CFOA ... Round 2

The second stop for the CFOA tournament series landed us back in Rock Hill, SC for the Carolina Classic. After a successful first event, teams were ready to get back on the grind and chase the podium. The weather leading up to the event was nothing short of perfect, until Saturday, of course. Wind gusts all day long added an additional challenge to the already tough competition. Rain, wind, or shine the event went on!

We saw some familiar faces as well as some surprises on the podium at the end of the 3man event on Saturday. The Carolina Cobras, from Greensboro, NC had back to back wins in the D5 division. Falling just short of the gold, but a second trip to the podium was Fluid with a very strong event. Third place was awarded to The Wreckers with their first podium appearance in d5!

In D6, our division for first time tournament players, we saw some fantastic paintball out of these new players that were hungry for the hardware. After hours crew, a long time program in the Carolinas, took home the gold! The Wreckers 2, a local team out of Rock hill, landed in a close second place. Last but certainly not least, “Who’s your Daddy?” found themselves on the podium for the first time this season. “Who’s your Daddy?” with each player averaging 43 years of age, proved to the world of paintball that it’s never too late to get in on the fun!

Onto Sunday!  . . . . . . . . .5-man competition started bright and early, near perfect paintball weather with a high of 66 degrees and sunny skies in Rock Hill. A very different layout was chosen for this event; a completely symmetrical field would lead to some interesting play. Additionally the center “Win” bunker was still fresh for 2016. Kevin Hamm, owner and coach of After Hours Crew said “as far as the symmetrical layout goes, it was different. Teams definitely had to run wide to get the angles and shoot the guys in the center of the field. The layout allowed players to switch either side and be effective no matter what side of the field they were on.” 

Matt Sossoman, retired pro player and coach of Carolina’s Finest said, “The layout at the second of the CFOA was great. With the layout being perfectly symmetrical there wasn't a dominant side. It really forced players to play out of their comfort zone. The CFOA in my eyes is running smoother than I have seen it in a while. One thing that is helping is the new refs who are current, high level players. They know what to watch for and also know how the game has changed for the better. I look forward to coming to CFOA's to coach and watch the local talent progress.”

After all was said and done, The Greensboro Bloodhounds, a local team out of Greensboro, NC, took the crown in the D4 Hybrid division. The BR Boyz improved from 4th place at the first event to 2nd place finish at the Carolina Classic. The Hornets, a throw together team of familiar CFOA players, took the 3rd spot with a very strong event. 

In D5, Upstate Army defended their first place title with back to back gold medals. After Hours Crew, who finished 6th at the first event, fought their way to a well deserved silver medal. SC Storm showed their consistency with back to back 3rd place podium finishes.

A special thanks goes out to all teams that participated in The Carolina Classic and a huge shout out goes to the CFOA staff and referees for another flawless event. Thank you Planet Eclipse, GI Sportz, and Empire Paintball for supporting another season of CFOA paintball! We hope to see you all on May 14 and 15th at Wildfire Paintball in Madison, GA for the Dirty South Open! 

For more information visit www.TheCFOA.com