any live paintball striking and breaking on a player or any equipment in a player‟s possession, or any mark indicating such a strike occurred, is a hit.
3.8.3. An invalid hit is any hit that a judge observes is not from a live paintball striking and breaking on a player. Only judges will remove invalid hits, except that a player may remove an invalid hit on the lens of their goggle system with the permission of a judge.
3.8.4. A valid hit is any hit that is not an invalid hit. If a valid hit is removed from an in-bounds player by any means other than by a judge, or a player attempts to remove a valid hit, that player will be assessed a gross penalty.15
3.8.5. An obvious hit is any valid hit that leaves a mark and that the receiving player should have seen, heard or felt, including, but not limited to, any valid hit anywhere other than the player‟s mask, pack and its contents, gun, hopper and tank.16 A player with an obvious hit is eliminated.17
10
3.8.6. A player with an obvious hit that is in a location that the player cannot verify may ask a
judge or teammate to verify the hit before proceeding as otherwise required by 3.7.1, but may take no other action.18
3.8.7. Players who are in motion when they receive an obvious hit in a location they cannot verify themselves may proceed to the nearest cover while waiting for a judge or teammate to verify the hit as in 3.8.6.
3.8.8. A player who asks a teammate or judge to verify a hit that the player could have verified unassisted will be assessed a major penalty.19
3.8.9. Unobvious hits are any valid hit that is not obvious. A player with an unobvious hit is inactive and will be eliminated by a judge.
3.8.9.1. An inactive player eliminated by a judge due to an unobvious hit not observed by the judge will be assessed a minor penalty.20
3.8.10. A player who becomes aware of an unobvious hit on themselves or equipment in their possession is eliminated.
18 If you‟re not sure if a hit broke, and you can‟t check it yourself, you can ask a ref or teammate to check it without penalty before exiting the field of play, so long as you take no other action. You may choose to continue to play, HOWEVER, if it turns out that the hit was valid, you will be assessed a major penalty plus a minor penalty for any opponents you shoot because you were playing with an obvious hit, so you should consider carefully whether the risk of the penalty is worth continuing to play prior to getting the hit checked.
19 It is the player’s responsibility to call themselves out when they have an obvious hit. It is the ref‟s job to penalize players who continue to play with an obvious hit, so if you call a ref over to check a hit you could have checked yourself, expect a penalty too.
20 If a judge observes a player receive an unobvious hit, the judge should eliminate that player without penalty. If a judge finds an unobvious hit on a player, the judge should eliminate that player and assess a minor penalty.
21 A judge should not signal a flag hang if an inactive or eliminated player attempts to hang the flag.
22 RaceTo-4/5/7 only
3.9. Point Stoppages
3.9.1. If a point must be stopped due to injury, a point stoppage will be signaled by the buzzer and judges will instruct players to remain in their current positions.
3.9.1.1. Once the cause of the point stoppage has been resolved, a 10-second break period will be placed on the scoreboard and the point will be restarted.
3.9.1.2. A player who fails to touch their barrel to the ground after the buzzer restarting the point sounds but prior to pointing their gun downfield or at any opponent will be eliminated.
3.9.2. If a point is stopped due to any other reason,
3.9.2.1. The point stoppage will be signaled by the buzzer, and
3.9.2.2. Any outstanding penalties will be assessed, and
3.9.2.3. Live players will return to the start box, and
3.9.2.4. A 10-second break period will be placed on the scoreboard and the point will be restarted as normal except only players who were live when the point was stopped may restart the point.
3.9.3. Players must put barrel socks on their markers when a point is stopped and keep their goggles on, unless given permission to remove them by a judge.
3.10. Point Completion
3.10.1. A point will end at the earliest of:
3.10.1.1. A judge signaling a flag hang21, or
3.10.1.2. The elimination of all players, or
3.10.1.3. A team throwing the white surrender flag,22 or
3.10.1.4. The end of point time in a RaceTo-2 match, or
3.11. Penalties
3.11.1. Any judge may issue a penalty on the field of play. Any authorized event staff may issue penalties outside of the field of play.
3.11.2. Penalties are assessed to people. Action is taken against the penalized person and/or the penalized person’s team. A person’s team is the team that has that person listed as a
11
player or staff on its roster, or the team on whose behalf the player is acting if the person
is not listed as a player or staff on any roster.
3.11.3. No more than one penalty may be assessed for a particular action by a player or team. In the event that a given action qualifies for more than one penalty, the most severe penalty will be assessed.
3.11.4. RaceTo-2 Penalties
3.11.4.1. A judge will eliminate an active player for each minor penalty received by a team.
3.11.4.2. A judge will eliminate two active players for each major or gross penalty received by a team.
3.11.4.2.1. A player receiving a gross penalty may not play for the next 3 points played by the team(23)
3.11.4.3. If a penalty is assessed against an active player, the player against whom the penalty is assessed must be one of the players eliminated.
3.11.4.4. If there are insufficient active players remaining on the field of play to satisfy the penalty, the team will be assessed a penalty minute against their total game time remaining for that round for each player unable to be eliminated.
3.11.4.5. If a penalty is assessed during the break period immediately prior to a point the team is scheduled to play, the team will start short one player for each player that would normally be eliminated by the penalty.
3.11.4.6. If a penalty is assessed neither during a point the team is playing nor during the break period prior to the team‟s next point, the team will be assessed a penalty minute for each player that would normally have been eliminated by the penalty.24
23 Next three points regardless of opponent. The team does not play short if an alternate is available.
24 This includes penalties assessed to the flag carrier after the hang. Thus a team will be assessed two penalty minutes for a flag carrier who hangs with an obvious hit and one penalty minute for a carrier who hangs with an unobvious hit.
25 If the current match ends prior to the expiration of the 10 minutes, the player serves the remainder during the subsequent match.
26 Note that there are no active players between points, so any penalties assessed after the end of the point become strikes for the next point. This includes specifically penalties for a player who hangs the flag dirty – the team starts down players the next point, even if they had bodies remaining this point.
27 This includes penalties assessed to the flag carrier after the hang. Thus a team will be assessed two penalty strikes for a flag carrier who hangs with an obvious hit and one penalty strike for a carrier who hangs with an unobvious hit. 12
3.11.6.2.2. If the team has less than two active players left28, or the penalty is a
major or gross penalty assessed in the final 60 seconds of a match29,
3.11.6.2.2.1. If a point is in progress, the point ends immediately,30 and
3.11.6.2.2.2. The opposing team scores one point, and
3.11.6.2.2.3. The penalized player is placed in the penalty box.
3.11.6.2.3. If a player is penalized when there are already 3 players from that player‟s team in the penalty box,31
3.11.6.2.3.1. If a point is in progress, the point ends immediately.
3.11.6.2.3.2. Of the four penalties, the penalty with the least time remaining will end and the remaining three players will be placed in the box at the start of the next point.32
3.11.6.2.3.3. The opposing team scores a point.
3.11.6.2.4. If both teams receive penalties that would cause their opponent to score a point, the points offset each other to the extent possible.33
3.11.6.3. If a penalty is assessed before or between points, it must be served at the start of the next point.
3.11.6.4. A minor penalty is 1 minute long.
3.11.6.5. A major or gross penalty is 2 minutes long.
3.11.6.6. A player who receives a gross penalty may not play for the next 10 minutes of point time. This carries over to the next match the player plays in, even if the match is in the next round or a different tournament. If the player receiving the gross penalty would normally be placed in the penalty box, the team must select another player to serve the player‟s penalty.
3.11.6.7. Penalty time begins running when the player serving the penalty enters34 the penalty box.
3.11.6.8. Penalty time only runs when the match clock is running.
3.11.6.9. If an opposing team scores a point while a team has a player serving a minor penalty, the minor penalty with the least time remaining will end.35
3.11.6.10. Penalty Box
3.11.6.10.1. The penalty box is a designated area on the field of play where players serving a penalty must remain between the start and end of a point.
3.11.6.10.2. The penalty box is in the field of play, but out-of-bounds.36
3.11.6.10.3. Players in the penalty box are eliminated.
3.11.6.10.4. Players in the penalty box may leave the penalty box:
28 Not counting the player being penalized; if there are two or more other live players left from the team on the field, this rule doesn‟t apply.
29 If a team receives multiple penalties under 3.11.6.2.2 in the same point, the opposing team still only gets one point. (The point is for the point ending, not the penalties themselves.)
30 The “end of point” happens immediately. This stops the point clock (to discourage players from playing on to burn point time, or playing on to stay alive long enough for a teammate to come out of the box). Because the point is over when the penalty is called and the player is not in the box, this also prevents the player from having his penalty dropped when the opposing team scores – which would be no penalty at all. However, if there is another player already serving a minor penalty in the box, their minor penalty does end as normal when an opposing team scores.
31 Note that if the point was already ended due to 3.11.6.2.2 and one of the penalties is a minor one, that penalty is ended and we have room for the new player. If all the players in the box were serving gross or major or double minor penalties, then we have to end the shortest penalty and award the opposing team an ADDITIONAL point to compensate them for letting someone out of the box early. Note that unlike with 3.11.6.2.2, the point is due to the penalty, not the end of the point, so the opposing team gets one point for each penalty.
32 If by some calamity there are 3 players already in the box and the remaining two players get penalties at the same time, two of the 5 penalties would get discarded and the opposing team would score two points.
33 If each team would get a point, they both get no points. If one team would get 3 points and the other would get one point, the one team gets 2 points, or the difference.
34 “enters” is when the player first touches the box, so long as they proceed to go all the way in it. This means they also may not leave the box once they‟ve touched it without incurring a penalty for leaving the box early.
35 Note that players serving a double minor really have 2 one-minute penalties. So if one player has 0:27 left on their minor penalty, and another has 1:13 left on their double-minor penalty, the player with the double-minor has their penalty reduced to 1:00 (the first penalty is ended, leaving 1 minute of the second penalty) and BOTH players stay in the box.
36 Because a team may only have 5 players on the field of play during the point, and because the penalty box is on the field of play, players in the box, even though eliminated and out-of-bounds, count against the total number of players a team may have (5). 13
3.11.6.10.4.1. When their penalty time has elapsed. A player whose penalty time
elapses during a point and who enters the in-bounds area within 3 seconds of the end of the penalty and prior to the end of the point becomes an active player.
3.11.6.10.4.2. At the end of a point in which the opposing team has scores a point, if
3.11.6.10.4.2.1. The player is serving a minor penalty, and
3.11.6.10.4.2.2. The player has the least amount of time remaining on their penalty of any players on their team also serving a minor penalty.
3.11.6.10.4.3. During the break period between points, but a minor penalty will be assessed to the player if they do not return to the penalty box prior to the start of the next point.
3.11.6.10.4.4. At the end of a match.
3.11.6.10.5. A player serving a penalty who leaves the penalty box at any time not specified in 3.11.6.10.4 will receive a minor penalty.37
37 An additional player should be pulled from the field of play to serve the penalty.
38 With 4 opponents, a team will play one point against each of Opponents A, B, C then D; then play a second point against each opponent, then play third points as necessary.
4. Match Structure
4.1. RaceTo-2
4.1.1. Each match will consist of series of 5-minute points.
4.1.1.1. Points will be played in rotation amongst all opponents scheduled for a team in the current round of play.38
4.1.2. The match ends if
4.1.2.1. A team has scored two points, or
4.1.2.2. Three points have been played, or
4.1.2.3. A team forfeits.
4.1.3. At the start of the first point of a match, the first team with a player at a starting station starts from that starting station. Teams switch starting stations for the second point of the match, and select starting stations by a mutually agreeable random method for the third point of the match.
4.1.4. The team that scores the most game points during the match wins the match.
4.1.5. If a preliminary match ends with the same number of points scored by each team, the match is a tie.
4.1.6. If a playoff match ends with one point scored per team, the team with the most game time remaining in the point they scored, minus any penalty minutes accrued during that match, wins the match.
4.1.6.1. If, after subtracting any penalty minutes accrued during the match, both teams have the same game time remaining, teams will play overtime as dictated in 4.1.7.
4.1.7. If a playoff match prior to the semifinal or final round ends with no points scored by either team, the teams will switch sides and play one additional 5-minute overtime point.
4.1.7.1. If neither team scores in the overtime point, both teams lose, neither team advances, and the team that would have played the winner of the match in the next round receives a bye.
4.1.8. If a playoff match in the semifinal or final round ends with no points scored by either team, the teams will play sudden-death untimed overtime games until a team scores a point, switching sides at the start of each overtime point.
39 The sum of both teams‟ scores is odd, i.e. 1-0, 4-3, 2-5, etc. Note that if no point is scored, teams do not switch sides.
40 Including prior to any overtime points.
41 It is permissible to use a timeout between regulation and overtime points, if a team has their timeout remaining from regulation time, but teams do not get additional timeouts for overtime. Teams may use their timeouts within the same break period.
42 Teams do not switch sides for overtime periods. Any penalties from regulation time carry over to the overtime period.
43 Note that this does not say any active player from the team scoring the point; players are welcome to hang flags for their opponents.
44 A judge will avoid signaling a flag hang if a player who appears to be eliminated attempts to hang the flag. The judge will signal a point score once the player has been verified as active.
45 Event promoters may decide to locate a single white flag tied to a fixed object at the midfield line between the two coaches and require coaches to tug this flag to surrender.
46 RaceTo-4/5/7 only
5. Scoring
5.1. Point Score
5.1.1. A team scores one point each time
5.1.1.1. Any active player43 touches the point flag to the opposing team’s starting station44,
5.2. Round Score
5.2.1. A team scores 2 match points for each match won.
5.2.2. A team scores 0 match points for all other matches.
5.2.3. In the event two teams have the same total of match points, the tie will be broken by
5.2.3.1. Number of matches won, followed by
5.2.3.2. Head-to-head competition47, followed by
5.2.3.4. Number of game points scored, followed by
5.2.3.5. Total point time remaining in points won in RaceTo-2 matches, followed by
5.2.3.6. Most points played in RaceTo-2 matches, followed by
5.2.3.7. Least point time remaining in points lost in RaceTo-2 matches, followed by
5.2.3.8. Round scores from preceding rounds, most recent round first, followed by
5.2.3.9. Seed into the preliminary round.
47 Head-To-Head tiebreakers are applied by comparing the group of all teams with the same match score and number of wins in the following manner:
1. A team wins the head-to-head tiebreaker if the team:
a. Has, for any opponent played in the current round, won more matches in the current round against that opponent than lost; and
b. Is, for any opponent not played in the current round, ranked ahead of that opponent in the remaining tiebreakers.
2. If no team wins the tiebreakers as in 1. a team loses the head-to-head tiebreaker if the team:
a. Has, for any opponent played in the current round, lost more matches in the current round against that opponent than won; and
b. Is, for any opponent not played in the current round, ranked behind that opponent in the remaining tiebreakers.
3. If no team wins or loses the head-to-head tiebreakers as in 1. or 2. (for example, three teams have played each other and each won once), proceed to successive tiebreakers until a tiebreaker is reached where at least one team is not tied with the others:
a. If one team wins that tiebreaker, they are removed from the tied group and the remaining teams in the tie should have their tie broken starting with the very first tiebreaker, otherwise
b. Split the tied teams into two groups; the first group with all teams tied to win that tiebreaker, and the other group with the remaining teams, then break the ties for each group separately starting with the very first tiebreaker. All teams from the first group are ranked ahead of all teams from the second group.
4. Once a team has won or lost the tiebreaker, remove it from the group assigning it the highest rank for a win or the lowest rank for a loss, and then start back at step one with the remaining teams in the group, repeating until only one team remains.
48 Total point points scored minus total point points given up in all matches in the current round
49 A team that has played no matches in the current round has NO average margin scored, NOT zero, and thus a negative margin cannot be replaced by a 0 if the forfeiting team has not played any other matches.
5.3. Forfeits
5.3.1. A match will be scored as a loss for any team that forfeits a match.
5.3.2. A match will be scored as a win for any opponent of a team that forfeits a match, if the opponent does not also forfeit the match.
5.3.2.1. If a RaceTo-2 team scores a match win by forfeit, the match will be scored with
5.3.2.1.1. 2 points won, with the point time remaining in each match the higher of
5.3.2.1.1.1. The point time remaining if the match was played and the team won the match, or
5.3.2.1.1.2. The average point time remaining in the team’s other points won in the current round, or
5.3.2.1.1.3. The average point time remaining in points scored against the opponent in the current round, or
5.3.2.1.1.4. Zero.
5.3.2.1.2. 0 points lost
5.3.2.1.3. Any penalty minutes received during any points of the match played.
5.3.3. The opponent of a RaceTo-2 team that forfeits a point will receive one game point with a point time remaining of the higher of zero or the game time remaining in any other point won by the team against the forfeiting team in the current round.
5.3.3.1. A RaceTo-2 team that forfeits two points in the same match forfeits the match.
50 If margin is based on the match played, then points scored is based on the match played; if margin is based on the team‟s average, then points played is based on the team‟s average; and if margin is based on margin against the forfeiting team, points are based on points scored against the opposing team.
51 This allows teams to do the “right thing” if they agree on a scoring error. If two teams are intentionally doing the wrong thing to fix the score, they should be dealt with as any other team intentionally fixing scores.
52 For example, the score sheet lists 40, 32, 21, and 3 for points with a total of 93, the total score may be corrected to 96. If, however, there were 4 live players instead of three and the score sheet has been signed, that change must be initialed by both captains as well.
53 The scoreboard is ONLY the scoreboard – copying scores to the scoreboard wrong, or calculations in error on the scoreboard, will be corrected by scorekeepers. The scoreboard does NOT include score sheets.
5.4. Score Sheets
5.4.1. Any judge or designated official may complete a score sheet. The head judge will show the score sheet to captain of each team.
5.4.2. Any correction made to the score sheet must be initialed by a head judge,51 unless the correction corrects an obvious mathematical error,52 the correction may also be initialed by a scorekeeper.
5.4.3. In the event that one or both team captains do not agree with the contents of a score sheet and thus will not sign the score sheet, the head judge may decide whether the score sheet must be amended and/or validate the score sheet himself.
5.4.3.1. A head judge or a scoreboard official may correct clerical or mathematical errors on the scoreboard at any time prior to the start of the next round of play.53
6. Ranking and Seeding*
6.1. Season Ranking
6.1.1. Season rankings will be figured by total number of match points from all past tournaments played by a team.
7. Tournament Structure
7.1. Preliminary Round Seeding
7.1.1. Teams in each division in the preliminary round will be seeded according to their rank as in 6.1 in the division they will be playing.54
7.1.2. Teams will be seeded into preliminary round brackets according to Appendix A
7.1.3. In preliminary brackets of 5 teams, each team will play each other team in the bracket once.
7.1.4. In preliminary brackets of 6 teams, each team will play each other team in the bracket once, except the top-seeded team will not play the 6th-seeded team, the 2nd-seeded team will not play the 5th-seeded team, and the 3rd-seeded team will not play the 4th-seeded team.
54 If a team played in a different division in the previous event, they are seeded according to their rank in the new division.
55 Same number of teams from each bracket.
56 If 16 teams are advancing from the prelims, the top 8 teams will advance to the quarterfinals, leaving the 9th through 16th seeded teams to play off for the remaining four spots, with 9th playing 16th, 10th playing 15th, etc. According to this rule, the winner of the 9th vs 16th matchup gets the 9th seed, regardless of the margin of victory in the other playoff brackets. Basically, the top-seeded team in each matchup is „defending‟ their seed from the lower-seeded team, and if the lower-seeded team wins, they get that seed – the teams are NOT reseeded after the head-to-head matchups are played out.
57 If 8 teams advance from prelims, the top two teams get byes, and then the 3rd, 6th and 7th teams play off in one bracket, while the 4th, 5th and 8th teams play in another bracket. The team that wins each bracket advances, but if the 4th place team has a better score in the quarterfinals than the 3rd place team (points, wins, margin, etc), that team gets the 3rd seed in the semifinals.
7.2. Advancing from the Preliminary Round
7.2.1. The same number of teams from each bracket will advance, except
7.2.2. If the number of teams advancing is not evenly divisible by the number of brackets, the number of wildcard teams necessary to meet the number of advancing teams will also advance.
7.2.3. Teams will first be selected on a per-bracket basis55 based on round score amongst teams in the same bracket, and then any wildcard teams will be selected based on score amongst remaining teams in all brackets.
7.3. Playoff Seeding
7.3.1. Teams advancing from a head-to-head matchup will be seeded based on the seed into the previous head-to-head round of the highest seeded team in the matchup.56
7.3.2. Teams advancing from non-head-to-head brackets will be seeded based on performance compared to all other teams advancing from the same round.57
18
7.3.3. Teams that did not play the immediately preceding round will always be seeded higher
than teams that did play the immediately preceding round.58
7.3.4. If four teams advance from two brackets, the top seeded team from one bracket plays the second seeded team from the other bracket.
58 Teams with byes are seeded higher than teams without byes.
7.4. Playoff Bracket Schedule
7.4.1. Teams playing a head-to-head matchup will play one match with the winner of the match advancing.
7.5. Playoff Structure
7.5.1. In divisions of 2 teams, no playoffs will be played.
7.5.2. In divisions of 3 teams, the top two teams advance directly to finals.
7.5.3. In divisions of 6 or less teams,
7.5.3.1. The top team will advance directly to the finals, and
7.5.3.2. The 2nd and 3rd seeded teams will advance to the semifinals, where the winner will advance to play the top team in the finals.
7.5.4. In divisions of 7 to 10 teams,
7.5.4.1. The top four teams will advance to semifinals, where
7.5.4.1.1. If two teams are advancing from two brackets, the 1st place team from one bracket will play the 2nd place team from the other bracket, otherwise
7.5.4.1.2. The top-seeded team will play the 4th-seeded team, and the 2nd-seeded team will play the 3rd-seeded team, and
7.5.4.2. The winners of each semi-final match will play for 1st and 2nd place, and the losers of each semi-final match will play for 3rd and 4th place, except
7.5.4.2.1. The losers of the semi-final matches in the Pro division will be awarded 3rd and 4th place based on performance in the preliminary round, with the team ranked highest after the preliminary round receiving 3rd place.
7.5.5. In divisions of more than 10 teams, teams will advance into a single-elimination head-to-head seeded bracket leading to the four-team semifinals.
7.5.5.1. In divisions of 11 to 15 teams, the top six teams will advance
7.5.5.2. In divisions of 16 to 20 teams, the top eight teams will advance.
7.5.5.3. In divisions of 21 to 30 teams, the top 12 teams will advance.
7.5.5.4. In divisions of 31 to 40 teams, the top 16 teams will advance.
7.5.5.5. In divisions of 41 to 60 teams, the top 24 teams will advance.
7.5.5.6. In divisions of 61 to 80 teams, the top 32 teams will advance.
7.5.5.7. In divisions of 81 to 120 teams, the top 48 teams will advance.
7.5.5.8. In divisions of 121 to 200 teams, the top 64 teams will advance.
8. Interference, Sportsmanship, Suspensions and Ejections
8.1. Interference and Sportsmanship
8.1.1. Any person who shoots towards the spectator sideline or opponent‟s end line during a break period will be assessed a minor penalty.
8.1.2. Any person who engages in aggressive or insulting behavior towards another person, except a judge, will be assessed GROSS penalty.
8.1.3. Any person who engages in aggressive or insulting behavior towards a judge will be assessed at least a gross penalty.
8.1.4. Any person who engages in hostile physical contact with another person, including shooting another person who is not participating in a point or shooting from outside the field of play will be assessed a major suspension.
8.1.5. Any person who engages in intentional physical contact with an official will be assessed a major suspension.
19
8.1.6. Any person who throws an air source will be ejected from the tournament and will
serve a suspension banning them from the next scheduled event.
8.1.7. Any person who throws any equipment on the field of play other than an air source, disposable equipment, or a flag will be assessed a gross penalty.
8.1.8. Any person who intentionally shoots in the direction of another person who is not wearing a paintball goggle system will be assessed a major suspension.
8.1.9. Any person who engages in other minor acts of unsportsmanlike behavior may be assessed a minor or a major penalty.
8.1.10. Any person who engages in other major or severe acts of unsportsmanlike behavior may be assessed a minor or major suspension by a head judge.
8.1.11. Every player on any team that intentionally gives up points to an opponent or plots to set scores with opponents will be assessed a major suspension.
8.2. Suspensions
8.2.1. Any head judge may issue a suspension on the field of play. Any authorized event staff may refer a person outside the field of play to the Ultimate Judge for suspension.
8.2.1.1. A player who receives a minor suspension
8.2.1.1.1. May not play
8.2.1.1.1.1. For the next 4 points when on a RaceTo-2 roster
8.2.1.1.1.2. For the remainder of the match and the next match when on a RaceTo-4/5/7 roster, even if the next match is in the next round or tournament.
8.2.1.1.2. Must be present for all points and matches played by their team and must silently remain in an area designated by the head judge for the duration of the match. 59
8.2.1.2. A person who receives a major suspension will be ejected from the event and
8.2.1.2.1. May not be on-site at any event for the duration of the suspension, and
8.2.1.2.2. Will have a major penalty assessed against their team, and
8.2.1.2.3. May be suspended up to a year by the Ultimate Judge, and
8.2.1.2.4. May be assessed a fine of up to $1000. A person may not play any further events until such fine is paid.
8.2.1.3. The team of any player who receives a suspension will be assessed a major penalty.
8.2.2. The team of any person who receives a major suspension will have their prize package for the event reduced by one fifth per player suspended.
8.2.3. Any team who has three or more players suspended in any event will be ejected from that event.
59 The area will be near the scoring table. This is to prevent suspended players from becoming sideline coaches.
8.3. Ejections
8.3.1. Only the Ultimate Judge may eject a team from an event.
8.3.2. A team that is ejected from an event will forfeit any entry fee paid and any prizes or points earned at the event.
8.3.3. Teams ejected for having an illegal roster or playing with ineligible players will forfeit all matches in that event. Teams will otherwise forfeit all remaining matches.
8.4. Fines
8.4.1. A person who has been assessed a fine will forfeit their ID card and event pass until such fine is paid.
8.4.2. No person with an outstanding fine may appear on or be added to any roster for any future event.
20
9. Equipment
9.1. Clothing
9.1.1. Players must wear only one pair of full-length pants and only a long-sleeved jersey. Players may wear only one layer of underclothing consisting of, at maximum, one pair of under-shorts and one short or long sleeve t-shirt, provided that it contains no padding. Any other soft padding in garments is prohibited.
9.1.1.1. Female players are allowed up to 3 sports bras under their normal uniform.
9.1.2. Prohibited colors – any player/team found to be wearing clothing that may impede the judge‟s ability to make a proper call, may be asked to remove such clothing.
9.1.3. No part of a player may be covered by more than two layers of clothing.
9.1.4. Padding in jerseys is not limited to specific areas; provided that the thickness does not exceed 5mm (0.197”) Padding material is limited to an open cell foam and must not be modified from the manufacture‟s original form.
9.1.5. No short sleeve or “sleeveless” vest type jerseys can be worn as the outer most layer.
9.1.6. Any layer of clothing that is thicker than a standard 100% cotton T-shirt is padding.
9.1.7. Players may not wear extremely oversized clothing. Clothing is oversized if, when tightly gathered about the body or limb with excess clothing pinched together and away from the body, the excess clothing extends more than 4 inches from the body or limb.60
9.1.8. Players may not wear clothing that is made out of highly absorbent or slick material, such as felt, fleece, nylon or rubber.
9.1.9. Players may wear up to, but not in excess of three items on their head. As an example, one sandanna, one headband, and one beanie. Hats, caps and headbands may not be modified from the manufacturer‟s original form, and may not extend more than one inch below the collarbone or below the shoulder blades, and headbands may be no wider than 2”.61
9.1.10. Players may wear one pair of socks. Socks may not extend higher than below the knee, and must not be of a quilted or padded nature, and count as one layer of clothing.
9.1.11. Players may wear one pair of footwear.
9.1.11.1. Footwear must not be modified from the manufacturer‟s original form, and
9.1.11.2. Must not include metal cleats or spikes, and
9.1.12. A player who continues to play with illegal clothing will be assessed a gross penalty.
9.1.13. Any head judge may prohibit a particular item of clothing.
9.1.14. The number 00 can only be worn by a non player coach.
9.1.14.1. The numbers 01 and 02 can only be worn by support staff.
9.1.14.2. The numbers 00, 01, and 02 can only be on the field during the field walk time and directly before or after or during a point's bread period.
60 The article of clothing should be grabbed at a single point and pulled away from the body or limb. Once this has been done, the clothing should be pinched on opposite sides of this point so that these two points are brought together next to the body or limb. The clothing will then be tight around the body or limb, with any extra clothing pulled through the pinch and held at the original grab point.
61 “Turtle” caps and headbands can be worn as the ONLY layer on the head. Players will be asked to remove any excess layers.
62 Goggle manufacturers must submit independent laboratory test results to the promoter at least 10 days prior to the start of a tournament demonstrating that the goggle system meets or exceeds ASTM standards for any system such manufacturer wishes to be allowed for use during that tournament.
63 Cracks in the lens, however slight, affect the ability of the goggles to protect the player.
64 A player may not ever remove their goggles once they enter the field of play. Note that if an active player removes their goggles intentionally, they are automatically eliminated and a teammate must be eliminated to satisfy the minor penalty. Because an elimination is NOT a penalty, the player eliminating themselves does not count as a penalty being assessed.
65 Ex. Goggle Fans, but decorative additions that are not padded or absorbent are acceptable.
9.2. Protective Gear
9.2.1. Players must wear a complete goggle system that meets ASTM standards62 and is in good repair and not otherwise damaged in a manner that affects their ability to protect the player63. A person who fails to wear an acceptable goggle system in a designated goggles-on area, including the field of play, will be assessed a minor penalty.64
9.2.2. No material may be removed from the manufacturer‟s original form. Items not of a padded or absorbent nature65 may be added to the goggle system provided they do not adversely impact the ability of the goggle system to protect the player.
9.2.3. Players must wear the full-face protection provided with the goggle system as it is designed and sold by the manufacturer.
21
9.2.4. Players must wear the ear protection provided with the goggle system as designed and
sold by the manufacturer.
9.2.5. Players may wear one layer of padding and/or other protection on the elbow, forearm, knee or shin, provided that padding and/or protection has not been modified from the manufacturer‟s original form.66
9.2.6. Players may wear a single pair of gloves. Gloves may not have material in addition to the manufacturer‟s original form.
9.2.7. Players may wear neoprene neck protection of a single layer not to exceed 0.5 cm in thickness.
9.2.8. Male players may wear groin protection and female players may wear breast protection.
66 Hits on padding are obvious. Players should not wear so much padding that they cannot feel hits.
67 They may operate if and only if the trigger is pulled, and may not fire if it is hit, dropped, or sneezed on.
68 Batteries, circuit boards, chips, wires, etc.
69 A measurement of 80 milliseconds or higher is acceptable. A measurement of 79.9 milliseconds or lower will be penalized.
70 Shots may not be buffered past trigger pulls – if you pull the trigger, the marker fires, and you pull the trigger again, the marker may only fire three more times, not five.
71 If the trigger is pulled one, two or three times, the marker may fire no more than the number of times the trigger is pulled. The marker may fire up to three balls per pull after that. If the marker is not fired for a second, the trigger must again be pulled three times before the marker may fire more than one shot per pull.
9.3. Markers
9.3.1. Players may carry a single, .68 caliber, pump or semi automatic paintball marker that includes a single barrel and a single trigger.
9.3.2. Prohibited colors – any player found to be using a marker whose color may impede the judge‟s ability to make a proper call, may be asked to discontinue the use of that marker.
9.3.3. A marker covered in whole or in part by a material of an absorbent or padded nature is illegal.
9.3.4. A trigger is a movable lever that causes a marker to fire when force is applied directly to the trigger with a vector parallel and opposite to the vector the marker fires paintballs.67 A marker that can be caused to fire by any other means is illegal.
9.3.5. A trigger guard that is unaltered from the grip frame manufacturer‟s original form must protect the trigger of the marker.
9.3.6. A marker with any electronic components68
9.3.6.1. May fire no more than one paintball within 80 milliseconds (12.5 bps)
9.3.6.1.1. A player on the field of play whose marker fires two shots within 15 milliseconds less than the minimum shot interval will be assessed a minor suspension.
9.3.6.1.2. A player on the field of play whose marker fires two shots within 10 milliseconds less than the minimum shot interval will be assessed a gross penalty.
9.3.6.1.3. A player on the field of play whose marker fires two shots within 5 milliseconds less than the minimum shot interval will be assessed a major penalty.
9.3.6.1.4. A player on the field of play whose marker fires two shots within the minimum shot interval 69 will be assessed a minor penalty.
9.3.6.2. May fire no more than three shots per press and release of the trigger, and no more than three shots between presses of the trigger.70 A player, who carries a marker onto the field of play that fires more than three shots per press and release of the trigger, or more than three shots between two presses of the trigger, will receive a gross penalty and a minor suspension.
9.3.6.3. May fire no more than one shot per press and release of the trigger unless
9.3.6.3.1. The trigger has been pressed and released four times,71 and
9.3.6.3.2. The trigger has been pressed and released at least once per second since the first of the four trigger pulls.
9.3.6.4. Any person who carries a marker onto the field of play that will fire more than one shot per press and release of the trigger before the trigger has been pressed and released at least four times after not having been fired for at least one second will receive a gross penalty and a minor suspension.
9.3.7. A marker with no electronic components
9.3.7.1. May not fire more than one shot per press and release of the trigger,72 and
22
72 Once the marker is fired, the player must reduce the force applied to the trigger and allow the trigger to travel forward past the firing point and then reapply the force on the trigger and bring the trigger back past the firing point before the marker may fire again, i.e., no bounce.
73 No reactive triggers. The trigger force may change as the position of the trigger changes, but the force exerted against the trigger finger at any given trigger position should not change, for example, as a result of the marker firing.
74 Essentially, anything that can adjust velocity, shot mode, de-bounce, etc, must be locked-down so it can‟t be changed on the field.
75 This exception only applies to screwing in or unscrewing the air source – any settings on the air tank itself must not be adjustable without the use of tools.
76 Players will be given a reasonable amount of time (10-15 seconds) to install barrel condoms after a point ends.
77 Only “authorized” paintball manufacturers paint may be shot at MWHSPL events. Participating vendors will be identified at each events captains meeting.
9.3.7.2. May only fire a shot when the trigger is pressed, and
9.3.7.3. May not increase or decrease the force required to pull or hold the trigger to or at any position without the use of tools.73
9.3.8. A marker with settings, whether mechanical, pneumatic, or electronic, that may be adjusted without the use of tools to allow the marker to operate in an illegal manner is illegal.74 A player who operates buttons, switches, valves or other adjustable device on a marker on the field of play without the permission of a judge will be assessed a minor penalty. A player who operates buttons, switches, valves or other adjustable device on a marker on the field of play after being instructed to provide the marker to an official, or prior to being instructed to do so, will receive a gross penalty and that player will receive a minor suspension.
9.3.9. Marker barrels may be equipped with porting, but may not have a sound suppressor attached or integral to the construction of the barrel.
9.3.10. A marker with any valve, expansion chamber, or other item or device except a barrel or screw-in air source75 that may be adjusted on the field of play to increase or decrease velocity without the use of tools is illegal.
9.3.11. Any person possessing a marker that is attached to an air source, does not have a barrel sock properly installed over the end of the barrel, is not at a designated chronograph station being chronographed and is not on the field of play during, in the 10 seconds prior to, or the 10 seconds immediately after a point,76 will be assessed a minor penalty.
9.3.12. Any illegal marker is not allowed on the field of play. Players carrying an illegal marker on the field of play will be assessed a gross penalty. A player bringing an illegal marker onto the field of play after being informed by a judge that the marker is illegal will be assessed a gross penalty and a minor suspension.
9.3.13. Any player whose marker has been modified from the manufacturer‟s original form to disguise its mode of operation or to allow the player to change the mode of operation on the field without the use of tools will receive a major suspension.
9.3.14. A marker may be confiscated for inspection at any time, and may be kept for up to three days following the conclusion of the event.
9.4. Velocity
9.4.1. A judge may chronograph a marker on the field of play at any time, including before, after, or between points.
9.4.2. Any player whose marker fires a shot in excess of 300 feet per second will be assessed a penalty as follows:
FPS
Penalty
301-310
Minor Penalty
311-325
Major Penalty
326+
Gross Penalty
10. Gear Restrictions
10.1. No player can carry more than one hopper of paint and 2 pods onto the field.
10.1.1. Players who have more than 1 hopper and 2 pods at the beginning of a point will be assessed a minor penalty.
[RaceTo-2]
December 2, 2011
1st Revision
Contents
1. Organization ................................................................................................................................................. 4
1.1. Information .......................................................................................................................................... 4
1.2. Judges ................................................................................................................................................... 4
2. Classification ................................................................................................................................................ 4
2.1. Player Class ......................................................................................................................................... 4
2.2. Roster Classification Limits ................................................................................................................. 5
2.3. Roster Size Limits ............................................................................................................................... 6
3. The Game ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
3.1. Staging Area ........................................................................................................................................ 6
3.2. Field of Play ......................................................................................................................................... 7
3.3. Point Start ............................................................................................................................................ 7
3.4. Player Status ........................................................................................................................................ 7
3.5. Occupation, Possession and Exchange ................................................................................................ 8
3.6. Flags and Flag Carriers ........................................................................................................................ 9
3.7. Eliminated Players ............................................................................................................................... 9
3.8. Hits ....................................................................................................................................................... 9
3.9. Point Stoppages ................................................................................................................................. 10
3.10. Point Completion ............................................................................................................................... 10
3.11. Penalties ............................................................................................................................................. 10
4. Match Structure ......................................................................................................................................... 13
4.1. RaceTo-2 ............................................................................................................................................ 13
4.2. RaceTo-4/5/7 ...................................................................................................................................... 13
5. Scoring ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
5.1. Point Score ......................................................................................................................................... 14
5.2. Round Score ...................................................................................................................................... 15
5.3. Forfeits ............................................................................................................................................... 15
5.4. Score Sheets ....................................................................................................................................... 16
6. Ranking and Seeding* ............................................................................................................................... 16
6.1. Season Ranking ................................................................................................................................. 16
7. Tournament Structure ............................................................................................................................... 17
7.1. Preliminary Round Seeding ............................................................................................................... 17
7.2. Advancing from the Preliminary Round .......................................................................................... 17
7.3. Playoff Seeding .................................................................................................................................. 17
7.4. Playoff Bracket Schedule ................................................................................................................... 18 3
7.5. Playoff Structure ............................................................................................................................... 18
8. Interference, Sportsmanship, Suspensions and Ejections ......................................................................... 18
8.1. Interference and Sportsmanship ....................................................................................................... 18
8.2. Suspensions ........................................................................................................................................ 19
8.3. Ejections ............................................................................................................................................. 19
8.4. Fines ................................................................................................................................................... 19
9. Equipment .................................................................................................................................................. 20
9.1. Clothing .............................................................................................................................................. 20
9.2. Protective Gear.................................................................................................................................. 20
9.3. Markers .............................................................................................................................................. 21
9.4. Velocity............................................................................................................................................... 22
9.5. Paintballs ........................................................................................................................................... 22
9.6. Other Equipment ............................................................................................................................... 23
9.7. Prohibited Equipment ........................................................................................................................ 23
10. Miscellaneous ......................................................................................................................................... 23
10.1. Maintenance and Cleanup ................................................................................................................. 23
10.2. Appeals ............................................................................................................................................... 24
10.3. Rules Modifications ............................................................................................................................ 24
10.4. Field Layout ....................................................................................................................................... 25
10.5. APPENDIX A: Preliminary Round Structure ................................................................................. 26 4
1. Organization
1.1. Information
1.1.1. The most recent, official version of these Tournament Paintball Rules can be found at wwww.mwhspl.weebly.com
1.1.2. A team and its players are responsible for learning and understanding these rules, as well as for staying abreast of changes to these rules.
1.2. Judges
1.2.1. Each field‟s head judge is the highest authority on that field.
1.2.2. Any call made by the head judge on their field is final.
1.2.3. Ultimate Judge will not overturn any on-field calls by a head judge.
1.2.4. The Ultimate Judge is the highest authority at an event.
1.2.5. Any decision of the Ultimate Judge is final.
2. Classification
2.1. Player Class
2.1. All players are classified as High School
2.2. Roster Classification Limits
2.2.1. RaceTo-2
2.3. Roster Size Limits
2.3.1. RaceTo-2
2.3.1.1. There may be no more than 5 players on a team
2.3.1.2. There may be no more than 2 staff members on a team
2.3.1.2.1 Staff members may not be on the field of play during a point
2.3.1.3. There may be no more than 1 coach on a team
2.3.1.3.1 The coach is not allowed on the field of play during a point
3. The Game
3.1. Staging Area
3.1.1. Each team will be provided with a staging area adjacent to the field of play. All team players and staff must remain in the team‟s designated staging area during any points on the field of play, except:
3.1.1.1. Players may be on the field of play for a point in which their team is scheduled, or during the break period directly before or after such point.
3.1.1.2. Staff and coaches may only be on the field of play in between points which their team is scheduled.
3.1.1.2. To travel directly to and from a place where paintballs may be purchased, or
3.1.1.3. To travel directly to and from the nearest place where air tanks may be filled, if fills are not currently available in the team’s designated staging area, or
3.1.1.4. With permission of the Head judge.
3.1.1.5. No person appearing on the roster of a team may employ an electronic or mechanical device to communicate with any other person during any of their team’s points or matches.
3.1.1.5.1. The team of any person violating this rule will forfeit the match during which the infraction occurred.
3.1.2. No communication is allowed by anyone from the designated staging area to the active field of play during any team points or matches.
3.2. Field of Play
3.2.1. The field of play will consist of a level rectangular area called the “in-bounds” area, and any area between the in-bounds area and the netting surrounding the in-bounds area.
3.2.2. The field of play will be free of any undue obstacle or hazard to participants or officials.
3.2.3. The edge of the in-bounds area will be marked by a boundary line. The boundary line and any object or ground outside of the boundary line is out-of-bounds.
3.2.4. The in-bounds area will include at least 40 obstacles arranged symmetrically across the midpoint or the midline of the in-bounds area.
3.2.5. Obstacles will be at least 1 meter away from any boundary line.
3.2.6. The field of play will include a starting station in the center of and parallel to the boundary line at each end of the in-bounds area consisting of
3.2.6.1. A vertical rectangular surface one meter high by two meters wide, or
3.2.6.2. An inflatable obstacle one meter high by two meters wide, or
3.2.6.3. A netted penalty box 2 meters wide and at least 2 meters high.
3.2.7. The starting station and penalty box netting is in-bounds.
3.2.8. Each team may field up to 5 players for each point. Any team that has more than 5 people on the field of play during a point will be assessed a minor penalty.
3.2.9. Teams will be permitted to examine the field of play during field-walking times designated by the promoter.
3.2.10. Any person who intentionally alters the field of play will be assessed a minor suspension.
3.2.11. Any team whose player, staff or affiliated member alters the field of play will be ejected from the event.
3.2.12. Any person on the field of play outside of field-walking times designated by the promoter or immediately before, during or after a point in which the person is listed as a player or staff member of a competing team without the permission of a judge or authorized event staff will be assessed a major penalty.5
5 This effectively establishes a major penalty for entering the field of play at any time without a judge‟s approval or checking in.
6 During a point, a player is always active, inactive, or eliminated. Inactive is when a player is out of the point and his shots should not count, but the player would not be expected to know he is out of the point (i.e. the player‟s foot touches tape line, then the player bunkers two people – the player should be eliminated with no penalty and the two people bunkered should be left in). Eliminated is when a player should know they should not still be playing, either because a judge has told them they are eliminated, or because they have an obvious hit, or because they were never on the field at the start of the point to begin with. Thus, when assessing appropriate penalties, a judge must only determine whether the player was active, inactive, or eliminated when the infraction was committed.
3.3. Point Start
3.3.1. Points will be preceded by a break period. The point starts when the break period ends. The point start will be signaled by the scoreboard buzzer or other sound device.
3.4. Player Status
3.4.1. An “active” player is any player in the in-bounds area at the start of the current point who has touched their barrel to the starting station during the final 30 seconds of the preceding break period and has not subsequently become inactive or eliminated.
3.4.2. An “inactive” player is a previously active player who has not been eliminated and
3.4.2.1. Has pointed their marker downfield after becoming active but prior to touching their
barrel to their team’s starting station, or
3.4.2.2. Has touched any ground, area or object outside the in-bounds area7, or
3.4.2.3. Has an unobvious hit, or
3.4.2.4. Has lost possession of equipment other than pods, squeegees, or paintballs or a point flag passed to an active player or a judge, or
3.4.2.5. Has passed between two bunkers that were in physical contact with each other.
3.4.3. An inactive player will be eliminated by a judge.
3.4.4. An “eliminated” 8 player is any player
3.4.4.1. With an obvious hit; or
3.4.4.2. Who was not on the field of play at the start of the point; or
3.4.4.3. Who has signaled their elimination by
3.4.4.3.1. Removing or losing their goggles, or
3.4.4.3.2. Saying “hit” or “out”, or
3.4.4.3.3. Raising their marker or an open hand above their head, or
3.4.4.3.4. Placing their barrel sock on their barrel; or
3.4.4.4. Who has been eliminated by a judge.
3.4.5. Under no circumstances may an eliminated player be made inactive or active or may an inactive player be made active.
3.4.6. A player being approached by an official may not advance. Players who advance to avoid an official will be assessed a major penalty.9
7 Players are thus inactive if they are touching any out-of-bounds area at the start of the point
8 Note that in these rules, the phrases “is inactive” and “is eliminated” means the player‟s status is IMMEDIATELY and AUTOMATICALLY changed to inactive or eliminated, respectively, without any action by a judge. The phrase “eliminated by a judge” means the player maintains their current status until a judge informs them that they are eliminated, either verbally or by signal.
9 The minor penalty is in addition to any eliminations/playing on penalties. If the player is not hit and avoided the official, that player is eliminated. If the player is inactive and avoided, they are eliminated (for being inactive) and a teammate is eliminated (for the minor penalty). If the player has an obvious hit, they are eliminated, a teammate is eliminated (playing on) and another teammate is eliminated (official avoidance).
10 Merely touching equipment does not establish physical control. Generally, any equipment that will advance with the player if the player advances can be considered to be in the physical control of the player. This includes bunkers – so if you move a bunker because you accidentally run into it, you‟re ok, but if you intentionally move the bunker, you‟re eliminated.
11 If you start the point with it or pick it up, you possess it until you either drop it (pods, squeegees, paintballs and flags) or until you get more than five feet away from it (anything else) unless a judge or another player takes it from you.
12 Anything that your team didn’t start with (other than pods, squeegees, paint and flags) you can‟t take/pick up.
13 Once you lose possession of any of your equipment (other than pods, squeegees, paint and flags), you‟re eliminated. If you‟re eliminated on the field of play and you lose possession of any of your equipment prior to exiting the field of play one of your teammates will be pulled. This also means you can‟t exchange anything other than squeegees, paintballs, pods, or the flag.
3.5. Occupation, Possession and Exchange
3.5.1. Equipment in the physical control10 of a player or that was in the physical control of a player at the start of the point is possessed by the player, except for squeegees, pods, and paintballs that leave the physical control of the player, any other equipment that is separated by more than five feet from the player and except equipment which is in the physical control of another player or a judge.11
3.5.2. Players may not possess any equipment during a point that was not in their or their teammate‟s possession at the start of the point12, except that players may take possession of the flag. Players who take possession of any other equipment will be assessed a minor penalty.
3.5.3. Players on the field of play who lose possession of any equipment other than pods, squeegees, paintballs and flags will be assessed a minor penalty,13 except that a judge may take equipment from a player and an eliminated player may discard equipment out-of-bounds.
3.5.4. A player who loses possession of the point flag will be eliminated unless the point flag is possessed by another live player or a judge.
3.5.5. Players who lose physical control of any equipment that has a valid hit, except equipment taken by a judge, will be assessed a gross penalty. 9
3.6. Flags and Flag Carriers
3.6.1. Each point will start with a single point flag placed at a flag station located equidistant from the two starting stations in the in-bounds area of the field.
3.6.1.1. A player in possession of the point flag who hides or attempts to hide the point flag from plain view will be assessed a minor penalty.
3.6.1.2. If a player is eliminated while possessing the point flag, the player will drop the point flag at the point of elimination. A judge may hang the point flag on a nearby bunker.
3.6.2. RaceTo-2 points will start with a single white surrender flag placed in front of the score table.
3.6.2.1. Only coaches may approach and pull/throw the surrender flag during any point to concede the current point to the opposing team.
3.7. Eliminated Players
3.7.1. An eliminated player must immediately and swiftly raise their marker or an open hand above their head and proceed out-of-bounds by the most direct route or as directed by a judge.
3.7.1.1. An eliminated player who fails to follow the procedure in 3.7.1, except as provided in 3.8.6, will be assessed a major penalty.
3.7.2. An eliminated player who fires or otherwise operates or adjusts their marker or air system prior to exiting the field of play will be assessed a minor penalty.
3.7.3. An eliminated player who intentionally re-enters the in-bounds area during the point will be assessed a gross penalty.
3.7.4. An eliminated player who shoots an opposing player from in-bounds will be assessed a major penalty.14
3.7.5. An eliminated player who shoots a player from out-of-bounds will be assessed a gross penalty.
14 This means that in addition to getting a one-for-one for playing on, an additional player should be pulled for any opponent the playing-on player manages to shoot, whether the opponent is erroneously eliminated by a judge or not.
15 The chances of a player receiving a hit, not feeling, seeing or hearing the hit, and accidentally removing the hit are so small that it is preferable to rarely assess a gross penalty in such a case to prevent players from removing hits on a frequent basis via slides, rubbing bunkers, etc.
16 If it hits the hopper and sprays on your goggles, it‟s obvious. If it smacks into your earflap, it‟s obvious. If it hits your facemask and sprays paint on your face, it‟s obvious. If it hits your elbow pad that is 2” thick and you didn‟t feel it, it‟s still obvious – players should not wear padding so thick that they cannot feel hits. If it grazes off the side of your hopper where you can‟t see the hit or it‟s in your pack then it may not be obvious if the judge does not have any reason to believe you should know a paintball hit you there.
17 It is much better if players have to rarely stop playing for a few seconds to get hits checked than it is to have players regularly playing on because “The hit might have bounced” and they can keep playing until a ref drags them off the field, so players are eliminated when an obvious hit is received without any action from a judge being required. A player who is shot in the back and continues to shoot will receive a major penalty. A player making a bunker move who is shot and runs another 5 feet to complete the move will be assessed a major penalty and an additional minor penalty for shooting a player while eliminated.
3.8. Hits
3.8.1. A paintball is live from the time it is shot from a paintball gun in the possession of an active player until the paintball comes to rest.
3.8.2. Any live paintball striking and breaking on a player or any equipment in a player‟s possession, or any mark indicating such a strike occurred, is a hit.
3.8.3. An invalid hit is any hit that a judge observes is not from a live paintball striking and breaking on a player. Only judges will remove invalid hits, except that a player may remove an invalid hit on the lens of their goggle system with the permission of a judge.
3.8.4. A valid hit is any hit that is not an invalid hit. If a valid hit is removed from an in-bounds player by any means other than by a judge, or a player attempts to remove a valid hit, that player will be assessed a gross penalty.15
3.8.5. An obvious hit is any valid hit that leaves a mark and that the receiving player should have seen, heard or felt, including, but not limited to, any valid hit anywhere other than the player‟s mask, pack and its contents, gun, hopper and tank.16 A player with an obvious hit is eliminated.17
10
3.8.6. A player with an obvious hit that is in a location that the player cannot verify may ask a
judge or teammate to verify the hit before proceeding as otherwise required by 3.7.1, but may take no other action.18
3.8.7. Players who are in motion when they receive an obvious hit in a location they cannot verify themselves may proceed to the nearest cover while waiting for a judge or teammate to verify the hit as in 3.8.6.
3.8.8. A player who asks a teammate or judge to verify a hit that the player could have verified unassisted will be assessed a major penalty.19
3.8.9. Unobvious hits are any valid hit that is not obvious. A player with an unobvious hit is inactive and will be eliminated by a judge.
3.8.9.1. An inactive player eliminated by a judge due to an unobvious hit not observed by the judge will be assessed a minor penalty.20
3.8.10. A player who becomes aware of an unobvious hit on themselves or equipment in their possession is eliminated.
18 If you‟re not sure if a hit broke, and you can‟t check it yourself, you can ask a ref or teammate to check it without penalty before exiting the field of play, so long as you take no other action. You may choose to continue to play, HOWEVER, if it turns out that the hit was valid, you will be assessed a major penalty plus a minor penalty for any opponents you shoot because you were playing with an obvious hit, so you should consider carefully whether the risk of the penalty is worth continuing to play prior to getting the hit checked.
19 It is the player’s responsibility to call themselves out when they have an obvious hit. It is the ref‟s job to penalize players who continue to play with an obvious hit, so if you call a ref over to check a hit you could have checked yourself, expect a penalty too.
20 If a judge observes a player receive an unobvious hit, the judge should eliminate that player without penalty. If a judge finds an unobvious hit on a player, the judge should eliminate that player and assess a minor penalty.
21 A judge should not signal a flag hang if an inactive or eliminated player attempts to hang the flag.
22 RaceTo-4/5/7 only
3.9. Point Stoppages
3.9.1. If a point must be stopped due to injury, a point stoppage will be signaled by the buzzer and judges will instruct players to remain in their current positions.
3.9.1.1. Once the cause of the point stoppage has been resolved, a 10-second break period will be placed on the scoreboard and the point will be restarted.
3.9.1.2. A player who fails to touch their barrel to the ground after the buzzer restarting the point sounds but prior to pointing their gun downfield or at any opponent will be eliminated.
3.9.2. If a point is stopped due to any other reason,
3.9.2.1. The point stoppage will be signaled by the buzzer, and
3.9.2.2. Any outstanding penalties will be assessed, and
3.9.2.3. Live players will return to the start box, and
3.9.2.4. A 10-second break period will be placed on the scoreboard and the point will be restarted as normal except only players who were live when the point was stopped may restart the point.
3.9.3. Players must put barrel socks on their markers when a point is stopped and keep their goggles on, unless given permission to remove them by a judge.
3.10. Point Completion
3.10.1. A point will end at the earliest of:
3.10.1.1. A judge signaling a flag hang21, or
3.10.1.2. The elimination of all players, or
3.10.1.3. A team throwing the white surrender flag,22 or
3.10.1.4. The end of point time in a RaceTo-2 match, or
3.11. Penalties
3.11.1. Any judge may issue a penalty on the field of play. Any authorized event staff may issue penalties outside of the field of play.
3.11.2. Penalties are assessed to people. Action is taken against the penalized person and/or the penalized person’s team. A person’s team is the team that has that person listed as a
11
player or staff on its roster, or the team on whose behalf the player is acting if the person
is not listed as a player or staff on any roster.
3.11.3. No more than one penalty may be assessed for a particular action by a player or team. In the event that a given action qualifies for more than one penalty, the most severe penalty will be assessed.
3.11.4. RaceTo-2 Penalties
3.11.4.1. A judge will eliminate an active player for each minor penalty received by a team.
3.11.4.2. A judge will eliminate two active players for each major or gross penalty received by a team.
3.11.4.2.1. A player receiving a gross penalty may not play for the next 3 points played by the team(23)
3.11.4.3. If a penalty is assessed against an active player, the player against whom the penalty is assessed must be one of the players eliminated.
3.11.4.4. If there are insufficient active players remaining on the field of play to satisfy the penalty, the team will be assessed a penalty minute against their total game time remaining for that round for each player unable to be eliminated.
3.11.4.5. If a penalty is assessed during the break period immediately prior to a point the team is scheduled to play, the team will start short one player for each player that would normally be eliminated by the penalty.
3.11.4.6. If a penalty is assessed neither during a point the team is playing nor during the break period prior to the team‟s next point, the team will be assessed a penalty minute for each player that would normally have been eliminated by the penalty.24
23 Next three points regardless of opponent. The team does not play short if an alternate is available.
24 This includes penalties assessed to the flag carrier after the hang. Thus a team will be assessed two penalty minutes for a flag carrier who hangs with an obvious hit and one penalty minute for a carrier who hangs with an unobvious hit.
25 If the current match ends prior to the expiration of the 10 minutes, the player serves the remainder during the subsequent match.
26 Note that there are no active players between points, so any penalties assessed after the end of the point become strikes for the next point. This includes specifically penalties for a player who hangs the flag dirty – the team starts down players the next point, even if they had bodies remaining this point.
27 This includes penalties assessed to the flag carrier after the hang. Thus a team will be assessed two penalty strikes for a flag carrier who hangs with an obvious hit and one penalty strike for a carrier who hangs with an unobvious hit. 12
3.11.6.2.2. If the team has less than two active players left28, or the penalty is a
major or gross penalty assessed in the final 60 seconds of a match29,
3.11.6.2.2.1. If a point is in progress, the point ends immediately,30 and
3.11.6.2.2.2. The opposing team scores one point, and
3.11.6.2.2.3. The penalized player is placed in the penalty box.
3.11.6.2.3. If a player is penalized when there are already 3 players from that player‟s team in the penalty box,31
3.11.6.2.3.1. If a point is in progress, the point ends immediately.
3.11.6.2.3.2. Of the four penalties, the penalty with the least time remaining will end and the remaining three players will be placed in the box at the start of the next point.32
3.11.6.2.3.3. The opposing team scores a point.
3.11.6.2.4. If both teams receive penalties that would cause their opponent to score a point, the points offset each other to the extent possible.33
3.11.6.3. If a penalty is assessed before or between points, it must be served at the start of the next point.
3.11.6.4. A minor penalty is 1 minute long.
3.11.6.5. A major or gross penalty is 2 minutes long.
3.11.6.6. A player who receives a gross penalty may not play for the next 10 minutes of point time. This carries over to the next match the player plays in, even if the match is in the next round or a different tournament. If the player receiving the gross penalty would normally be placed in the penalty box, the team must select another player to serve the player‟s penalty.
3.11.6.7. Penalty time begins running when the player serving the penalty enters34 the penalty box.
3.11.6.8. Penalty time only runs when the match clock is running.
3.11.6.9. If an opposing team scores a point while a team has a player serving a minor penalty, the minor penalty with the least time remaining will end.35
3.11.6.10. Penalty Box
3.11.6.10.1. The penalty box is a designated area on the field of play where players serving a penalty must remain between the start and end of a point.
3.11.6.10.2. The penalty box is in the field of play, but out-of-bounds.36
3.11.6.10.3. Players in the penalty box are eliminated.
3.11.6.10.4. Players in the penalty box may leave the penalty box:
28 Not counting the player being penalized; if there are two or more other live players left from the team on the field, this rule doesn‟t apply.
29 If a team receives multiple penalties under 3.11.6.2.2 in the same point, the opposing team still only gets one point. (The point is for the point ending, not the penalties themselves.)
30 The “end of point” happens immediately. This stops the point clock (to discourage players from playing on to burn point time, or playing on to stay alive long enough for a teammate to come out of the box). Because the point is over when the penalty is called and the player is not in the box, this also prevents the player from having his penalty dropped when the opposing team scores – which would be no penalty at all. However, if there is another player already serving a minor penalty in the box, their minor penalty does end as normal when an opposing team scores.
31 Note that if the point was already ended due to 3.11.6.2.2 and one of the penalties is a minor one, that penalty is ended and we have room for the new player. If all the players in the box were serving gross or major or double minor penalties, then we have to end the shortest penalty and award the opposing team an ADDITIONAL point to compensate them for letting someone out of the box early. Note that unlike with 3.11.6.2.2, the point is due to the penalty, not the end of the point, so the opposing team gets one point for each penalty.
32 If by some calamity there are 3 players already in the box and the remaining two players get penalties at the same time, two of the 5 penalties would get discarded and the opposing team would score two points.
33 If each team would get a point, they both get no points. If one team would get 3 points and the other would get one point, the one team gets 2 points, or the difference.
34 “enters” is when the player first touches the box, so long as they proceed to go all the way in it. This means they also may not leave the box once they‟ve touched it without incurring a penalty for leaving the box early.
35 Note that players serving a double minor really have 2 one-minute penalties. So if one player has 0:27 left on their minor penalty, and another has 1:13 left on their double-minor penalty, the player with the double-minor has their penalty reduced to 1:00 (the first penalty is ended, leaving 1 minute of the second penalty) and BOTH players stay in the box.
36 Because a team may only have 5 players on the field of play during the point, and because the penalty box is on the field of play, players in the box, even though eliminated and out-of-bounds, count against the total number of players a team may have (5). 13
3.11.6.10.4.1. When their penalty time has elapsed. A player whose penalty time
elapses during a point and who enters the in-bounds area within 3 seconds of the end of the penalty and prior to the end of the point becomes an active player.
3.11.6.10.4.2. At the end of a point in which the opposing team has scores a point, if
3.11.6.10.4.2.1. The player is serving a minor penalty, and
3.11.6.10.4.2.2. The player has the least amount of time remaining on their penalty of any players on their team also serving a minor penalty.
3.11.6.10.4.3. During the break period between points, but a minor penalty will be assessed to the player if they do not return to the penalty box prior to the start of the next point.
3.11.6.10.4.4. At the end of a match.
3.11.6.10.5. A player serving a penalty who leaves the penalty box at any time not specified in 3.11.6.10.4 will receive a minor penalty.37
37 An additional player should be pulled from the field of play to serve the penalty.
38 With 4 opponents, a team will play one point against each of Opponents A, B, C then D; then play a second point against each opponent, then play third points as necessary.
4. Match Structure
4.1. RaceTo-2
4.1.1. Each match will consist of series of 5-minute points.
4.1.1.1. Points will be played in rotation amongst all opponents scheduled for a team in the current round of play.38
4.1.2. The match ends if
4.1.2.1. A team has scored two points, or
4.1.2.2. Three points have been played, or
4.1.2.3. A team forfeits.
4.1.3. At the start of the first point of a match, the first team with a player at a starting station starts from that starting station. Teams switch starting stations for the second point of the match, and select starting stations by a mutually agreeable random method for the third point of the match.
4.1.4. The team that scores the most game points during the match wins the match.
4.1.5. If a preliminary match ends with the same number of points scored by each team, the match is a tie.
4.1.6. If a playoff match ends with one point scored per team, the team with the most game time remaining in the point they scored, minus any penalty minutes accrued during that match, wins the match.
4.1.6.1. If, after subtracting any penalty minutes accrued during the match, both teams have the same game time remaining, teams will play overtime as dictated in 4.1.7.
4.1.7. If a playoff match prior to the semifinal or final round ends with no points scored by either team, the teams will switch sides and play one additional 5-minute overtime point.
4.1.7.1. If neither team scores in the overtime point, both teams lose, neither team advances, and the team that would have played the winner of the match in the next round receives a bye.
4.1.8. If a playoff match in the semifinal or final round ends with no points scored by either team, the teams will play sudden-death untimed overtime games until a team scores a point, switching sides at the start of each overtime point.
39 The sum of both teams‟ scores is odd, i.e. 1-0, 4-3, 2-5, etc. Note that if no point is scored, teams do not switch sides.
40 Including prior to any overtime points.
41 It is permissible to use a timeout between regulation and overtime points, if a team has their timeout remaining from regulation time, but teams do not get additional timeouts for overtime. Teams may use their timeouts within the same break period.
42 Teams do not switch sides for overtime periods. Any penalties from regulation time carry over to the overtime period.
43 Note that this does not say any active player from the team scoring the point; players are welcome to hang flags for their opponents.
44 A judge will avoid signaling a flag hang if a player who appears to be eliminated attempts to hang the flag. The judge will signal a point score once the player has been verified as active.
45 Event promoters may decide to locate a single white flag tied to a fixed object at the midfield line between the two coaches and require coaches to tug this flag to surrender.
46 RaceTo-4/5/7 only
5. Scoring
5.1. Point Score
5.1.1. A team scores one point each time
5.1.1.1. Any active player43 touches the point flag to the opposing team’s starting station44,
5.2. Round Score
5.2.1. A team scores 2 match points for each match won.
5.2.2. A team scores 0 match points for all other matches.
5.2.3. In the event two teams have the same total of match points, the tie will be broken by
5.2.3.1. Number of matches won, followed by
5.2.3.2. Head-to-head competition47, followed by
5.2.3.4. Number of game points scored, followed by
5.2.3.5. Total point time remaining in points won in RaceTo-2 matches, followed by
5.2.3.6. Most points played in RaceTo-2 matches, followed by
5.2.3.7. Least point time remaining in points lost in RaceTo-2 matches, followed by
5.2.3.8. Round scores from preceding rounds, most recent round first, followed by
5.2.3.9. Seed into the preliminary round.
47 Head-To-Head tiebreakers are applied by comparing the group of all teams with the same match score and number of wins in the following manner:
1. A team wins the head-to-head tiebreaker if the team:
a. Has, for any opponent played in the current round, won more matches in the current round against that opponent than lost; and
b. Is, for any opponent not played in the current round, ranked ahead of that opponent in the remaining tiebreakers.
2. If no team wins the tiebreakers as in 1. a team loses the head-to-head tiebreaker if the team:
a. Has, for any opponent played in the current round, lost more matches in the current round against that opponent than won; and
b. Is, for any opponent not played in the current round, ranked behind that opponent in the remaining tiebreakers.
3. If no team wins or loses the head-to-head tiebreakers as in 1. or 2. (for example, three teams have played each other and each won once), proceed to successive tiebreakers until a tiebreaker is reached where at least one team is not tied with the others:
a. If one team wins that tiebreaker, they are removed from the tied group and the remaining teams in the tie should have their tie broken starting with the very first tiebreaker, otherwise
b. Split the tied teams into two groups; the first group with all teams tied to win that tiebreaker, and the other group with the remaining teams, then break the ties for each group separately starting with the very first tiebreaker. All teams from the first group are ranked ahead of all teams from the second group.
4. Once a team has won or lost the tiebreaker, remove it from the group assigning it the highest rank for a win or the lowest rank for a loss, and then start back at step one with the remaining teams in the group, repeating until only one team remains.
48 Total point points scored minus total point points given up in all matches in the current round
49 A team that has played no matches in the current round has NO average margin scored, NOT zero, and thus a negative margin cannot be replaced by a 0 if the forfeiting team has not played any other matches.
5.3. Forfeits
5.3.1. A match will be scored as a loss for any team that forfeits a match.
5.3.2. A match will be scored as a win for any opponent of a team that forfeits a match, if the opponent does not also forfeit the match.
5.3.2.1. If a RaceTo-2 team scores a match win by forfeit, the match will be scored with
5.3.2.1.1. 2 points won, with the point time remaining in each match the higher of
5.3.2.1.1.1. The point time remaining if the match was played and the team won the match, or
5.3.2.1.1.2. The average point time remaining in the team’s other points won in the current round, or
5.3.2.1.1.3. The average point time remaining in points scored against the opponent in the current round, or
5.3.2.1.1.4. Zero.
5.3.2.1.2. 0 points lost
5.3.2.1.3. Any penalty minutes received during any points of the match played.
5.3.3. The opponent of a RaceTo-2 team that forfeits a point will receive one game point with a point time remaining of the higher of zero or the game time remaining in any other point won by the team against the forfeiting team in the current round.
5.3.3.1. A RaceTo-2 team that forfeits two points in the same match forfeits the match.
50 If margin is based on the match played, then points scored is based on the match played; if margin is based on the team‟s average, then points played is based on the team‟s average; and if margin is based on margin against the forfeiting team, points are based on points scored against the opposing team.
51 This allows teams to do the “right thing” if they agree on a scoring error. If two teams are intentionally doing the wrong thing to fix the score, they should be dealt with as any other team intentionally fixing scores.
52 For example, the score sheet lists 40, 32, 21, and 3 for points with a total of 93, the total score may be corrected to 96. If, however, there were 4 live players instead of three and the score sheet has been signed, that change must be initialed by both captains as well.
53 The scoreboard is ONLY the scoreboard – copying scores to the scoreboard wrong, or calculations in error on the scoreboard, will be corrected by scorekeepers. The scoreboard does NOT include score sheets.
5.4. Score Sheets
5.4.1. Any judge or designated official may complete a score sheet. The head judge will show the score sheet to captain of each team.
5.4.2. Any correction made to the score sheet must be initialed by a head judge,51 unless the correction corrects an obvious mathematical error,52 the correction may also be initialed by a scorekeeper.
5.4.3. In the event that one or both team captains do not agree with the contents of a score sheet and thus will not sign the score sheet, the head judge may decide whether the score sheet must be amended and/or validate the score sheet himself.
5.4.3.1. A head judge or a scoreboard official may correct clerical or mathematical errors on the scoreboard at any time prior to the start of the next round of play.53
6. Ranking and Seeding*
6.1. Season Ranking
6.1.1. Season rankings will be figured by total number of match points from all past tournaments played by a team.
7. Tournament Structure
7.1. Preliminary Round Seeding
7.1.1. Teams in each division in the preliminary round will be seeded according to their rank as in 6.1 in the division they will be playing.54
7.1.2. Teams will be seeded into preliminary round brackets according to Appendix A
7.1.3. In preliminary brackets of 5 teams, each team will play each other team in the bracket once.
7.1.4. In preliminary brackets of 6 teams, each team will play each other team in the bracket once, except the top-seeded team will not play the 6th-seeded team, the 2nd-seeded team will not play the 5th-seeded team, and the 3rd-seeded team will not play the 4th-seeded team.
54 If a team played in a different division in the previous event, they are seeded according to their rank in the new division.
55 Same number of teams from each bracket.
56 If 16 teams are advancing from the prelims, the top 8 teams will advance to the quarterfinals, leaving the 9th through 16th seeded teams to play off for the remaining four spots, with 9th playing 16th, 10th playing 15th, etc. According to this rule, the winner of the 9th vs 16th matchup gets the 9th seed, regardless of the margin of victory in the other playoff brackets. Basically, the top-seeded team in each matchup is „defending‟ their seed from the lower-seeded team, and if the lower-seeded team wins, they get that seed – the teams are NOT reseeded after the head-to-head matchups are played out.
57 If 8 teams advance from prelims, the top two teams get byes, and then the 3rd, 6th and 7th teams play off in one bracket, while the 4th, 5th and 8th teams play in another bracket. The team that wins each bracket advances, but if the 4th place team has a better score in the quarterfinals than the 3rd place team (points, wins, margin, etc), that team gets the 3rd seed in the semifinals.
7.2. Advancing from the Preliminary Round
7.2.1. The same number of teams from each bracket will advance, except
7.2.2. If the number of teams advancing is not evenly divisible by the number of brackets, the number of wildcard teams necessary to meet the number of advancing teams will also advance.
7.2.3. Teams will first be selected on a per-bracket basis55 based on round score amongst teams in the same bracket, and then any wildcard teams will be selected based on score amongst remaining teams in all brackets.
7.3. Playoff Seeding
7.3.1. Teams advancing from a head-to-head matchup will be seeded based on the seed into the previous head-to-head round of the highest seeded team in the matchup.56
7.3.2. Teams advancing from non-head-to-head brackets will be seeded based on performance compared to all other teams advancing from the same round.57
18
7.3.3. Teams that did not play the immediately preceding round will always be seeded higher
than teams that did play the immediately preceding round.58
7.3.4. If four teams advance from two brackets, the top seeded team from one bracket plays the second seeded team from the other bracket.
58 Teams with byes are seeded higher than teams without byes.
7.4. Playoff Bracket Schedule
7.4.1. Teams playing a head-to-head matchup will play one match with the winner of the match advancing.
7.5. Playoff Structure
7.5.1. In divisions of 2 teams, no playoffs will be played.
7.5.2. In divisions of 3 teams, the top two teams advance directly to finals.
7.5.3. In divisions of 6 or less teams,
7.5.3.1. The top team will advance directly to the finals, and
7.5.3.2. The 2nd and 3rd seeded teams will advance to the semifinals, where the winner will advance to play the top team in the finals.
7.5.4. In divisions of 7 to 10 teams,
7.5.4.1. The top four teams will advance to semifinals, where
7.5.4.1.1. If two teams are advancing from two brackets, the 1st place team from one bracket will play the 2nd place team from the other bracket, otherwise
7.5.4.1.2. The top-seeded team will play the 4th-seeded team, and the 2nd-seeded team will play the 3rd-seeded team, and
7.5.4.2. The winners of each semi-final match will play for 1st and 2nd place, and the losers of each semi-final match will play for 3rd and 4th place, except
7.5.4.2.1. The losers of the semi-final matches in the Pro division will be awarded 3rd and 4th place based on performance in the preliminary round, with the team ranked highest after the preliminary round receiving 3rd place.
7.5.5. In divisions of more than 10 teams, teams will advance into a single-elimination head-to-head seeded bracket leading to the four-team semifinals.
7.5.5.1. In divisions of 11 to 15 teams, the top six teams will advance
7.5.5.2. In divisions of 16 to 20 teams, the top eight teams will advance.
7.5.5.3. In divisions of 21 to 30 teams, the top 12 teams will advance.
7.5.5.4. In divisions of 31 to 40 teams, the top 16 teams will advance.
7.5.5.5. In divisions of 41 to 60 teams, the top 24 teams will advance.
7.5.5.6. In divisions of 61 to 80 teams, the top 32 teams will advance.
7.5.5.7. In divisions of 81 to 120 teams, the top 48 teams will advance.
7.5.5.8. In divisions of 121 to 200 teams, the top 64 teams will advance.
8. Interference, Sportsmanship, Suspensions and Ejections
8.1. Interference and Sportsmanship
8.1.1. Any person who shoots towards the spectator sideline or opponent‟s end line during a break period will be assessed a minor penalty.
8.1.2. Any person who engages in aggressive or insulting behavior towards another person, except a judge, will be assessed GROSS penalty.
8.1.3. Any person who engages in aggressive or insulting behavior towards a judge will be assessed at least a gross penalty.
8.1.4. Any person who engages in hostile physical contact with another person, including shooting another person who is not participating in a point or shooting from outside the field of play will be assessed a major suspension.
8.1.5. Any person who engages in intentional physical contact with an official will be assessed a major suspension.
19
8.1.6. Any person who throws an air source will be ejected from the tournament and will
serve a suspension banning them from the next scheduled event.
8.1.7. Any person who throws any equipment on the field of play other than an air source, disposable equipment, or a flag will be assessed a gross penalty.
8.1.8. Any person who intentionally shoots in the direction of another person who is not wearing a paintball goggle system will be assessed a major suspension.
8.1.9. Any person who engages in other minor acts of unsportsmanlike behavior may be assessed a minor or a major penalty.
8.1.10. Any person who engages in other major or severe acts of unsportsmanlike behavior may be assessed a minor or major suspension by a head judge.
8.1.11. Every player on any team that intentionally gives up points to an opponent or plots to set scores with opponents will be assessed a major suspension.
8.2. Suspensions
8.2.1. Any head judge may issue a suspension on the field of play. Any authorized event staff may refer a person outside the field of play to the Ultimate Judge for suspension.
8.2.1.1. A player who receives a minor suspension
8.2.1.1.1. May not play
8.2.1.1.1.1. For the next 4 points when on a RaceTo-2 roster
8.2.1.1.1.2. For the remainder of the match and the next match when on a RaceTo-4/5/7 roster, even if the next match is in the next round or tournament.
8.2.1.1.2. Must be present for all points and matches played by their team and must silently remain in an area designated by the head judge for the duration of the match. 59
8.2.1.2. A person who receives a major suspension will be ejected from the event and
8.2.1.2.1. May not be on-site at any event for the duration of the suspension, and
8.2.1.2.2. Will have a major penalty assessed against their team, and
8.2.1.2.3. May be suspended up to a year by the Ultimate Judge, and
8.2.1.2.4. May be assessed a fine of up to $1000. A person may not play any further events until such fine is paid.
8.2.1.3. The team of any player who receives a suspension will be assessed a major penalty.
8.2.2. The team of any person who receives a major suspension will have their prize package for the event reduced by one fifth per player suspended.
8.2.3. Any team who has three or more players suspended in any event will be ejected from that event.
59 The area will be near the scoring table. This is to prevent suspended players from becoming sideline coaches.
8.3. Ejections
8.3.1. Only the Ultimate Judge may eject a team from an event.
8.3.2. A team that is ejected from an event will forfeit any entry fee paid and any prizes or points earned at the event.
8.3.3. Teams ejected for having an illegal roster or playing with ineligible players will forfeit all matches in that event. Teams will otherwise forfeit all remaining matches.
8.4. Fines
8.4.1. A person who has been assessed a fine will forfeit their ID card and event pass until such fine is paid.
8.4.2. No person with an outstanding fine may appear on or be added to any roster for any future event.
20
9. Equipment
9.1. Clothing
9.1.1. Players must wear only one pair of full-length pants and only a long-sleeved jersey. Players may wear only one layer of underclothing consisting of, at maximum, one pair of under-shorts and one short or long sleeve t-shirt, provided that it contains no padding. Any other soft padding in garments is prohibited.
9.1.1.1. Female players are allowed up to 3 sports bras under their normal uniform.
9.1.2. Prohibited colors – any player/team found to be wearing clothing that may impede the judge‟s ability to make a proper call, may be asked to remove such clothing.
9.1.3. No part of a player may be covered by more than two layers of clothing.
9.1.4. Padding in jerseys is not limited to specific areas; provided that the thickness does not exceed 5mm (0.197”) Padding material is limited to an open cell foam and must not be modified from the manufacture‟s original form.
9.1.5. No short sleeve or “sleeveless” vest type jerseys can be worn as the outer most layer.
9.1.6. Any layer of clothing that is thicker than a standard 100% cotton T-shirt is padding.
9.1.7. Players may not wear extremely oversized clothing. Clothing is oversized if, when tightly gathered about the body or limb with excess clothing pinched together and away from the body, the excess clothing extends more than 4 inches from the body or limb.60
9.1.8. Players may not wear clothing that is made out of highly absorbent or slick material, such as felt, fleece, nylon or rubber.
9.1.9. Players may wear up to, but not in excess of three items on their head. As an example, one sandanna, one headband, and one beanie. Hats, caps and headbands may not be modified from the manufacturer‟s original form, and may not extend more than one inch below the collarbone or below the shoulder blades, and headbands may be no wider than 2”.61
9.1.10. Players may wear one pair of socks. Socks may not extend higher than below the knee, and must not be of a quilted or padded nature, and count as one layer of clothing.
9.1.11. Players may wear one pair of footwear.
9.1.11.1. Footwear must not be modified from the manufacturer‟s original form, and
9.1.11.2. Must not include metal cleats or spikes, and
9.1.12. A player who continues to play with illegal clothing will be assessed a gross penalty.
9.1.13. Any head judge may prohibit a particular item of clothing.
9.1.14. The number 00 can only be worn by a non player coach.
9.1.14.1. The numbers 01 and 02 can only be worn by support staff.
9.1.14.2. The numbers 00, 01, and 02 can only be on the field during the field walk time and directly before or after or during a point's bread period.
60 The article of clothing should be grabbed at a single point and pulled away from the body or limb. Once this has been done, the clothing should be pinched on opposite sides of this point so that these two points are brought together next to the body or limb. The clothing will then be tight around the body or limb, with any extra clothing pulled through the pinch and held at the original grab point.
61 “Turtle” caps and headbands can be worn as the ONLY layer on the head. Players will be asked to remove any excess layers.
62 Goggle manufacturers must submit independent laboratory test results to the promoter at least 10 days prior to the start of a tournament demonstrating that the goggle system meets or exceeds ASTM standards for any system such manufacturer wishes to be allowed for use during that tournament.
63 Cracks in the lens, however slight, affect the ability of the goggles to protect the player.
64 A player may not ever remove their goggles once they enter the field of play. Note that if an active player removes their goggles intentionally, they are automatically eliminated and a teammate must be eliminated to satisfy the minor penalty. Because an elimination is NOT a penalty, the player eliminating themselves does not count as a penalty being assessed.
65 Ex. Goggle Fans, but decorative additions that are not padded or absorbent are acceptable.
9.2. Protective Gear
9.2.1. Players must wear a complete goggle system that meets ASTM standards62 and is in good repair and not otherwise damaged in a manner that affects their ability to protect the player63. A person who fails to wear an acceptable goggle system in a designated goggles-on area, including the field of play, will be assessed a minor penalty.64
9.2.2. No material may be removed from the manufacturer‟s original form. Items not of a padded or absorbent nature65 may be added to the goggle system provided they do not adversely impact the ability of the goggle system to protect the player.
9.2.3. Players must wear the full-face protection provided with the goggle system as it is designed and sold by the manufacturer.
21
9.2.4. Players must wear the ear protection provided with the goggle system as designed and
sold by the manufacturer.
9.2.5. Players may wear one layer of padding and/or other protection on the elbow, forearm, knee or shin, provided that padding and/or protection has not been modified from the manufacturer‟s original form.66
9.2.6. Players may wear a single pair of gloves. Gloves may not have material in addition to the manufacturer‟s original form.
9.2.7. Players may wear neoprene neck protection of a single layer not to exceed 0.5 cm in thickness.
9.2.8. Male players may wear groin protection and female players may wear breast protection.
66 Hits on padding are obvious. Players should not wear so much padding that they cannot feel hits.
67 They may operate if and only if the trigger is pulled, and may not fire if it is hit, dropped, or sneezed on.
68 Batteries, circuit boards, chips, wires, etc.
69 A measurement of 80 milliseconds or higher is acceptable. A measurement of 79.9 milliseconds or lower will be penalized.
70 Shots may not be buffered past trigger pulls – if you pull the trigger, the marker fires, and you pull the trigger again, the marker may only fire three more times, not five.
71 If the trigger is pulled one, two or three times, the marker may fire no more than the number of times the trigger is pulled. The marker may fire up to three balls per pull after that. If the marker is not fired for a second, the trigger must again be pulled three times before the marker may fire more than one shot per pull.
9.3. Markers
9.3.1. Players may carry a single, .68 caliber, pump or semi automatic paintball marker that includes a single barrel and a single trigger.
9.3.2. Prohibited colors – any player found to be using a marker whose color may impede the judge‟s ability to make a proper call, may be asked to discontinue the use of that marker.
9.3.3. A marker covered in whole or in part by a material of an absorbent or padded nature is illegal.
9.3.4. A trigger is a movable lever that causes a marker to fire when force is applied directly to the trigger with a vector parallel and opposite to the vector the marker fires paintballs.67 A marker that can be caused to fire by any other means is illegal.
9.3.5. A trigger guard that is unaltered from the grip frame manufacturer‟s original form must protect the trigger of the marker.
9.3.6. A marker with any electronic components68
9.3.6.1. May fire no more than one paintball within 80 milliseconds (12.5 bps)
9.3.6.1.1. A player on the field of play whose marker fires two shots within 15 milliseconds less than the minimum shot interval will be assessed a minor suspension.
9.3.6.1.2. A player on the field of play whose marker fires two shots within 10 milliseconds less than the minimum shot interval will be assessed a gross penalty.
9.3.6.1.3. A player on the field of play whose marker fires two shots within 5 milliseconds less than the minimum shot interval will be assessed a major penalty.
9.3.6.1.4. A player on the field of play whose marker fires two shots within the minimum shot interval 69 will be assessed a minor penalty.
9.3.6.2. May fire no more than three shots per press and release of the trigger, and no more than three shots between presses of the trigger.70 A player, who carries a marker onto the field of play that fires more than three shots per press and release of the trigger, or more than three shots between two presses of the trigger, will receive a gross penalty and a minor suspension.
9.3.6.3. May fire no more than one shot per press and release of the trigger unless
9.3.6.3.1. The trigger has been pressed and released four times,71 and
9.3.6.3.2. The trigger has been pressed and released at least once per second since the first of the four trigger pulls.
9.3.6.4. Any person who carries a marker onto the field of play that will fire more than one shot per press and release of the trigger before the trigger has been pressed and released at least four times after not having been fired for at least one second will receive a gross penalty and a minor suspension.
9.3.7. A marker with no electronic components
9.3.7.1. May not fire more than one shot per press and release of the trigger,72 and
22
72 Once the marker is fired, the player must reduce the force applied to the trigger and allow the trigger to travel forward past the firing point and then reapply the force on the trigger and bring the trigger back past the firing point before the marker may fire again, i.e., no bounce.
73 No reactive triggers. The trigger force may change as the position of the trigger changes, but the force exerted against the trigger finger at any given trigger position should not change, for example, as a result of the marker firing.
74 Essentially, anything that can adjust velocity, shot mode, de-bounce, etc, must be locked-down so it can‟t be changed on the field.
75 This exception only applies to screwing in or unscrewing the air source – any settings on the air tank itself must not be adjustable without the use of tools.
76 Players will be given a reasonable amount of time (10-15 seconds) to install barrel condoms after a point ends.
77 Only “authorized” paintball manufacturers paint may be shot at MWHSPL events. Participating vendors will be identified at each events captains meeting.
9.3.7.2. May only fire a shot when the trigger is pressed, and
9.3.7.3. May not increase or decrease the force required to pull or hold the trigger to or at any position without the use of tools.73
9.3.8. A marker with settings, whether mechanical, pneumatic, or electronic, that may be adjusted without the use of tools to allow the marker to operate in an illegal manner is illegal.74 A player who operates buttons, switches, valves or other adjustable device on a marker on the field of play without the permission of a judge will be assessed a minor penalty. A player who operates buttons, switches, valves or other adjustable device on a marker on the field of play after being instructed to provide the marker to an official, or prior to being instructed to do so, will receive a gross penalty and that player will receive a minor suspension.
9.3.9. Marker barrels may be equipped with porting, but may not have a sound suppressor attached or integral to the construction of the barrel.
9.3.10. A marker with any valve, expansion chamber, or other item or device except a barrel or screw-in air source75 that may be adjusted on the field of play to increase or decrease velocity without the use of tools is illegal.
9.3.11. Any person possessing a marker that is attached to an air source, does not have a barrel sock properly installed over the end of the barrel, is not at a designated chronograph station being chronographed and is not on the field of play during, in the 10 seconds prior to, or the 10 seconds immediately after a point,76 will be assessed a minor penalty.
9.3.12. Any illegal marker is not allowed on the field of play. Players carrying an illegal marker on the field of play will be assessed a gross penalty. A player bringing an illegal marker onto the field of play after being informed by a judge that the marker is illegal will be assessed a gross penalty and a minor suspension.
9.3.13. Any player whose marker has been modified from the manufacturer‟s original form to disguise its mode of operation or to allow the player to change the mode of operation on the field without the use of tools will receive a major suspension.
9.3.14. A marker may be confiscated for inspection at any time, and may be kept for up to three days following the conclusion of the event.
9.4. Velocity
9.4.1. A judge may chronograph a marker on the field of play at any time, including before, after, or between points.
9.4.2. Any player whose marker fires a shot in excess of 300 feet per second will be assessed a penalty as follows:
FPS
Penalty
301-310
Minor Penalty
311-325
Major Penalty
326+
Gross Penalty
10. Gear Restrictions
10.1. No player can carry more than one hopper of paint and 2 pods onto the field.
10.1.1. Players who have more than 1 hopper and 2 pods at the beginning of a point will be assessed a minor penalty.