Avalanche

Avalanche was an American professional paintball team that competed in the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL), Millennium Series and Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP). Associated with Ed Poorman and Warped Sportz, Avalanche became one of the most recognisable professional teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s. [1][2]

The team won the 1999 NPPL professional 10-man season championship and major tournaments in both North America and Europe. Its roster included prominent professional players such as Chris LaSoya, Rocky Cagnoni, Todd Martinez, Travis Lemanski and Steve Rabackoff. [3][4]

Avalanche later competed under the San Francisco, St. Louis and New England names, reflecting changes in the organisation's location and personnel. [5][6]

History

Formation and early competition

Avalanche was established during the 1990s and became closely associated with Ed Poorman, owner of paintball retailer and equipment manufacturer Warped Sportz. Chris LaSoya was identified as one of the team's founding members in a contemporary Warped Sportz announcement published in 2002. [1]

The team developed a reputation for recruiting established professional players and promoting an identifiable team image through customised equipment and apparel.

By 1998, Avalanche was competing successfully in the NPPL professional divisions.

At the 1998 NPPL World Cup in Orlando, Florida, Avalanche won the professional five-player division. [7]

NPPL championship (1999)

The 1999 season was one of Avalanche's most successful.

The team won the NPPL professional 10-man season championship, finishing ahead of other leading American organisations. [3]

At the 1999 NPPL World Cup in Orlando, Avalanche finished second in the professional 10-man division behind Chicago Aftershock. Lockout and the Southern California Ironmen finished third and fourth respectively. [8]

The World Cup result secured Avalanche's position among the leading professional tournament teams of the period.

International success (2000)

Avalanche competed extensively in European tournaments during 2000, participating in the developing Millennium Series.

In May, the team won the professional division of the Toulouse 7-Man World Cup in France. The final included several American professional teams, with Avalanche finishing ahead of the Ironmen and two Team Image squads. [9]

The team also won the 2000 Campaign Cup in London, defeating opponents including Russian Legion during the professional finals. [10]

In the United States, Avalanche won the professional 10-man division at the 2000 NPPL Nashville Open in Tennessee, finishing ahead of the All Americans, Ironmen and Rage. [11]

These results demonstrated Avalanche's competitiveness across different tournament formats and international events.

NPPL competition (2001–2002)

Avalanche continued competing in the NPPL professional 10-man division.

In May 2001, the team won the professional division at the NPPL Gettysburg Open in Pennsylvania, defeating Aftershock in the decisive match of the finals. [12]

Avalanche subsequently finished third at the 2001 NPPL Chicago Open, behind the All Americans and Southern California Ironmen. [13]

The published 2001 NPPL roster listed Steve Rabackoff as captain, alongside Rocky Cagnoni, Shawn Ellis, Glenn Forrester, Todd Hugo, Mark Knop, Chris LaSoya, Travis Lemanski, Todd Martinez, Ed Poorman, Jon Richardson, Eric Roberts, Jeremy Salm and a player identified as Weasel. [4]

At the 2001 World Cup, Avalanche finished first in the professional preliminary standings but failed to advance to the final four. [14]

In October 2002, Avalanche was withdrawn from the NPPL World Cup following a rules incident during a preliminary match against Ground Zero Gold. Contemporary tournament reporting stated that Jeremy Salm had entered the playing area from outside the field and fired upon opposing players. The team forfeited its points from the match, and Salm received a suspension from NPPL and PSP competition for the 2003 season. [15]

The organisation subsequently underwent significant roster changes.

Rebuilding and the Super 7 era (2003–2005)

Avalanche continued competing following the separation of the NPPL and PSP tournament circuits.

Several former Avalanche players joined the Miami Effect programme and later became associated with Infamous. Ed Poorman rebuilt Avalanche with a revised roster for the NPPL Super 7 series. [16]

The team returned to the professional podium at the 2004 NPPL Huntington Beach Open, finishing second behind San Diego Dynasty. [17]

Avalanche reached the final four again at the 2004 Denver Open, finishing fourth behind Infamous, Sacramento XSV and Dynasty. [16]

During 2005, the team competed as San Francisco Avalanche.

At the 2005 Huntington Beach Open, Avalanche finished third in the professional division after defeating the Portland Naughty Dogs. [18]

Another third-place finish followed at the 2005 Denver Open, where Avalanche defeated Oakland Empire in the consolation final. [19]

St. Louis Avalanche and later competition

Avalanche subsequently competed under the St. Louis Avalanche name.

At the 2008 NPPL Huntington Beach Open, St. Louis Avalanche reached the professional final against San Antonio X-Factor. X-Factor won the best-of-three series, leaving Avalanche in second place. [20]

The team continued competing in professional NPPL and NXL tournaments through the late 2000s.

At the 2010 NPPL Las Vegas World Championships, St. Louis Avalanche finished fourth in the professional seven-player division. [21]

By 2011, the organisation was associated with professional player Frank Connell, who led the team in NPPL competition.

Avalanche used equipment from Vanguard Paintball, including the Creed and Demon electronic markers.

In 2012, Connell was identified as the owner of the professional franchise competing as New England Avalanche. He also acquired the assets of Vanguard Paintball, whose customised Avalanche Demon markers were used by the team. [6]

New England Avalanche competed in the 2012 NPPL professional season. The name was included in the league's list of professional teams promoted or retained for the 2013 season. [22]

Notable players

Players associated with significant periods of Avalanche's history include:

Chris LaSoya – Founding member and prominent professional player.
Ed Poorman – Team owner and former player.
Rocky Cagnoni – Professional player during the team's late-1990s and early-2000s success.
Steve Rabackoff – Captain of the 2001 professional roster.
Todd Martinez – Professional player who later played for Dynasty and other leading teams.
Travis Lemanski – Professional player who subsequently played for Miami Effect and Infamous.
Mark Knop – Member of the team's early-2000s roster.
Jon Richardson – Member of the 2001 and 2002 professional rosters.
Jeremy Salm – Professional player during the early 2000s.
Rusty Glaze – Member of the 2002 professional roster.
Frank Connell – Professional player and later owner of New England Avalanche.

[1][4][6][23]

Selected tournament achievements

Year	Competition	Division	Result
1998	NPPL World Cup	Professional 5-man	1st [7]
1999	NPPL Professional Series	Professional 10-man	Series champions [3]
1999	NPPL World Cup	Professional 10-man	2nd [8]
2000	Toulouse 7-Man World Cup	Professional	1st [9]
2000	Millennium Series Campaign Cup	Professional	1st [10]
2000	NPPL Nashville Open	Professional 10-man	1st [11]
2001	NPPL Gettysburg Open	Professional 10-man	1st [12]
2001	NPPL Chicago Open	Professional 10-man	3rd [13]
2004	NPPL Huntington Beach Open	Professional 7-man	2nd [17]
2004	NPPL Denver Open	Professional 7-man	4th [16]
2005	NPPL Huntington Beach Open	Professional 7-man	3rd [18]
2005	NPPL Denver Open	Professional 7-man	3rd [19]
2008	NPPL Huntington Beach Open	Professional 7-man	2nd [20]
2010	NPPL Las Vegas World Championships	Professional 7-man	4th [21]

Equipment and sponsorship

Avalanche maintained a close relationship with Warped Sportz, whose owner Ed Poorman was directly involved with the team.

The team became particularly associated with WDP Angel electronic paintball markers and customised Warped Sportz Dark Angel models.

In 2002, Warped Sportz released the Chris LaSoya Signature Series Dark Angel IR3, a limited-production marker designed by Poorman. The marker followed an earlier LaSoya Signature Series model released in 2001. [1]

The team's distinctive uniforms, customised markers and promotional merchandise contributed to its visibility during the late 1990s and early 2000s. [2]

During its later years, Avalanche developed a relationship with Vanguard Paintball, using the Creed and Demon markers. The manufacturer produced a customised Avalanche edition of the Demon, incorporating distinctive body milling and anodising. [6]

Media and cultural influence

Avalanche featured in PUSH, the influential paintball documentary released in 2000. The film followed professional teams including Avalanche, Aftershock, the Ironmen and Image during the 1999 World Cup. [24]

Avalanche players also appeared in Smoked, a tournament film documenting the 2001 World Cup. The production was promoted alongside Upper Deck trading cards featuring professional paintball players from Avalanche and Dynasty. [25]

The team's professional roster, equipment and promotional presence made Avalanche one of the recognisable organisations of the late-1990s tournament paintball scene. [2]

Legacy

Avalanche was an important professional paintball team during the transition from traditional 10-man tournaments to modern speedball and X-Ball competition.

Its 1999 NPPL season championship, international victories in 2000 and continued participation in the NPPL Super 7 established a competitive record spanning multiple tournament formats.

The organisation also played a role in the development of professional paintball's commercial culture through its relationship with Warped Sportz, customised electronic markers, sponsorship and tournament media.

Several former Avalanche players subsequently became influential members of other professional teams and paintball businesses, including Infamous and Dynasty. [16][23]

References

External links