I covered the 1st Pavia-Iloilo Airsoft Tournament yesterday (December 4, 2011) and got shot in the process (LOL). But before we go into that, let me fill you in on some details first.
The 1st Pavia-Iloilo Airsoft Tournament was was held on the Pavia National High School grounds, and was organized by Pavia Councilor Jo Jan Paul “JP” Penol and Mr. Charlon James Guirjen.
Ten airsoft teams arrived from all over the Visayas to participate in the tournament (from Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, and Negros). They each shelled out P4,000 for the registration fee, with proceeds going to the Sta. Monica Parish Church Restoration project and to the Pavia National High School as well.
The participating teams were:
- Team Matalas
- Airborne Airsoft Team
- Oton Airsoft Team
- Wardogs Iloilo
- SD Pirates JBLFMU
- Wildcards Capiz
- Kalibo Pythons
- Ice Water Negros
- Vamfires Negros
- Leon Camando Airsoft Team
The official game marshals were Team Barracuda Sicarius. The winners of the tournament were as follows:
- Champion: Wardogs Iloilo and Team Matalas
- 1st Runner Up: Wildcards Capiz and SD Pirates JBLFMU
- 2nd Runner Up: Airborne Airsoft Team
- Best in Uniform: Airborne Airsoft Team
- Best in Sportsmanship: Wildcards Capiz
This was actually the first airsoft event I’ve ever been to, and I was pretty excited to be there. But I never expected that my “battle reflexes” and “war-honed cunning” would be severely put to the test. (As if…)
You see, I wanted to get a good spot where I could easily take some pictures of the games. I saw that the playing field was surrounded by four towers on each corner, and I thought that those towers were for the judges or referees, so I climbed one of the towers and got a super excellent view of everything! “Hey now,” I thought, “this is excellent!”
Little did I know what I was in for. I soon realized during the first three minutes of the game that the reason why I had a great view of everything on the field was because I was perched on a sniper’s nest. Yes, the four towers were built for the snipers of each team that played during the games, and not for the judges or referees as I had previously thought.
I had broken one of my cardinal rules: NEVER ASSUME.
What happened next was something out of a war movie. Okay, you’re probably thinking that I’m exaggerating, but dammit… that was what it felt like at the time. I was ducking for cover every time the announcer yelled “MASKS DOWN!” (which was the signal for all hell to break loose on the battlefield).
My dreams of standing leisurely on top of a fabulous spot while taking pictures of the action taking place below me were ruined. Instead, I found myself being shot at by the snipers and players on the opposite side of the field. I took a few hits on the face, and several shots in the chest and belly. Man, those little plastic pellets can really sting, even from a distance!
I was forced to take pictures while under fire. The shots kept rattling on, and believe me when I say that you can actually see those tiny pellets coming straight at you. It felt weird (and a bit scary) standing there and snapping those pictures while keeping a lookout for another rain of plastic bullets at the same time.
I kept at it for two hours before I had to call it quits. I was forced to calm my nerves with a bottle of ice-cold Mountain Dew and two slices of pizza from the vendors at the sidelines. And I calmed down some more with some sisig and garlic rice later on for lunch (Ha!)
Here are a few more pictures from the event:
