Editing 1987 Midwest Cup

The '''1987 Midwest Cup''' was an invitational [[paintball]] tournament held at [[Doc James Outdoor Games]] in Wilmington, Illinois, United States, on 4 October 1987. Allied Forces, a combined team comprising players from three squads, defeated the James Gang to win the tournament.[1][2]

== Organisation ==

Doc James Outdoor Games organised the competition, sponsored by the [[Nelson Paint Company]] and Coca-Cola. No cash prizes were offered. According to the organiser's contemporary report, invitations were based on teams' previous records of sportsmanship.[1]

Teams attended from Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Indiana. The required team size was between 20 and 25 players, prompting some entrants to combine:[1]

* Peoria Warriors, Iowa Hawks and Wild Geese players formed Allied Forces.
* Lyon's Lions players competed with the Mad Dog Rangers.

== Competition format ==

Games lasted 30 minutes and used a capture-the-flag format. When neither team captured a flag, the winner was determined by the number of players remaining. Head hits counted as eliminations.[1]

Markers were chronographed and tagged before competition, with a maximum permitted velocity of 300 feet per second.[1]

The opening stage used best-of-three series, described in the contemporary report as double elimination. Later stages used single-elimination games.[1]

Allied Forces, James Gang, Esparza's Raiders and Mad Dog Rangers advanced from the opening stage. Allied Forces and James Gang subsequently reached the final.[1]

== Final ==

Allied Forces fielded 25 players against the James Gang's 23. After winning the choice of starting positions, Allied Forces selected Alpha Camp and defended its flag station while the James Gang attacked.[1]

Neither team captured a flag during the 30-minute game. James Gang suffered 12 eliminations and Allied Forces eight, leaving Allied Forces with the greater number of surviving players and the championship.[1]

== Results ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Position
! Team
! Notes
|-
| 1
| Allied Forces
| Combined players from Peoria Warriors, Iowa Hawks and Wild Geese
|-
| 2
| James Gang
| Runners-up after the final was decided by surviving-player count
|-
| 3
| Mad Dog Rangers / Lyon's Lions
| Identified together in the contemporary third-place photograph caption
|}

Source: Ken Frelka's contemporary tournament report.[1]

== Awards ==

Allied Forces received the inscribed gold-plated Midwest Cup. Each winning player also received a [[Nel-Spot 007]] and a case of Coca-Cola. The second- and third-placed teams received trophy plaques and certificates.[1]

Esparza's Raiders received the sportsmanship award.[1]

== See also ==

* [[Doc James Outdoor Games]]
* [[Nelson Paint Company]]
* [[1987 in paintball]]

== References ==

# Ken Frelka, “The Midwest Cup”, ''[[Front Line (paintball magazine)|Front Line]]'', November 1987, pp. 9 and 23.
# “Doc James Outdoor Games” advertisement, ''Front Line'', November 1987, p. 22.

[[Category:Paintball tournaments in the United States]]
[[Category:Paintball in Illinois]]
[[Category:1980s in American paintball]]
[[Category:Paintball tournament results]]
[[Category:1987 in paintball]]