Editing 1994 NPPL D.C. Cup

The '''1994 NPPL D.C. Cup''' was a [[paintball]] tournament at Outdoor Adventures in Bowie, Maryland, organised by [[Paintball Consumer Reports International]] (PCRI) as part of the [[National Professional Paintball League]] (NPPL) circuit. It was advertised for 27 April–1 May 1994, with professional and amateur competition in five-man and 10-man formats.[1]

A contemporary advertisement recorded first place for the [[All Americans]] and second place for [[Chicago Aftershock]]. The event also received attention from an ESPN television crew.[2][3]

== Organisation and programme ==
The D.C. Cup followed the [[1994 NPPL Dallas Open|Dallas Open]] as the second tournament on the NPPL's advertised 1994 schedule.[4]

A press release published in ''Paintball News'' named Outdoor Adventures in Bowie as the venue and advertised refereeing by the All Americans, [[Bad Company]] and Phantom Force.[1]

The league's January programme assigned Bad Company and Phantom Force to the D.C. Cup's 10-man competition and the All Americans to five-man refereeing.[4]

The tournament was advertised as a bring-your-own-paint event. The published league programme allocated Wednesday and Thursday to five-man play and Friday through Sunday to 10-man competition.[4]

Organisers advertised cash awards and more than US$30,000 in prizes for competing amateur teams.[1]

== Beginner activities ==
The programme included free beginner games on Saturday, 30 April, and a free beginner target shoot on Sunday, 1 May.[1]

This introductory programme was sponsored by [[ZAP Paintball|ZAP Paintballs]]. Organisers advertised free paintballs, markers and safety equipment, available on a first-come, first-served basis.[1]

== Documented results ==
An R. P. Scherer and [[Pursuit Marketing Incorporated|PMI]] advertisement published in ''Paintball News'' on 9 July 1994 recorded the following placings. The advertisement did not identify the competition format or division.[2]

{| class="wikitable"
! Place !! Team
|-
| 1 || [[All Americans]]
|-
| 2 || [[Chicago Aftershock]]
|}

== Television coverage ==
A retrospective history published in ''Paintball 2Xtremes'' and subsequently reproduced online identifies the 1994 D.C. Cup as an early occasion when ESPN covered tournament paintball.[3]

The account credits PCRI with bringing Bill Pido, a cameraman and a producer to cover the event for ESPN. It distinguishes this coverage from the later ESPN World Paintball Championships.[3]

== See also ==
* [[National Professional Paintball League]]
* [[Paintball Consumer Reports International]]
* [[1994 NPPL Dallas Open]]
* [[1994 NPPL Los Angeles Open]]

== References ==
# PCRI/NPPL D.C. Cup press release, ''Paintball News'', 16 April 1994, p. 26. Identifies the advertised dates, Outdoor Adventures venue, formats, refereeing teams, prizes and beginner activities.
# R. P. Scherer/PMI advertisement, “The Only Advantage Is Winning With RP Scherer”, ''Paintball News'', 9 July 1994, p. 33. Records the All Americans in first place and Aftershock in second at the 1994 D.C. Cup.
# [https://www.automags.org/forums/forum/automag-owners-forums/paintball-talk/122630-history-of-paintball History of Paintball], historical chronology reproduced on Automags.org from ''Paintball 2Xtremes'', June 2005, entry “April, 1994: PCRI Gets Paintball on ESPN”.
# “NPPL Schedule & Rules”, ''Paintball News'', 22 January 1994, p. 4. Contemporary league announcement covering the event order, advertised dates, five-man and 10-man programme, paint policy and referee assignments.

[[Category:National Professional Paintball League events]]
[[Category:Paintball tournaments in the United States]]
[[Category:Paintball tournament results]]
[[Category:Paintball in Maryland]]
[[Category:1990s in American paintball]]
[[Category:1994 in paintball]]