Ionman, Prize Money, Good or Bad!

[Russell]

This is not meant at a pop at the organisers and when my team mates see this post some will disagree but.........

I was fortunate to be on the winning team at the first Ionman event and beside the usual feeling of pride we also received some cash, more than enough to pay for the days expenses and also a few pints at the pub in celebration.

But, do we need prize money, from a teams prospective it is a great thing. Well it is if you are one of the lucky ones who get your hands on the loot and because of the possibility of a free day more teams will be encouraged to play if more of those greedy site owners did it paintball would be climbing to great heights.
Or would it!, in hindsight I am not so sure it is a good thing as much as I love the prospect of winning some cash I don't want that to be the aim of my days paintballing.

I don't want to take anything away from what Chris did yesterday that was unique and it was great to play some new fields but I want to go to paintball to enjoy the day, and I enjoy it by trying to beat the other teams at the game not thinking of the cash I can count at the end.
It may be the bad person in me but if I was going in to the last games and that result would make a difference with the money on the table I may be prone to a little collusion, didn't have to do that yesterday but..................

The organiser of yesterdays event invested his own cash to meet what he had said he would do and he deserves credit for keeping his word, and if he sees it as advertising/promotion for his site I am sure he will receive some and in time he can tell us if was worth it.
I believe if the offer of a "decent" cash prize was made the wrong teams would be formed for the prospect of coming and taking the cash and they would not be supportive of the format just the cash, not good.

I firmly support the idea that the winning team should be given some sort of prize (I would wouldn't I) but that it should not be in excess of their collective expenses (entry/paint/travel ex's), and maybe second place could recieve free entry.
That way it is a good reward for your days play and the organiser is not giving all his profit away.
As much as people don't want to believe it, if organisers do not make a good income from us why would they want to do it.


Russ

[madtoxic]

1st place free day ie game fees and paint paid for.

2nd place free entry

3rd a few boxes of paint



iwould be happy with that .. god im happy with one of bullys paper cups and muffin...

[shadlad]

Well guys sorry to say this but the next event has even more prizes ! Be a slightly different format to the event for giving them and sorting them out. We have taken on board the reviews and we look at making it an event that gives prizes but does not make it a fight for first place.

I can tell you that the next event will be giving away a full air system for team training. This will be a stainless steal system on a trolley with petrol air compressor and storage bank ! Value is £3500 !! It is a brand new system made for the event !!

[TinFish]

I think money brings out the worst in people.

I think some kind of big trophy, that gets engraved with the winning teams name would be good as well. The team that wins it keeps the trophy til the next event. That would interest me more than the actual cash.

maybe a few boxes of paint or free entry or summit as well.

[JUGGERNAUT]

i personally dont like the big prize ideas, i have never had a better days paintball than when we (fatbobs fusion) went down to dragons lair near london last year and came second in a tourney there............ what di we get ? a big feck off trophy, probably costing no more than £50

guess its a pride thing, in my opinion if we were doing it for the money we would all quit paintball and just do every last bit of over time at work, paintball for me is just that feeling of warmth when you have done the best you can do and gotten as high up the leader board as possible.

i too am of the opinion that money/big prizes brings out the worst in ppl

luke

[TinFish]

aye, that's what i mean, a big trophy would be freekin awesome...

[TinFish]

just reading back through this thread, i realise that what ive said comes across as a bit of a negative towards the excelent work and dedication the guys who organised this event have put in, and in reflection of that, i re read through russels post which made me think a little harder about what Ionman is about.

'Getting people back in the woods' is what it is about and that is what chris has continually said it was about. Now to me, I think it is very hard to bring players into a woodland tournmament environment that dont already play the likes of genesis etc and the only way i can think to do that is to give them an incentive. Now, what better incentive is there than winning a bit of money?

I know me personally, i dont care about money when it comes to paintball but i know a lot of people do. Perhaps the money should be split over the top 3-4 places instead? thus reducing the hefty wad that 1st and second get, giving teams a bigger chance of winning something and also giving the teams who dont normally win an incentive to get themselves booked in?

opinions?

[Mophead1990]

I agree with dan . the money hould definatly be split over a number of teams prehaps top 3. a trophy would be an excelent idea to a big sheild with the winners name on. it is cheeper and preferably i would rather have a copy made and have it in my house.

[COL THE MANC]

play paintball for whatever reason you like, the buzz, your pride, winning a trophy, etc. the only thing a decent cash prize will do is encourage more teams to come and try to win it. so whatever their reasons are it wont effect your game, it will just mean more interest for woodsball and more exposure, which is great for the game. i won a share of the cash on sunday and i will back for the next one to try and win again, but i play to win no matter what the prize is.

[Russell]

Now, what better incentive is there than winning a bit of money?

I know me personally, i dont care about money when it comes to paintball but i know a lot of people do. Perhaps the money should be split over the top 3-4 places instead? thus reducing the hefty wad that 1st and second get, giving teams a bigger chance of winning something and also giving the teams who dont normally win an incentive to get themselves booked in?

opinions?

If we just want people to come along try and win the cash and then piss off never to be seen again, a big cash prize will do the job nicely.
What needs to be thought about is a way of encouraging teams to come into the woods and stay there when the cash is not up for grabs because they enjoy it.
Chris is one of those rare breeds of men who may be doing the wrong thing for all the right reasons, he also may be finding the catalyst that starts woodland tournament paintball off again. We will have to wait and see.
But if we say OK guys here is a tournament and the winner gets £10,000
how many teams do you think we would get in......lets say it attracted 100 or even 200 the question is after that event (which I would cheat like a mofo to win) how many would come back to play woodland events for a tin cup, very few and I doubt even that sort of cash would get more than fifty teams because they would look who has entered and decide it is not worth playing because team X, Y, and Z are in it and one of them will win it anyhow.
I believe the winning team should not get more than what it has cost them (and Sundays prize was about right)as a cash prize to stop the fly by night teams - you could give product as a incentive as well - and anybody past third should not get anything as a placement prize.
Winners of a series used to get free or subsidised entry for the next year or one of the best prizes I remember winning was a load of paint and loaders.


Russ

[Russell]

play paintball for whatever reason you like, the buzz, your pride, winning a trophy, etc. .

Is that a Manchester Lion term:)

Russ