Tag and Training (New Zealand Paintball Team)

Tag and Training, also recorded as Tag & Training, TNT and Tag n' Release Training, was a Rotorua-based New Zealand competitive paintball team. Contemporary records identify it as the amateur or development team associated with Tag n' Release. Competing as a separate entry, it won the Second Division at the 2001 New Zealand Paintball Nationals and the 2002 Northland Open.[1][2]

The abbreviation TNT refers to Tag and Training in these New Zealand records. It should not be applied to unrelated overseas teams using the same initials.

History

2001 New Zealand Nationals

Tag and Training competed at the 2001 New Zealand Paintball Nationals at Actions Paintball in Auckland. The tournament used seven-player, two-flag games, with the leading four teams in each division advancing to the finals.[1]

The contemporary report described Tag and Training as Tag n' Release's amateur team. It won the Second Division with 180 final-round points, ahead of Damn Natives on 130, Fusion on 120 and Damage on 117.[1]

Tag n' Release competed as a separate entry and did not reach either divisional final. Its result should therefore be distinguished from Tag and Training's championship victory.[1]

Other activity in 2001

The October 2001 Valhalla National Rankings recorded TNT in twelfth place in the seven-player category with 103.2 ranking points. The same rankings separately recorded Tag n' Release Training in seventh place in the five-player category.[4]

A contemporary discussion records TNT players participating in social games in Rotorua on 4 November 2001. A reply posted that evening by ANTSMAN identified Glen and Mark as TNT players. The source supplies only their first names and does not establish a complete roster.[3]

2002 Northland Open

At the 2002 Northland Open, Tag and Training finished second overall with 503 points and won the Second Division. Saints won the tournament overall with 666 points, while Havoc finished third with 430.[2]

The seven-player tournament was organised by Wayne Rolleston of Paintball West in Auckland. Tag and Training and Tag n' Release were identified as separate Rotorua entries. Tag n' Release competed in the First Division and finished fourth overall with 410 points.[2]

A Tag and Training player identified as Lurch accepted the divisional trophy. The report does not identify him as captain or provide his full name.[2]

Relationship with Tag n' Release

The 2001 Nationals report explicitly identifies Tag and Training as Tag n' Release's amateur team.[1] This establishes an affiliated-team relationship rather than interchangeable names for a single tournament entry.

Both teams entered the 2002 Northland Open separately. Their results should therefore remain distinct.[2]

The available sources do not establish when Tag and Training was formed, how long the development-team arrangement continued or whether every entry recorded as TNT outside this New Zealand context belonged to the team.

Documented players

Published name	Date	Documented involvement
Glen	4 November 2001	Identified as a TNT player in a contemporary forum reply.[3]
Mark	4 November 2001	Identified as a TNT player in the same discussion.[3]
Lurch	2002 Northland Open	Identified as the Tag and Training player who accepted the Second Division trophy.[2]

These individual mentions do not constitute a complete roster. No surnames or captaincy roles have been inferred.

Tournament results

Year	Competition	Classification	Result	Points
2001	2001 New Zealand Paintball Nationals	Second Division final	1st	180 final-round points[1]
2002	2002 Northland Open	Overall and Second Division	2nd overall; Second Division winner	503 tournament points[2]

The 2001 figure is a final-round score, while the 2002 figure is the published overall tournament total.

References