As the campus buzzes about spring sports such as baseball, track and tennis, the UW-Whitewater paintball club will gear up for the AA National Championship Tournament, which runs Friday through Sunday in Lakeland, Fla.

After winning the tournament in 2009, the Warhawks are looking to make another deep run this year after last season’s disappointing 45th place finish in the national tournament.

The team has consistently placed in the top of the nation, finishing 31st, 14th and sixth in the years prior to winning it all.
Coming up short in 2010 has motivated the team.

“There was a significant improvement from last year,” senior Martin Grasswick said. “We returned all of our starters from last year, took third in our 15-team conference and had a chance to win it if we had not missed our third conference tournament of the year.”

The ’Hawks will compete in the AA division, which includes 50 schools from Division I-III. The club likes its chances this year, bringing in a veteran squad with tournament experience.

“We are really hoping to place top eight, but would really like to reclaim our title,” Grasswick said. “We have the roster to do it. It’s going to depend on how well we play as a team and how well we execute our game plan.”

Established in 1999, the paintball club has grown a lot in 12 years of existence.

In its first few years, the club played paintball in the woods, a form of paintball called wood ball. Today, the club plays a tournament style of paintball known as speedball.

Speedball is a five-on-five game, where teams earn points for eliminating the other team members and capturing and hanging the opposing flag.
The club consists of 10 members and is looking for more. Of the 10 members, the ’Hawks will bring five starters and one reserve to the tournament.

Sophomore Matt Box knows the tournament won’t come easy.

“Our goal is to just do as best as we can and destroy whoever we come across,” Box said. “Winning it all is possible, but it will be a challenge.”