Carolina Field Owners Association

Carolina Field Owners Association (CFOA) is an American regional tournament paintball organisation established in 1998 by Larry Motes and Rick Leonard. Originally developed as a five-player competition series in the southeastern United States, the CFOA expanded to include X-Ball, three-player and other tournament formats.[1]

The organisation became a major regional tournament circuit during the early 2000s, regularly attracting large numbers of amateur teams. It continues to organise competitive paintball events, primarily in North and South Carolina.[1][2]

History

Establishment

The Carolina Field Owners Association was established in 1998 by Larry Motes and Rick Leonard.[1]

The organisation initially focused on providing regular five-player tournament competition for teams in the Carolinas and surrounding states.

Its events used divisions based on playing experience, allowing beginner, rookie, novice and amateur teams to compete separately.

Larry Motes became closely associated with the organisation's promotion and management during its early development.

Expansion during the 2000s

By 2003, the CFOA had developed into one of the largest regional paintball tournament series in the United States.

At the July 2003 Beach Ball tournament, held at Adventure Beach Paintball near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 75 five-player teams competed across rookie, novice and amateur divisions.[2]

The 2003 season concluded at Alternative Sport in Sevierville, Tennessee. Contemporary reporting recorded an average attendance of approximately 80 teams per event.

The series champions were:

Rookie: Corrupt
Novice: Thrash Black
Amateur: Xtreme Sports Fulfillment (XSF)

The season included cash prizes, paintball equipment and entries to the Paintball World Cup.[3]

2004 attendance records

The CFOA continued expanding during 2004.

Its season-opening tournament attracted 116 registered five-player teams, surpassing the organisation's previous attendance record of 91 teams established in 2003.[1]

The league operated an eight-event five-player schedule, with tournaments held at commercial paintball facilities throughout the southeastern United States.

The second event of the 2004 season, held at Ultimate Paintball near Atlanta, Georgia, attracted 110 teams.[4]

During this period, the CFOA's organisers included Larry Motes, Jon Morrell and Josh Silverman, with support from participating field operators.

Major sponsors included National Paintball Supply, DYE Precision, Planet Eclipse, Diablo Paintball, Crossfire and other paintball equipment businesses.[1]

Additional tournament formats

The CFOA subsequently expanded beyond traditional five-player competition.

During 2006, the organisation scheduled four X-Ball tournaments alongside seven five-player tournaments. Its staff also organised three-player events for Paintball Central.[5]

The five-player series continued using beginner, rookie and novice classifications, while the X-Ball competitions provided an additional format for developing tournament teams.

By 2008, the league had announced a schedule comprising eight five-player tournaments and five divisional X-Ball events.[6]

The competition subsequently adopted numbered player divisions aligned with American tournament classification systems.

Official tournament records document continued CFOA events throughout the 2010s, including the Queen City Masters, Carolina Classic, Tarheel Open, Dirty South Open and Homecoming.[7]

Later development

In 2019, the CFOA announced a renewed emphasis on developing beginner, rookie and novice players.

Professional player Tyler Humphrey and longtime CFOA participant Andrew Gibson were identified as organisers working to develop the series.

The revised programme focused on local competition, organised practice opportunities and accessible tournament formats.[8]

During the 2020s, the organisation continued offering competitions including three-player tournaments, five-player Blitz events, seven-player tournaments and classic ten-player paintball.[7][9]

Tournament formats

The CFOA has organised several tournament formats during its history.

Five-player

Five-player paintball formed the foundation of the original CFOA series.

During the early 2000s, tournaments used separate rookie, novice and amateur divisions.

The format remained part of the organisation's programme during subsequent decades, including Retro 5-Man and Blitz competitions.[5][9]

X-Ball

The CFOA introduced X-Ball tournaments during the 2000s, providing an additional competition format alongside traditional five-player events.

The 2008 schedule included Division 2 and Division 3 X-Ball competitions.[6]

Three-player

The CFOA's three-player series is designed principally for players entering competitive paintball.

Its modern programme includes Division 5 and Division 6 classifications, with registration and player rankings administered through the APPA system.[10]

Classic ten-player

The organisation also operates a Classic 10-Man Open.

The competition uses mechanical paintball markers or electronic markers restricted to a specified rate of fire, with games played on traditional field layouts including Hyperball, mounds and woodland fields.[11]

Media coverage

The CFOA received regular coverage in American paintball publications, including WARPIG and Paintball 2Xtremes.

Its tournaments were also documented by DerDer Productions in several films:

The CFOA Experience (2004), featuring four CFOA events.
Insult to Injury (2005), documenting the 2005 season.
Sticks and Stones (2006), featuring five-player and X-Ball competition.

These productions preserved footage of regional American tournament paintball during the organisation's expansion in the mid-2000s.[12]

References

External links