Yesterday I did something I had sworn off a long time ago, I played a NEPL event.
A bit of history on me and the league:
In the early 2000s I was involved heavily in the league and came to realize there were many flaws in it.
They were trying to process way too many teams for a one day event.
the event promoters were never on time. everything ran behind. they would call games before the paint truck was open. ect ect ect
Many times the scheduling would get so far off between fields that the refs would forfeit you from one game because you were still on another field playing another game.
A lot of the refs were apathetic at best and biased and underhanded at worst.
And then there were the players.... not all of them, but way too many of them forgot what sportsmanship was, cheating was rampant and a lot of players were willing to fight you or the refs even when they knew full well they were in the wrong. Things were UGLY
I can remember one ten man event in particular that summed up the entire NEPL experience for me.
We had shown up early to find a decent place to pit.(at that time you pitted from your cars in the parking lot so showing up late meant you had a HIKE between each and every game)
roughly about an hour after our first game was scheduled the event promoters showed up and started to get ready for the day. When we finally did get going and were called on deck for a game we went to the location at the field we were told to go to at the captains meeting only to be asked by the ref "what the fuck are you doing here?" so we moved to where the ref told us to be except for one person on the opposing team who stood there watching the game going on... the ref started screaming at him, really dressing him down yelling things like "what the fuck are you deaf?".... unfortunately for that ref, the player WAS IN FACT DEAF! so that went over like a lead balloon.
A few games later we were up against a local team (we came from the other end of the state so we were always an outsider) before the game they were laughing and joking with the refs, we got on the field, got ready for the burn and one of the refs yells "fuck em up * insert dirty ass cheating team name here*" the game starts we get a 2 for 1 off the bat for supposedly leaving the box early... it didn't happen but OK... I made my first move and bumped to the snake clean. no one saw me I made it to the 50 and I heard one of my guys yelling B ZERO B ZERO B ZERO!!! meaning there is an opposing player in the center 50 bunker. so I came up gunning and took him with three shots. he looked at his gun and elbow where the shots hit and turned on me I shot that same player THREE TIMES in the same game.. the last time was several hits directly to the mask the ref finally waddled over to give him a paint check called it bunker rub wiped him off and let him play on. shortly after I was shot out.
we "lost" and after the game was over the player in the center bunker came over to me to let me know right in front of the refs how many hits he had to ditch because of me. the ref did nothing... the head ref did nothing and the only answer I got was "hate the game not the player"
So I walked away. and stayed away for over a decade, until yesterday.
I have to say Boston paintball and the NEPL have come long way in the right direction.
the events are now two days like they should have been. Things ran on time. I had only one questionable reffing call all day and the people in our division are some of the nicest guys in the sport.
I am looking forward to future Gravity and the NEPL pump division events!
