Warrior Sports Gear
Warrior Sports Gear was an American paintball equipment manufacturer associated with Larry and Marcella Cossio. Based in Simpsonville, South Carolina, the company produced tournament clothing, pod harnesses, equipment bags, barrel blocking devices and field safety netting. Warrior Sports Gear was active from at least 1996 through the early 2000s.[1][2]
History
[edit]Warrior Sports Gear was exhibiting paintball equipment by October 1996, when Larry and Marcella Cossio presented the company's products at the 1996 NPPL World Cup. Its range included tournament shirts featuring contrasting black-and-white graphics, equipment bags and marker bags.[1]
The company continued exhibiting at major American tournaments, including the 1998 NPPL World Cup and the 2000 Pan Am Circuit.[3][4]
Barrel blocking devices
[edit]One of Warrior Sports Gear's best-documented products was the Barrel Condom, a fabric barrel blocking device intended to prevent accidentally discharged paintballs from leaving a marker.
The product was exhibited at the 2000 NPPL World Cup, where it was described as a reinforced fabric bag secured to the paintball marker with an adjustable drawstring.[5]
In June 2001, the National Professional Paintball League formally accepted barrel bag-style blocking devices, including Warrior's Barrel Condom and Unique Sporting's Barrel Jimmy. The rule change required markers off the playing field to have a secured barrel bag rather than a conventional barrel plug.[6]
At the 2001 International Amateur Open, Larry Cossio announced that Warrior would rename the Barrel Condom to Barrel Blocking Device (BBD) to make the product more acceptable to a wider customer base.[7]
Cossio subsequently received United States patent 6,722,073 for a paintball barrel blocking device. The patent was filed on 2 August 2001 and granted on 20 April 2004. Patent records identify Cossio as the inventor and document an assignment to National Paintball Supply in October 2001.[8]
Field safety netting
[edit]Warrior Sports Gear also supplied safety netting for tournament paintball fields.
At the 2002 NPPL Chicago Open, the event organisers used a new netting system supplied by Warrior Sports Gear and manufactured by Cossio Enterprises.[9]
The netting incorporated a hybrid weave with a denser lower section for protection against direct paintball impacts and a lighter upper section intended to reduce wind resistance. The system also featured pre-installed grommets and quick-link attachments to simplify installation and removal.[9]
Products
[edit]Warrior Sports Gear's documented product range included:
- Tournament shirts – Paintball clothing featuring printed graphic designs.
- Pod harnesses – Packs designed to carry additional paintballs during tournament play.
- Gear bags – Equipment bags for transporting paintball gear.
- Marker bags – Protective bags designed for paintball markers.
- Ultimate Case – An equipment case documented at the 1998 Zap Amateur Open.
- Barrel Condom / Barrel Blocking Device – A fabric barrel safety device.
- Safety netting – Protective netting supplied for tournament playing fields.[1][5][9][10]
Warrior Sports Gear harnesses were also included among prizes offered at the 2003 Ultimate Madness tournament.[11]
References
[edit]- WARPIG – NPPL 1996 World Cup: The Vendors, October 1996.
- WARPIG – Paintball Industry Directory, Warrior Sports Gear listing.
- WARPIG – 1998 NPPL World Cup tournament coverage.
- WARPIG – 2000 Pan Am Circuit Las Vegas tournament coverage.
- WARPIG – World Cup 2000 Product Showcase, by Bill Mills.
- WARPIG – 2001 NPPL Chicago Open, 20–24 June 2001.
- WARPIG – 2001 International Amateur Open, New Product Introductions.
- United States Patent 6,722,073 – Barrel Blocking Device, Larry L. Cossio, granted 20 April 2004.
- WARPIG – 2002 NPPL Chicago Open tournament coverage.
- WARPIG – 1998 Zap Amateur Open Photo Gallery.
- WARPIG – Ultimate Madness tournament press release, 25 March 2003.