Saipan discovers WMD in Gualo Rai

Weapons of Mass Destruction flew all the way from Guam to blow away the competition in Gualo Rai over the weekend as the Guam Music-sponsored squad pelted all comers to win the inaugural Gatorade 5 Man Pro Jam at Hard Corps Paintball.

Through the first two rounds, W.M.D. was nearly perfect, recording a tournament high score of 975 points. The visiting victors cruised into the finals where they dealt last month’s champions Joeten Enterprises and Pacifica S.S. Ghost Company a pair of one-sided losses.

When the two juggernauts faced off in the final shootout, W.M.D. haunted the Ghosts with a tactical masterpiece between the mesh just 1:58 into the first seven-minute shootout. Once all the points were tallied, W.M.D. scored a decisive 98-5 win in the opener, but the battle heated up in the second as the teams used up all but 15 seconds of the allotted time.

S.S. Ghost Company put up more of a fight when they left the gate for the next round, but W.M.D. took its time in earning the win, as 6:45 elapsed during their methodical 69-10.

Despite the downpour that fell in the afternoon, spectators lined the course to catch a glimpse of their friends and family shoot, move, and communicate. The tournament’s five-man capture-the-flag format offered lightning strikes and a flurry of fire as opposed to the long and drawn out hunt-and-kill style games.

On its path to the finals, W.M.D. suffered only a pair of setbacks during the entire tournament. The first loss came at the hands of Citius in the second round, while the other came to third place finisher Team Hard Corps in the second as well.

S.S. Ghost Company punched its ticket to the final shootout after racking up 874 point through the first two rounds, while tournament hosts Team Hard Corps missed out with 760 points in their debut on the home field.

Citius improved from its disappointing January finish to place fourth after compiling 703 points, while Canopy Sales Ichibang bagged fifth with 364 points, Bad Habit took sixth (298), and Turf Violators rounded out the seven team competition with 254 points.

Just like last month’s rumble on the range, tournament director Rob Hazlett said that he was pleased with the way the tournament played out and that last weekend’s Gatorade 5 Man Pro Jam was just another link in Hard Corps Paintball’s future chain of events.

All three of the top teams received trophies compliments of Tony’s Guitar, but W.M.D. earned $500 in cash from Gatorade, while the runner-ups from S.S. Ghost Company picked up a Diablo Mongoose Electronic marker and a radar Chronograph from Hard Corps Paintball, and Team Hard Corps secured an Icon-X paintball marker from their namesake.

In January, Team Hard Corps took on the officiating duties, but this time around the Mallari Enterprises Recon put its markers aside to provide the players with fair and balanced calls on the field.

The tournament created a buzz in the combat community, and while the competitors wait for next month’s tournament dates and times to be announced, Hazlett said that they can take advantage of Hard Corps Paintball’s weekend hours for open play from11am to 5pm.

Anyone 12-and-over can play, but if players are under 18 years of age, they need to have their parents sign a waiver. The cost to hit the field running is just $10, and those without their own markers can rent the BT4 Combat for $15

For more information about the March melee or any of the other events at the course, contact the professionals at Hard Corps Paintball by calling 234-0774 or by stopping in to their Gualo Rai shop on Middle Road across the street and next to the Shell stations.