What exactly is a Sandbagger?  A Sandbagger is a tournament experienced player who tries to play as a player of a lower class (when he/she is not) in a tournament, mainly for the compensation of the prizes, easy team wins, etc.  Primary examples would be a Pro player trying to pass as an Amatuer, or an Amatuer player trying to pass as a Novice.  These players should know better, but how can we prevent this from happening in Tournaments?

So I know what a Sandbagger is, how do they affect me?

        Sandbaggers affect everyone.  They affect you directly when they enter into a class that you and your team may be playing in, especially if you have to play against them directly.  Many players spend good, hard earned money to play in tournaments (which in most cases isn't cheap).  So why should they play if they know they are playing against a team which they know they can't beat (due to players on that team which shouldn't be playing in the first place)?  The fact is, they shouldn't.  It's not fair to you, your team, or anyone else which is following the tournament rules, regulations, and restrictions.  Unfortunately, these players (the sandbaggers) know they shouldn't be there, but don't care...they are there for one thing, to win the prizes!!!

History of Tourneys and the players

        Back in the late 80's, and early 90's, there where far less teams then there are around today.  Just like any sport, things expand quite rapidly when a sport becomes popular.  Paintball has definitely expanded to more teams then we can even count.  Whether these teams were new, old, good, or bad, one thing was clear, most of the teams were honest because there wasn't a whole lot of "talented" teams yet.  The NPPL was just starting up, and the GWS series hadn't been created yet.  As paintball had become more competive, more players started doing more than just play, these players started stacking teams, cheating (wiping mainly), basically anything they could do to win the game.
 

Tourneys Today

        Everybody wants to win, but there are only 2 ways to win a tournament, fair and square, or not at all.  Throughout my years of tournament play, I have played with teams who play hard, honest, and fair.  Teams which I, or my team (or teammates) have encountered cheating in any way, shape, or form, we have made it very clear to the those players, their captain, and the refs.  Unfortunately, most of the time, most people will acknowledge that they are aware of it, but do very little dispite of the fact that cheating has occured.

        Most tournaments which I have personally participated in, the rules and regulations have been fairly strict, at least as far as the circumstances, and the penalties which will be assessed if an individual or team cheats.  I personally respect these rules, and have found that most players and their teams abide by these rules.  However, I have seen a number of players who have absolutely no respect for these tourneys, rules, or other players...they are there for one thing...to win.

First Hand Experience

        I have recently held a tourney for the MPN, which we encountered a few teams which had players which didn't belong.  When I brought it to their attention, they acknowledge that they had broken the rules of  "no sandbagging" (at least what the way I interpreted it), but continued to enter a team anyways.  I immediately disqualified them, and asked them to leave.  Most tournament coordinators will let it slide because yes, they want to make money, but when it comes down to being fair to others, the money is no longer important.  If all tourneys allowed sandbaggers to enter, they would eventually lose all of the teams to better run tournaments who don't tolerate sandbaggers.

        It soon became aware that another team had sandbaggers on their team as well, but by that time, the tourney was almost over.  Unfortuantely, that team ended up winning their divsion, but if they need to "stack" a team in order to win...they can be sure that they will not be welcome at the next tournament.  Being that it was our first tournament, things didn't go absolutely like we had intended, but went to the best to what we were capable (for the first tourney).  One thing which a lot of tourneys do nowadays, is follow current or existing rules and formats of other tournaments which are currently in place.  This makes it easier for tournaments to incorporate rules which players are already familiar with, in a tournament environment which most players have already played.

Out with the Old, in with the New

        So now you may ask yourself, how do we take care of the Sandbagging issue?  You create your own rules, which completely disregard whether or not you have played in one division or another in another series.  You come up with a panel of experienced players who are familiar with players, to be able to distinguish teams, faces, and skill levels.  If you break the rules, play in a class which you are not supposed to, basically anything which test the limitations of our established rules and regulations, you (and/or your team) will be penalized heavily, if not completely ejected with you and/or your entire team.  I think that many tournaments are being held for monetary compensation, which of course most are, but we are forgetting completely about what we are out there in the first place for, to be competitive, and to have fun.
 

What do others say?

        Since our last tournament, and when I have been playing on the fields, I have been interviewing a number of players on and off the field to get their interpretations on the issue of having sandbaggers in tournaments.  Here are a few interesting reponses I received.

Player 1 from Southern California - "Well I have been playing for sometime now, and everyone does it.  I'm a sandbagger, but so is everyone else".

This may be true, but 2 wrongs don't make a right.

Player 2 from Nothern California - "I think that Sandbaggers should be banned from all tournament series when the are caught.  I know it sounds kinda harsh, but my team and I would like to have a fair shot at the prizes too."

I wouldn't go as far as banning players unless they repeatedly attempt to Sandbag.  They should definitely be penalized however in some form.

Player 3 from Canada - "Experienced players already have all of their equipment, so why don't they play against other teams in the same category?  Why do they need to have to ruin all of the fun for teams which truly deserve the prizes?"

Tournaments are trying to do this by breaking up teams into different classes ranging from rookie to amatuer.  The MPN recently added a "Kids" division, which seems to be starting a new trend with many other tournament promoters.  The MPN has also tried giving as many prizes as possible, not just to those who place.

Player 4 from New Jersey - "Coming up with a new set of rules which attempts to catch and punish the sandbaggers is the only way to attempt to fix the issue.  Of course you can't completely eliminate the sandbaggers, but it definitely makes players think twice before trying it."

I agree completely.  It will never be elimintated, however, we can do our best to keep it to a minimum.

So where do we go from here?

        Exactly what one of the players said...come up with a whole new set of rules which severly punishes those teams which try to Sandbag.  Whether it be a player, players, or the whole team.  I think that it needs to be stood up against for anything to happen.  I think that the players are starting to do more of the controlling, influencing, and favortism on the field towards others.  After the rules are in place, impartial field judges, refs (which have adequite training and experience) need to be put in place.  Of course it will not ileviate the problem altogether, but at least it's a start.

        Tournament series such as the Great Western Series have implemented a "ranking" system which tries to classify players, and their skills based on the amount of time a player has played in each division.  For instance, a first time tournament player enters a tournament as a rookie.  After playing for a year in this division, the player must move up to Novice.  Like any other sport, a players progression is based on skill, not the amount of time a player has played the sport.  A player can play tournaments for years, be moved through the ranks, and not have the skills for the class which they are in.

        Too many players are in too much of a rush to move up divisions, but realize that they make a drastic mistake when they find they cannot compete with the teams in their "new" division.  The even worse part is that they cannot move back down once you move up.  Once you declare yourself an amatuer player, you are amatuer for the rest of your paintball career.  Thus, Sandbagging was created.

How do you Determine Skill Level?

        That's the tricky part.  Skill is definitely not soley based on the amount of time played in tournaments, paintball, etc.  Because everyone progresses at different levels, periods of time, etc., teams should be given the opprotunity to play in the divisions which they say they are.  Let's say after a year has passed, this team is taking 1st-3rd place in every tourney they play in, then they should definitely move up to the next division the next year.  Now let's say, you have a team which places last place in every tournament.  After a year has passed, should they be required to move up divisions, especially because they cannot even place in the division that they are currently in?

        Throughout my paintball career, I have seen players who are simply talented, and have moved through the ranks and are now playing either Amatuer or Pro within a matter of a few years.  I have also played with people who have claimed to have played for at least a decade, and can't hit the side of a barn if their life depended on it.  Players can say whatever they want about how good/bad they are.  True bragging rights can only be determined on the field.  You will notice that most of the good players don't say much...and most of the pro players talk too much.

The MPN Summertime Showdown Series

        The MPN will hopefully be the first to incorporate this new strategy of skill recognition.  When teams turn in their player rosters, we will use our best judgement are trying to siphon out the players which don't belong.  On the day of the tournament, if we see players who don't belong, we will make sure that they don't even step on the field.  It might not make us the most popular of tourneys with all of the players and teams, but we will do our best to bring you paintball the way was meant to be played...fair, honest, and most importantly...fun for everyone.

Sean Takeda
MPN Columnist