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Annual 24 Hour Game 2015 Mash Up

9/3/2015

Another 24 hour game has come and gone. What a fantastic weekend! THANK YOU to all the players who forged through the rain and made this an amazing event. It was one for the records. Torrential rain! Falling trees! Wind gusts that destroyed easy ups, and even a power outage! But despite it all, our ballers played a heck of a game!!!

Although our photographer could not make this game after all, some pictures are popping up from our players. Did you know KC Crusaders has a fanpage on facebook where the players can interact with one another, Fan Page, as well as the regular business page? Any pictures that pop up there will end up on our website, so keep them coming!

We have to mention Lance Cook with a giant thank you to him. His generator kept our air flowing and our players playing. We'd also like to mention, we know there were some issues with paint this game, but paint issues can strike any field at any time ....it happens, and again we just want to thank you players for pushing through.

We know the playing conditions were not optimum at times, but we did our best to provide you all with the year's best ‪#‎paintball‬ game! We want you all to know how much we appreciate your support through the power outages and nasty weather. We have the best fans/ballers in the state! And to show that we are having a player appreciation day September 5th. Every player gets a free hot dog. Come, play, eat! Thank you!

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24 Hour Game Mania

8/2/2015

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What Makes the 24 Hour Game Different From Other Games? Let me Explain the Mania...

You've seen this flyer all over our Facebook page. It's that time of year. August welcomes the biggest Paintball event at KC Crusaders, the famous 24Hour Game. Ballers come from all over, even out of state, to join in the mayhem. Why? What makes this game the mother of all games? Let me explain.

Cars start rolling in early on Friday to claim their staging area. As gear is unloaded and equipment prepped, a mixture of excitement and concentration can be read on the faces of ballers who look forward to this annual event every year. With as many returning players as newbs, all are welcomed and included in the fun.

Saturday morning the pre-game meeting will explain the schedule and details of the objectives, but you are going to notice there are some significant differences between this event and the standard weekend walk on games you are used to.

First of all, for this event, KC Crusaders opens up the full 35 acres to play on. This means three footbridges will put both sides of the river to full use, with objectives on the far side of the river as well as the standard field. (Choosing to for go the bridge and just doing an old fashioned hands above the head river crossing is a good way to surprise your enemy and cool off at the same time. Just a helpful tip.)

Secondly, similar to the Fort Knox game, the reincarnation rule will apply, so when you get hit you need only find one of your team's spawn points to join back in the game. No one sits out the 24 Hour Game.

The players are broken into two teams during the pre-game meeting. Each team is awarded points based on who has control of an objective at a specified time, also reviewed at the meeting. This creates push points during the game and though the game lasts well over 24hours, there are natural points to take a break, eat, rest and above all HYDRATE!!! (Handy side note: a bottle of water typically fits perfectly in your pod pack.) Just keep in mind when you take your break, if you notice the staging area is full of people with blue bands and you are on the blue team, chances are the red bands are kicking a** on the field. This is how you keep the game balanced.

And yes, as the name implies, the game goes on all night. Not everyone plays all night. People rest when they need to and play when they want. There is a night objective and the opportunity for the team to earn points, but it is easily the most aggressive part of the game. There is no pressure to push yourself beyond what is comfortable other than your own driving need to sling paint.

The game ends Sunday afternoon. The team with the most points earns bragging rights, but EVERYONE registered gets entered in the drawing for door prizes.

All and all, the 24 Hour game is like no other paintball game you have played before. A good weekend of family-friendly fun. But the best way to figure that out is come out and see for yourself.

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Where, Why & How of buying Used Paintball Gear

7/9/2015

7 Comments

Let's start with the 'where'. Used gear can be found on Ebay, Craigslist, buy/sell/trade section of forums, and even garage sales. All of these are great places to get everything from markers to clothes. But how do you know if it's a good deal? How do you know if you are going to get ripped off? These are only great deals if you know what you are looking for, so educate yourself first. Spend time reading reviews, looking at the stuff online, comparison shopping and asking questions. Paintball junkies love to talk paintball. Trust me, all you gotta do is ask. Then when you hit that sweet deal at the mother of all garage sales, you will know if you should make an offer and run, or just keep walking.

Why risk it you ask? I can give you a couple examples when used gear is the way to go.
1) If you are a newbie, just getting into balling, and you go out and drop a pile of cash on just any gun, you may very well get out to the paint ball field and find you like certain things about a Tippmann vs. a Spyder.
2) Multiply that by a family of four and this hobby can get spendy fast.
3) Cutting back on the price of equipment leaves more money for throwing paint. Just saying.

So what do you look for when you are finding those sceaming deals?

Markers/Guns, consider the asking price vs. the risk. If the asking price is 50% off a gun that doesn't work, often times a repair kit and Youtube video are your friends. There might be some extra wear and tear on the outside, people do crawl through the mud with these things in tow. Saving a hundred bucks maybe worth a battle scar or two. Just make sure you are investing in a good gun. This is where your research is critical. You don't want to spend a fortune repairing a dimestore POS that never shot right in the first place. But, you get a high end marker for half price that just needs an O-ring replaced. Score!

"99% of issues with a marker can be tracked down to either 1. lubing the o-rings / replacing them 2. make sure the battery you are using is a new Duracell or Energizer 3. the macro line is loose, either cut the tip off of it with a razor blade and reinsert or add a drop of BLUE lock tight to seal the leak."-Ebay (Rush Products)

Masks are often a good find, especially if you come across a high end mask someone is getting rid of because the lens is scratched. By design, it is fairly easy to replace a lens since they get scratched so easily.

Hoppers and loaders, meh. (shrugging). They could have cracked plastic and not work properly. They are usually a pretty cheap item to pick up new. I wouldn't bother. Unless it's free. Free is always worth the risk.

Tanks are tricky. They are a great deal if they work. It's hard to see any problems until you use it. But they are a spendy item so if you get a good deal, might be worth it. This is where it is important to ask the seller questions.

Harness's / Pod Packs are a great find if the price is right. Watch for hidden rips and streched out elastic.

Pants and Jerseys are expensive. Esp with built in padding. If you can find these, grab them. Negoitate on the price. Who cares if they are stained or out of date? The padding makes it all worth while. :)

Gear bags are a spendy item when purchased new, so if you find a good deal on one, don't be shy of a little tear or dirt. Some fishing line is sturdy enough to repair a gear bag. And cleaning a bag isn't a difficult task. A good deal is worth the elbow grease.

Barrels, oh yeah! Grab them. Not much can be wrong with those that isn't cosmetic. If you don't mind a scratch or ding, you are going to save picking these up used.

In my research/experience the only thing I've seen be a hard no on buying used is CO2 tanks and barrel swabs. Too much can go wrong and they are cheap purchases to begin with, so the savings will not be worth the risk.

I hope this gives you some ideas on what to look for when considering buying used gear. See you out there!

7 Comments

Does It Hurt?

6/25/2015

1 Comment

We get asked that question a lot....A LOT. The Fort Knox game was actually my first and I was terrified from the bruises my kids and husband come home with after every game. Big blue circles of doom. That's what I call them. So when it was time for me to gear up and march to my paint splattered demise, I was shaking in my orange vest. Yes, I was the photographer.

Once the paint started flying, I got bold. I ventured into the fray and yes I got hit; in the gut, the arm a few times, and finally in the only exposed part of my forehead. Lucky shot!

I was pleasantly surprised. Ya it stung. Kinda like getting snapped with a towel. But it wasn't nearly as bad as I had envisioned. I did have a couple of small bruises the next day on my arm. But nothing as bad as I get when I run my leg into the corner of the coffee table. And I imagine, the degree of pain would be comparable to using a bigger towel, how hard it was snapped, and worse case senerio, say it was dipped in water (don't do that, stings like a B!%@#).

So to answer your question, ya it hurts a little. But the day of family fun and playing outside is so worth the tiny blue circles of doom!

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What Do I Wear First Time Playing?

6/3/2015

4 Comments

This is a question we get asked frequently. Good rule of thumb to keep in mind...safety and comfort.

The paintballs feel like a rubberband snap when the hit bare skin. So, the goal is to cover exposed skin and remain comfortable. Although the paint will wash out, old clothes are still recommended because dirt and grass stains are harder to get out than the paint.

Some Suggestions:

- Dress in layers, peel them off as you feel comfortable.
- Pants and long sleeve shirts. Remember to cover the skin.
- Hats, a beanie or backwards baseball cap go well with masks and give the
head some protection.
- A turtle neck or even bandana tied around the neck will easily cover this forgotten area.
- Hands get shot all the time, they are the most exposed body part as you are shooting
your own marker. Light weight work gloves, nothing special, will do the trick.
- Sturdy shoes are a must. You are bound to have an ankle injury tromping through the
woods way before you have any paintball related problems. Protect your feet!

As you can see from this list, nothing special is required. That being said, the paintballs will find you. It's the point of the game. Cover your exposed skin, be safe and have fun!

4 Comments

First Strike Round Update

5/23/2015

2 Comments

There seems to be some confusion on the issue of First Strike Rounds and KC Crusaders' policy. So here is the update.

Recently an issue came up regarding First Strike Rounds. So for clarity we are issuing this email blast to clarify. FSR’s are not covered in our insurance programs, and never have been. It might be in the future but not today. The following information was provided by KC Crusaders on the facebook page...

So issues are:
• What are the ASTM standards? The ASTM standards are used as a basis of guidelines for manufacturers, distributors, insurance companies, and attorneys.
• If they are not defined as a "paintball" per ASTM standards what are they? They are not currently defined as anything.
• Will it pass the ASTM paintball netting test? I am not aware of anyone testing this.
• Will it pass the ASTM goggle test? I am not aware of anyone testing the goggle systems. And yes all goggle manufacturers would have to be tested. Ophthalmologists, when first presented with this product info were concerned about an increased damage to eye vs a paintball since the polystyrene shell could fragment differently when it impacted. They were not happy with it and would argue against it until testing was done to show what affect would it have on an eye, how many Jules, etc.

I have seen several different types of “devices” for the scenario industry, speedball industry, and recreational industry and have been involved in providing information, my opinions, submitting to the insurance companies, getting some of them approved. I AM pro paintball, to the bone. I have owned a field, I have played the sport for 20 years, I am involved in ASTM helping to set standards and fight to protect you the player, the field owner, the insurance company, AND my business and 20 employees that rely on me to make their paychecks good. Our customers, who trust me to provide them with the best insurance company, the best coverage’s, the best loss control, and the best pricing that we can find. Sometimes we cannot include ALL the exposures for what the public would like to see.

Field owner’s get sued for things that you would not believe, someone slipped on ice in a parking lot when the snowstorm was still going on, someone lifted their mask, was warned twice, was shot in the eye before the ref could remove him. Two people talking in staging and one buddy shot his other buddy in the eye, barrel condom was not on. Father is suing a field because his son and himself were shot 6 times and feels that it was overshooting, but he wouldn’t put his gun up and leave the bunker during a big game, 1000 people playing...duh. So while the FSR players are saying that it is safe and that they want to use it, I understand their position. But it does not fit the definition of a paintball, it is made from a different material that breaks differently, it has not been tested to my knowledge to ASTM standards from anyone. Yes players have shot a mask, and they state that it is safe and just a paintball. B.S. it’s not just a paintball.

In closing, we cannot just add coverage for this product at this time. If Tiberius goes through the process to get this product under some definition, and gets the masks tested to ASTM standards with their product, and gets the mask manufacturers to approve its use with their masks, and get the different netting manufacturers to submit and have the netting tested to ASTM standards, it COULD become approved for recreational paintball fields.

This information came directly from our insurance company. We regret that the bottom line is... at this time, First Strike Rounds will not be sold, or the use of permitted at KC Crusaders Paintball field, until further notice. We are as disappointed as you, but safety first. We are hoping for a fast resolution. As soon as this changes, we will notify you.

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Forward>>

Annual 24 Hour Game 2015 Mash Up

24 Hour Game Mania

What Makes the 24 Hour Game Different From Other Games? Let me Explain the Mania...

Where, Why & How of buying Used Paintball Gear

Does It Hurt?

What Do I Wear First Time Playing?

First Strike Round Update

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