Complete 2008 PSP Rules

[The Hulk]

This will be the complete rules for PSP style of paintball. It is rather long, so do be discouraged, as this will probably not be played anyway. I just thought it would be good reference material. I will be setting this in pieces as I still have to go through and basically "align" the text. And this rules set is HUGE, lol.

PSP Rules – General
[Divisional X-Ball & 5-man X-Ball]
June 19, 2008
[Revision 1]

1. Organization

1.1. Information

1.1.1. The most recent, official version of these Tournament Paintball Rules can be found at www.PSPevents.com.

1.1.2. A team and its players are responsible for learning and understanding these rules, as well as for staying abreast of changes to these rules.

1.1.3. A captains’ meeting will be held up to one day prior to the competition at a time set in advance by the tournament promoter. The purpose of this meeting is to provide information to the captains of the teams attending concerning the organization, administration and additional rules and regulations governing the event. All teams should have 1-2 team
representatives in attendance.

1.2. Judges
1.2.1. Each field’s ultimate judge is the highest authority on that field.
1.2.1.1. Any call made by the ultimate judge on their field is final.
1.2.1.2. Referee Coordinator will not overturn any on-field calls by the field ultimate.
1.2.2. The Referee Coordinator is the highest authority at an event.
1.2.2.1. Any decision of the Referee Coordinator is final.

1.3. Player Registration and Identification

1.3.1. All players and staff must register annually. The annual registration fee is $40 and good for one season, January through December. Players and staff who complete the registration process online prior to the event registration deadline will receive a $10 discount.

1.3.2. Registered players and staff will be provided with a PSP ID Card. All players and staff must carry a valid PSP ID Card at all times after they have checked in1 while on-site at the event location. Players and staff not carrying a valid PSP ID Card will be assessed a major penalty.

1.3.3. The name on a player’s PSP ID Card must be that player’s legal name, and all other information on the player’s ID card must be accurate. Players who use or attempt to use a PSP ID Card with inaccurate information will receive a major suspension and $100 fine.2

1.3.4. Players and staff who use or attempt to use photo identification in a fraudulent manner will receive a major suspension, $100 fine, and be referred to the proper authorities.

1.3.5. Players and staff 16 years of age and older, and players and staff who are not US, Canadian or Mexican citizens will be required to produce government-issued photo identification to receive their PSP ID Card.

1.3.6. Players and staff between 10 and 16 years of age will be required to provide one of the following sets of identification to receive their PSP ID Card:
1.3.6.1. Government-issued photo identification with birth date, or
1.3.6.2. Photo Student ID Card with the person’s birth date, or
1.3.6.3. Photo Student ID Card and a certified copy of the person’s birth certificate
1.3.6.4. Certified copy of the person’s birth certificate and a copy of the person’s school yearbook with the person’s picture and name.

1.3.7. No one under the age of 10 will be permitted in restricted team staging areas, and no one under the age of 10 will be provided with a PSP ID Card.

1.3.8. Any person who plays without a valid PSP ID Card will be assessed a major suspension and a $100 fine.

1.3.9. All event participants must present their PSP ID Card to event staff on request. Participants who fail to present an ID card when requested will be assessed a major suspension and $100 fine.

1.4. Event Passes

1.4.1. At events requiring an event pass, players who complete the registration process and present a valid PSP ID Card will be given a player event pass.3

1.4.2. Team staff members who complete the registration process will be given a team staff event pass.

1.4.3. Event passes are non-transferable, and any transferred event pass is invalid. Any person who uses or attempts to use an invalid event pass will receive a major suspension and $100 fine.

1.4.4. Only persons with a valid event pass will be allowed to enter the field of play and only with the permission of a judge. Persons who enter the field of play without a valid event pass will be assessed a major penalty and $100 fine.4

1.5. Restricted Areas

1.5.1. Events may have areas restricted to participants and/or event staff.
1.5.1.1. No person may enter an area restricted to participants without a valid ID card and event pass. Any person in such an area without a valid ID card and event pass will receive a major suspension and $100 fine.
1.5.1.2. No person may enter an area restricted to event staff without valid event staff credentials. Any person in such an area without valid event staff credentials will be assessed a major suspension and $100 fine.

1 After the player has signed the roster/waiver
2 Your information must match your government-issued photo identification. If your player ID does not match your governmentissued photo ID, it is not your player ID.
3 The player event pass may be an actual card, wristband, or any other item to separate players from non-players.
4 This allows staff on the field. Staff are penalized the same as players however.

[The Hulk]

2. Rosters

2.1. Roster Class

2.1.1. A player’s classification for an event will be determined by the number, classification and performance of rosters that player has been listed on at previous events.

2.1.2. Rosters from PSP and Millennium Series events will be considered when determining a player’s PSP classification.

2.1.3. When determining a player’s classification for 2008, rosters at previous events will be counted as follows:

2.1.3.1. Professional
2.1.3.1.1. Any Professional, Open, or NXL X-Ball or 7-man roster at an event after January 1, 2005

2.1.3.2. Semi-Professional
2.1.3.2.1. Currently only achieved upon review and reclassification.

2.1.3.3. Division 1
2.1.3.3.1. Any Division 1 or Open X-Ball or 7-man roster
2.1.3.3.2. Any Professional or NXL X-Ball roster prior to January 1, 2005

2.1.3.4. Division 2
2.1.3.4.1. Any Division 2 X-Ball or 7-man roster
2.1.3.4.2. Any Open, Pro or Division 1 or ProAm 5-man or 10-man roster

2.1.3.5. Division 3
2.1.3.5.1. Any Division 3 X-Ball or 7-man roster
2.1.3.5.2. Any Division 2 5-man roster
2.1.3.5.3. Any Division 3 5-man roster after January 1, 2006
2.1.3.5.4. Any Novice 5-man or 10-man roster

2.1.3.6. Division 4
2.1.3.6.1. Any Division 3 5-man roster prior to January 1, 2006
2.1.3.6.2. Any Division 4 5-man roster after January 1, 2006
2.1.3.6.3. Any Rookie 5-man or 10-man roster

2.1.3.7. Masters
2.1.3.7.1. Any Masters roster

2.2. Player Class

2.2.1. A player’s class is the highest applicable class.5

2.2.2. Any person who appears as a player on more than one Professional roster is a Professional player.

2.2.3. A person who has been reclassified from a Professional player is a Semi-Professional player.6

2.2.4. A person who appears on more than one Division 1 or higher roster is a Division 1 player.

2.2.5. A person who appears on more than one Division 2 or higher roster is a Division 2 player.

2.2.6. A player who’s best three finishes in Division 2 in 2007 total at least 246 ranking points is a Division 1 player. For the purposes of this calculation, NXL roster appearances count as 100 points and Division 1 roster appearances count as the score received plus 50, but no more than 100.

2.2.7. A person who appears on more than two Division 3 or higher X-Ball roster in any preceding seasons is a Division 2 player.

2.2.8. A person who appears on more than one Division 3 or higher roster is a Division 3 player.

2.2.9. A person who appears on more than two Division 4 or higher roster in any preceding seasons is a Division 3 player.

2.2.10. Masters Division will have the following age requirements, To play at the:
2.2.10.1. World Cup, all participants must be 40 or older as of October 21, 2008

2.2.11. Classification changes required to correct clerical error will be made as soon as any clerical error can be identified and corrected.

2.3. Roster Changes/Penalties

2.3.1. A team with space available on their roster may add a player or team staff member to their roster at any time, subject to any roster change fees.

2.3.2. A team may remove a player or staff member from their roster at any time prior to the start of the team’s first game of an event. There is no charge to drop a person from a roster.

2.3.3. A person may not be listed as a player on more than one roster at any given tournament,
except a player may appear on a Masters roster and another roster.

2.3.4. All players and team staff must be at least 10 years of age.

2.3.5. A person whose legal name and birth date does not exactly match a name on a team’s roster is not listed on that team’s roster.7

2.3.6. Any person who is not listed as a player on the roster of a team they play for will receive a major suspension and $100 fine.

2.3.7. Any team who plays with a person not listed as a player on that team’s roster will be ejected from the tournament, unless the person is listed as a team staff member and is not in possession of a paintball marker.8

2.3.8. A suspended player who attempts to play while suspended will be assessed an additional major suspension which will begin at the conclusion of all of the player’s previously assessed suspensions.

2.3.9. Any team who places a suspended player on their roster or plays with a suspended player will be ejected from the tournament.9

2.3.10. A team which plays with an illegal roster10 will be ejected from the tournament.

2.3.11. Any player suspended from the APPA Player Registration system is also suspended from PSP events.

5 If one rule says you’re Pro and another rule says you’re DI, you’re Pro, the higher classification.
6 Upon consideration for review by PSP staff.
7 If your name is not on the roster correctly, it is not there at all.
8 This exception covers the case of a team staff member who gets caught on the field of play at the start of a game. This is a minor/major penalty.
9 This includes being on the roster as staff.
10 Too many players of a certain classification, too many players, etc. The registration system should catch most of these cases automatically, but the team is ultimately responsible for making sure their roster is legal.

[The Hulk]

3. Ranking and Seeding

3.1. Ranking

3.1.1. Each team will receive (100 – ((Place of Team – 1) * 100 / (# of Teams –1))) season ranking points.11

3.1.2. In the event of a tie, all teams tied with each other will receive the average score of their places.12

3.1.3. A team that plays in a division other than the division they last played in will forfeit 20% of their ranking points earned prior to that event for each event held previously that season.13

3.1.4. If there is a tie in the number of ranking points, the team with the highest number of ranking points earned in events in which the team appeared in the finals of events in that division in the current season will be ranked higher.

3.1.5. If the first tiebreaker fails to break the tie, the team with the highest number of ranking points earned in events in which the team appeared in the semifinals of events in that division in the current season will be ranked higher.

3.1.6. If the second tiebreaker fails to break the tie, the team with the highest number of ranking points earned in events in which the team appeared in the quarterfinals of events in that division in the current season will be ranked higher.

3.1.7. If the third tiebreaker fails to break the tie, the team with the highest margin of victory in matches in the finals of events in that division in the current season will be ranked higher.

3.1.8. If the fourth tiebreaker fails to break the tie, the team with the highest margin of victory in matches in the semifinals of events in that division in the current season will be ranked higher.

3.1.9. If the fifth tiebreaker fails to break the tie, the team with the highest margin of victory in matches in the quarterfinals of events in that division in the current season will be ranked higher.

3.1.10. If the sixth tiebreaker fails to break the tie, the team with the highest margin of vic tory in all rounds events in that division in the current season will be ranked higher.

3.1.11. If the fourth tiebreaker fails to break the tie, the team with the highest ranking at the end of the preceding season will be ranked higher.

3.1.12. If the fifth tiebreaker fails to break the tie, teams will be given the same ranking.

3.2. Seeding

3.2.1. Teams in each division in the preliminary round will be seeded according to their ranking within their division.

3.2.2. If two teams have the same ranking, team whose name is first in alphabetical order will be seeded higher, spelling out any numerals in word form and ignoring any non-alphanumeric characters and any instances of the words “the” or “team”.

3.2.3. Teams advancing to the next round will be selected and seeded by score in the current round.

3.2.3.1. Teams will first be selected on a per-bracket basis14 based on score amongst teams in the same bracket, and then any wildcard teams will be selected based on score amongst remaining teams in all brackets.

11 1st place gets 100. Last place gets 0. The team that places exactly in the middle gets 50.
12 If there’s a 2-way tie for 12th, both teams get the average score for 12th and 13th. If there’s a 3-way tie for 12th, all teams get the score for 13th place.
13 A team can move up or down, but will pay the penalty each time they move.
14 Same number of teams from each bracket.

[The Hulk]

4. The Game

4.1. Staging Area and Coaching

4.1.1. Each team will be provided with a staging area adjacent to the field of play. All team players and staff must remain in the team’s designated staging area during any games on the field of play, except:

4.1.1.1. Up to 5 players may be on the field of play for a game in which their team is scheduled, or checking in for an upcoming game in which they are scheduled if they are not playing the current game.

4.1.1.2. For X-Ball, up to one person designated as the team’s coach, who:
4.1.1.2.1. Must be on the team’s roster
4.1.1.2.2. Must be outside the field of play
4.1.1.2.3. Must be the coach of a team currently playing a game
4.1.1.2.4. Must be within 10 feet of the field of play on the half and side of the field the team is pitting out of.15

4.1.1.3. With permission of the Ultimate Judge.

4.1.2. No person appearing on the roster of a team may employ an electronic or mechanical device to communicate with any other person during any of their team’s games or matches.

4.1.2.1. The team of any person violating this rule will forfeit the match during which the infraction occurred.

4.2. Field of Play

4.2.1. The field of play will consist of a level rectangular area called the “in-bounds” area, and any area between the in-bounds area and the netting surrounding the in-bounds area.

4.2.2. The field of play will be free of any undue obstacle or hazard to participants or officials.

4.2.3. The edge of the in-bounds area will be marked by a boundary tape or line. The boundary tape or line and any object or ground outside of the boundary tape or line is out-of-bounds.

4.2.4. The in-bounds area will include at least 30 obstacles arranged symmetrically across the midpoint or the midline of the in-bounds area.

4.2.5. Bunkers will be at least 2 meters away from any boundary tape or line.

4.2.6. The field of play will include a vertical rectangular starting station one meter high by two meters wide in the center of and parallel to the boundary tape or line at each end of the inbounds area. The starting station is in-bounds.

4.2.7. Each team may field up to 5 players for each game. Any team that has more than 5 players on the field of play during a game will be assessed a minor penalty.

4.2.8. Teams will be permitted to examine the field of play during field-walking times designated by the promoter.

4.2.9. Any person who intentionally alters the field of play will be assessed a minor suspension.

4.2.10. Any team whose player, staff or affiliated member alters the field of play will be ejected from the event.

4.2.11. Any person on the field of play outside of field-walking times designated by the promoter or immediately before, during or after a game in which the person is listed as a player or staff member of a competing team without the permission of a judge or authorized event staff will be assessed a major penalty.16

4.3. Game Start

4.3.1. Games will be preceded by a timeout period. The game starts when the timeout period ends. The game start will be signaled by the scoreboard buzzer or other sound device.

4.4. Player Status17

4.4.1. An “active” player is any player in the in-bounds area at the start of the game who has not subsequently become inactive.

4.4.2. An “inactive” player is a player who has not been eliminated and
4.4.2.1. Has shot their marker after the start of the game but prior to touching their barrel to their team’s starting station, or
4.4.2.2. Has not touched their barrel to their team’s starting station prior to the start of the game,18 or
4.4.2.3. Has touched any ground, area or object that is out-of-bounds19, or
4.4.2.4. Has an unobvious hit, or
4.4.2.5. Has lost possession of equipment other than pods, squeegees, paintballs or a flag, or
4.4.2.6. Has passed between two bunkers that were in physical contact with each other.

4.4.3. An inactive player will be eliminated by a judge.
4.4.4. An “eliminated” 20 player is any player
4.4.4.1. With an obvious hit; or
4.4.4.2. Who was not on the field of play at the start of the game; or
4.4.4.3. Has signaled their elimination by
4.4.4.3.1. Removing or losing their goggles, or
4.4.4.3.2. Saying “hit” or “out”, or
4.4.4.3.3. Raising their marker or an open hand above their head, or
4.4.4.3.4. Placing their barrel sock on their barrel; or
4.4.4.4. Has been eliminated by a judge or,
4.4.4.5. Scored as active by a judge after the end of the game.21

4.4.5. Under no circumstances may an eliminated player be made inactive or active or may an inactive player me made active.

4.4.6. A player being approached by an official may not advance. Players who advance to avoid an official will be assessed a minor penalty.22

4.5. Occupation, Possession and Exchange

4.5.1. A player occupies any bunker that is less than one meter from the player. More than one player may occupy a bunker.

4.5.2. Equipment in the physical control23 of a player or that was in the physical control of a player at the start of the game is possessed by the player, except for squeegees, pods, paintballs and flags that leave the physical control of the player, any other equipment that is separated
by more than five feet from the player and except equipment which is in the physical control of another player or a judge.24

4.5.3. Players may not possess any equipment during a game that was not in their or their teammate’s possession at the start of the game 25, except that players may take possession of the flag. Players who take possession of any other equipment will be assessed a minor penalty.

4.5.4. Players who lose possession of any equipment during a game other than pods, squeegees, paintballs and flags will be assessed a minor penalty,26 except that a judge may take equipment from a player and an eliminated player may discard equipment out-of-bounds.

4.5.5. Players who lose physical control of any equipment that has a valid hit, except equipment taken by a judge, will be assessed a gross penalty.

4.6. Flags, Carriers, Pulls and Hangs

4.6.1. The game will start with a single flag placed at a flag station located equidistant from the two starting stations in the in-bounds area of the field.

4.6.2. A flag pull occurs the first time during a game that an active player takes possession of the flag.

4.6.3. A player in possession of a flag who hides or attempts to hide the flag from plain view will be assessed a minor penalty.

4.6.4. If a player is eliminated while possessing a flag, the player will drop the flag at the point of elimination. A judge may hang the flag on a nearby bunker.

4.6.5. A flag is hung when a flag in the possession of an active player27 touches a starting station.28

4.6.6. If the flag has not been hung and the last player on a team is eliminated by a penalty,29 and the last player on the other team was not also eliminated by a penalty30, the team opposing the last player eliminated will be awarded the flag hang, and if no team has pulled the flag, the opposing team will also be awarded the flag pull.31

4.7. Eliminated Players

4.7.1. An eliminated player must immediately and swiftly raise their marker or an open hand above their head and proceed out-of-bounds by the most direct route or as directed by a judge.

4.7.2. A player who fires or otherwise operates or adjusts their marker or air system prior to exiting the field of play will be assessed a minor penalty.

4.7.3. An eliminated player who fails to follow this procedure, except as provided in 4.8.5, will be assessed a major penalty.

4.7.4. An eliminated player who returns in-bounds during the game will be assessed a gross penalty.

4.7.5. An eliminated player who shoots an opposing player from in-bounds will be assessed a major penalty.32

4.7.6. An eliminated player who shoots a player from out-of-bounds will be assessed a gross penalty.

4.8. Hits

4.8.1. A hit is any mark left by a paintball striking and breaking on a player or any equipment in the player’s possession, or any mark resembling such a hit.

4.8.2. An invalid hit is any hit that a judge observes is NOT from a paintball shot33 by an active player striking and breaking on a player. Only judges will remove invalid hits, except that a player may remove an invalid hit on the lens of their goggle system with the permission of a judge.

4.8.3. A valid hit is any hit that is NOT an invalid hit. If a valid hit is removed from an in-bounds player by any means other than by a judge, or a player attempts to remove a valid hit, that player will be assessed a gross penalty.34

4.8.4. An obvious hit is any valid hit the receiving player should have seen, heard or felt, including any valid hit anywhere on the player’s body.35 A player with an obvious hit is eliminated.36

4.8.5. A player with an obvious hit that is in a location that the player cannot verify may ask a judge or teammate to verify the hit before proceeding as otherwise required by 4.7.1, but may take no other action.37

4.8.6. Players who are in motion when they receive an obvious hit in a location they cannot verify themselves may proceed to the nearest cover while waiting for a judge or teammate to verify the hit as in 4.8.5.

4.8.7. A player who asks a teammate or judge to verify a hit that the player could have verified unassisted will be assessed a major penalty.38

4.8.8. Unobvious hits are any valid hit that is not obvious. A player with an unobvious hit but no obvious hits will be assessed a minor penalty.39

4.8.9. A player who becomes aware of an unobvious hit on themselves or equipment in their possession is eliminated.

4.9. Game Stoppages

4.9.1. The game may be stopped by an inadvertent buzzer or by the ultimate judge in case of an emergency, dangerous weather conditions or other “acts of God”.

4.9.2. A game will be stopped by the judges yelling “freeze” or by sounding the same device used to start the game. Game time will be stopped.

4.9.3. Unless otherwise directed by a judge, every player must stay in the position he was in when the game was stopped.40

4.9.4. Players must put barrel socks on their markers when a game is stopped and keep their goggles on, unless given permission to remove them by a judge.

4.9.5. When the cause of the game stoppage has been addressed, the ultimate judge will restart the game in the same manner a game is normally started, except that players will be in the position they were when the game stopped with their barrel touching the ground. Game time will restart when the game is restarted.

4.10. Game Completion

4.10.1. A game will end at the earliest of:
4.10.1.1. A valid flag hang, or
4.10.1.2. The elimination of all players, or
4.10.1.3. The elimination of the last player on a team by a penalty,41 or
4.10.1.4. The flag going out-of-bounds, or
4.10.1.5. The end of game time.

15 Between the 50 and the corner of the field on the pit side and on the half where the team's pit is.
16 This effectively establishes a major penalty for entering the field of play at any time without a judge’s approval or checking in.
17 During a game, a player is always either active, inactive, or eliminated. Inactive is when a player is out of the game and his shots
should not count, but the player would not be expected to know he is out of the game (i.e. the player’s foot touches tapeline, then the player bunkers two people – the player should be eliminated with no penalty and the two people bunkered should be left in). Eliminated is when a player should know they should not still be playing, either because a judge has told them they are eliminated, or because they have an obvious hit, or because they were never on the field at the start of the game to begin with. Thus, when assessing appropriate penalties, a judge must only determine whether the player was active, inactive, or eliminated when the infraction was committed.
18 Not having your barrel on the starting station at the start of play is not ok! If the player false starts, so long as the player is in bounds, tags up within the first 5 seconds of the game, and tags up prior to pointing their marker downfield. The players barrel should be no higher then waist high, but can be lower.
19 Players are thus inactive if they are touching any out-of-bounds area at the start of the game
20 Note that in these rules, the phrases “is inactive” and “is eliminated” means the player’s status is IMMEDIATELY and AUTOMATICALLY changed to inactive or eliminated, respectively, without any action by a judge. The phrase “eliminated by a judge” means the player maintains their current status until a judge informs them that they are eliminated, either verbally or by signal.
21 A player remains active after the end of the game. Once the ultimate judge has counted the active players and awarded their team the points for active players, those players are eliminated. Players may thus still be pulled after a hang or time has elapsed if they have not yet been counted as “live”.
22 The minor penalty is in addition to any eliminations/playing on penalties. If the player is not hit and avoided the official, that player is eliminated. If the player is inactive and avoided, they are eliminated (for being inactive) and a teammate is eliminated (for the minor penalty). If the player has an obvious hit, they are eliminated, a teammate is eliminated (playing on) and another teammate is eliminated (official avoidance).
23 Merely touching equipment does not establish physical control. Generally, any equipment that will advance with the player if the player advances can be considered to be in the physical control of the player. This includes bunkers – so if you move a bunker because you accidentally run into it, you’re ok, but if you intentionally move the bunker, you’re eliminated.
24 If you start the game with it or pick it up, you possess it until you either drop it (pods, squeegees, paintballs and flags) or until you get more than five feet away from it (anything else) unless a judge or another player takes it from you.
25 Anything that your team didn’t start with (other than pods, queegees, paint and flags) you can’t take/pick up.
26 Once you lose possession of any of your equipment (other than pods, squeegees, paint and flags), you’re eliminated. If you’re eliminated on the field of play and you lose possession of any of your equipment prior to exiting the field of play one of your teammates will be pulled. This also means you can’t exchange anything other than squeegees, paintballs, pods, or the flag.
27 A thrown flag is NOT in a player’s possession and is thus not hung.
28 In 5-man, hang points are awarded based on where the flag is hung, not who hangs it, so a team can score a flag hang for their opponents by hanging the flag on their own start station.
29 A player who attempts to hang the flag with an unobvious hit receives a minor penalty, which eliminates them in 5-man and causes an additional player to be eliminated. In XBall, no point is awarded for the hang and the team starts the next point with a minor penalty.
30 “Eliminated by a penalty” includes the player who receives the penalty as well as any additional players pulled as a result of the penalty.
31 A player with a hit (unobvious or obvious) is not active, so attempting to hang the flag with a hit is NOT a flag hang. The player with the hit should then be penalized (minor for unobvious and major for obvious), and if there are then no players left, the other team should be awarded the hang and potentially the pull.
32 This means that in addition to getting a one-for-one for playing on, an additional player should be pulled for any opponent the
playing-on player manages to shoot, whether the opponent is erroneously eliminated by a judge or not.
33 “Shot” is defined as being fired from a marker with an attached barrel and air source. Paint being thrown, while not illegal, will not count as a valid hit. If the player “throwing” paint, has physical contact with another player, the player will be penalized accordingly.
34 The chances of a player receiving a hit, not feeling, seeing or hearing the hit, and accidentally removing the hit are so small that it is preferable to rarely assess a gross penalty in such a case to prevent players from removing hits on a frequent basis via slides, rubbing bunkers, etc.
35 If it hits the hopper and sprays on your goggles, it’s obvious. If it smacks into your earflap, it’s obvious. If it hits your facemask and sprays paint on your face, it’s obvious. If it hits your elbow pad that is 2” thick and you didn’t feel it, it’s still obvious – players should not wear padding so thick that they cannot feel hits. If it grazes off the side of your hopper where you can’t see the hit or it’s in your pack then it may not be obvious if the judge does not have any reason to believe you should know a paintball hit you there.
36 It is much better if players have to rarely stop playing for a few seconds to get hits checked than it is to have players regularly playing on because “The hit might have bounced” and they can keep playing until a ref drags them off the field, so players are eliminated when an obvious hit is received without any action from a judge being required. A player who is shot in the back and continues to shoot will receive a major penalty. A player making a bunker move who is shot and runs another 5 feet to complete the move will be assessed a major penalty and an additional minor penalty for shooting a player while eliminated.
37 If you’re not sure if a hit broke, and you can’t check it yourself, you can ask a ref or teammate to check it without penalty before exiting the field of play, so long as you take no other action. You may choose to continue to play, HOWEVER, if it turns out that the hit was valid, you will be assessed a major penalty plus a minor penalty for any opponents you shoot because you were playing with an obvious hit, so you should consider carefully whether the risk of the penalty is worth continuing to play prior to getting the hit checked.
38 It is the player’s responsibility to call themselves out when they have an obvious hit. It is the ref’s job to penalize players who continue to play with an obvious hit, so if you call a ref over to check a hit you could have checked yourself, expect a penalty too.
39 Note that players with unobvious hits are inactive, not eliminated, so are not playing on. The minor penalty will cause the player to be eliminated in 5-man (no additional players pulled) and eliminated with a teammate serving a 1-minute penalty in X-Ball.
40 All field judges will note the locations of the players at the time that the game is stopped. Once the game has been stopped, the field judges will insure that players remain in those locations. Judges will check all players and will remove any players who are eliminated prior to the game being stopped. Judges will confer to review the sequence of events prior to the game stoppage. If penalties need be assessed, they will be so assessed at such time. Players with hits may be reinstated into the game if the field
judges determine, in their discretion, that a player was eliminated as a direct result of illegal actions which led directly to the game stoppage. Once the condition causing the game stoppage has abated or been resolved all the live players and flags are placed in proper positions by the field judges, the Ultimate judge will restart the game in accordance with the procedures before.
41 This is a change. If a team has their last player eliminated by a penalty, the game ends immediately and the opposing team gets the hang (as long as their last player wasn’t also eliminated by a penalty.) This is to prevent players from playing on to burn game time and potentially prevent the opposing team from hanging the flag.

[Captain America]

very nicely done, Vizh. Very cool to read through.

[The Hulk]

Not done yet, lol.

5. Penalties

5.1. Interference and Sportsmanship

5.1.1. Any person who engages in aggressive or insulting behavior towards another person, except a judge, will be assessed a minor penalty.

5.1.2. Any person who engages in aggressive or insulting behavior towards a judge will be assessed a gross penalty.

5.1.3. Any person who engages in hostile physical contact with another person, including shooting another person who is not participating in a game or shooting from outside the field of play, except in defense of that person’s immediate safety42, will be assessed a major suspension.

5.1.4. Any person who engages in intentional physical contact with an official will be assessed a major suspension.

5.1.5. Any person who throws an air source will be ejected from the tournament and will serve a suspension banning them from the next scheduled event.

5.1.6. Any person who throws any equipment on the field of play other than an air source, disposable equipment, or a flag will be assessed a gross penalty.

5.1.7. Any person who intentionally shoots in the direction of another person who is not wearing a paintball goggle system will be assessed a major suspension.

5.1.8. Any person who engages in other minor acts of unsportsmanlike behavior may be assessed a minor or a major penalty.

5.1.9. Any person who engages in other major or severe acts of unsportsmanlike behavior may be assessed a minor or major suspension by an ultimate judge.

5.1.10. Every player on any team that intentionally gives up points to an opponent or plots to set scores with opponents will be assessed a major suspension.

5.2. Assessing Penalties

5.2.1. Any judge may issue a penalty on the field of play. Any authorized event staff may issue penalties outside of the field of play.

5.2.2. Penalties are assessed to people. Action is taken against the penalized person and/or or the penalized person’s team. A person’s team is the team that has that person listed as a player or staff on its roster, or the team on whose behalf the player is acting if the person is not listed as a player on any roster.

5.2.3. No more than one penalty may be assessed for a particular action by a player or team. In the event that a given action qualifies for more than one penalty, the most severe penalty will be assessed.

5.3. Suspensions

5.3.1. Any ultimate judge may issue a suspension on the field of play. Any authorized event staff may refer a person outside the field of play to the Referee Coordinator for suspension.

5.3.2. A person who receives a major suspension may be assessed a fine of up to $1000. A person may not play any further events until such fine is paid.

5.3.3. A person who receives a major suspension will be ejected from the tournament and prohibited from playing any further events to be determined by the Referee Coordinator.

5.3.4. A rostered player who is serving a minor suspension must be present for all games and matches played by their team, and must silently remain within an area designated by the ultimate judge for the duration of the match.43

5.3.5. The team of any person who receives a major suspension will have their prize package for the event reduced by one fifth per player suspended.

5.3.6. Any team who has three or more players suspended in any event will be ejected from that event.

5.4. Ejections

5.4.1. Only the Referee Coordinator may eject a team from an event.

5.4.2. A team that is ejected from an event will forfeit any entry fee paid and any prizes or points earned at the event.

5.5. Fines

5.5.1. A person who has been assessed a fine will forfeit their ID card and event pass until such fine is paid.

5.5.2. No person with an outstanding fine may appear on or be added to any roster for any future event.

42 “The Robbo Defense” is not valid. A person’s immediate safety is not at risk if the person was able to retreat from the situation, including leaving the area. Escalating a situation also negates any claim of self-defense.
43 The area will be near the scoring table. This is to prevent suspended players from becoming sideline coaches.

[The Hulk]

6. Scoring

6.1. Score Sheets

6.1.1. Any judge or designated official may complete a score sheet. The ultimate judge will show the score sheet to captain of each team.

6.1.2. Any correction made to the score sheet must be initialed by an ultimate judge,44 unless the correction corrects an obvious mathematical error,45 the correction may also be initialed by a scorekeeper.

6.1.3. In the event that one or both team captains do not agree with the contents of a score sheet and thus will not sign the score sheet, the ultimate judge may decide whether the score sheet must be amended and/or validate the score sheet himself.

6.1.4. An ultimate judge or a scoreboard official may correct clerical or mathematical errors on the scoreboard at any time prior to the start of the next round of play.46
44 This allows teams to do the “right thing” if they agree on a scoring error. If two teams are intentionally doing the wrong thing to fix the score, they should be dealt with as any other team intentionally fixing scores.
45 For example, the score sheet lists 40, 32, 21, and 3 for points with a total of 93, the total score may be corrected to 96. If, however, there were 4 live players instead of three and the score sheet has been signed, that change must be initialed by both captains as well.
46 The scoreboard is ONLY the scoreboard – copying scores to the scoreboard wrong, or calculations in error on the scoreboard, will
be corrected by scorekeepers. The scoreboard does NOT include score sheets.

[The Hulk]

7. Equipment

7.1. Clothing

7.1.1. Players must wear only one pair of full-length pants and only a long-sleeved jersey. Players may wear only one layer of underclothing consisting of, at maximum, one pair of under-shorts and one short or long sleeve t-shirt, provided that it contains no padding. Any other soft padding in garments is prohibited.

7.1.2. Prohibited colors – any player/team found to be wearing clothing that may impede the judge’s ability to make a proper call, may be asked to remove such clothing.

7.1.3. No part of a player may be covered by more than two layers of clothing.

7.1.4. Padding in jerseys is not limited to specific areas; provided that the thickness does not exceed 5mm (0.197”) Padding material is limited to an open cell foam and must not be modified from the manufacture’s original form.

7.1.5. No short sleeve or “sleeveless” vest type jerseys can be worn as the outer most layer.

7.1.6. Any layer of clothing that is thicker than a standard 100% cotton T-shirt is padding.

7.1.7. Players may not wear extremely oversized clothing. Clothing is oversized if, when tightly gathered about the body or limb with excess clothing pinched together and away from the body, the excess clothing extends more than 4 inches from the body or limb.47

7.1.8. Players may not wear clothing that is made out of highly absorbent or slick material, such as felt, fleece, nylon or rubber.

7.1.9. Players may wear up to, but not in excess of three items on their head. As an example, one bandanna, one headband, and one beanie. Hats, caps and headbands may not be modified from the manufacturer’s original form, and may not extend more than one inch below the collarbone or below the shoulder blades, and headbands may be no wider than 2”.48

7.1.10. Players may wear one pair of socks. Socks may not ext end higher than below the knee, and must not be of a quilted or padded nature, and count as one layer of clothing.

7.1.11. Players may wear one pair of footwear.
7.1.11.1. Footwear must not be modified from the manufacturer’s original form, and
7.1.11.2. Must not include metal cleats or spikes, and
7.1.11.3. Must not be more than 10% yellow or orange.

7.1.12. A player who continues to play with illegal clothing will be assessed a gross penalty.

7.1.13. Any ultimate judge may prohibit a particular item of clothing.

7.2. Protective Gear

7.2.1. Players must wear a complete goggle system that meets ASTM standards49 and is in good repair and not otherwise damaged in a manner that affects their ability to protect the player50. A person who fails to wear an acceptable goggle system in a designated goggles-on area, including the field of play, will be assessed a minor penalty.51

7.2.2. No material may be removed from the manufacturer’s original form. Items not of a padded or absorbent nature52 may be added to the goggle system provided they do not adversely impact the ability of the goggle system to protect the player.

7.2.3. Players must wear the full-face protection provided with the goggle system as it is designed and sold by the manufacturer.

7.2.4. Players must wear the ear protection provided with the goggle system as designed and sold by the manufacturer.

7.2.5. Players may wear one layer of padding and/or other protection on the elbow, forearm, knee or shin, provided that padding and/or protection has not been modified from the manufacturer’s original form. 53

7.2.6. Players may wear a single pair of gloves. Gloves may not have material in addition to the manufacturer’s original form.

7.2.7. Players may wear neoprene neck protection of a single layer not to exceed 0.5 cm in thickness.

7.2.8. Male players may wear groin protection and female players may wear breast protection.

7.3. Markers

7.3.1. Players may carry a single, .68 caliber, pump or semi automatic paintball marker that includes a single barrel and a single trigger.

7.3.2. Prohibited colors – any player found to be using a marker whose color may impede the judge’s ability to make a proper call, may be asked to discontinue the use of that marker.

7.3.3. A marker covered in whole or in part by a material of an absorbent or padded nature is illegal.

7.3.4. A trigger is a movable lever that causes a marker to fire when force is applied directly to the trigger with a vector parallel to the vertical plane of the marker.54 A marker that can be caused to fire by any other means is illegal.

7.3.5. A trigger guard that is unaltered from the manufacturer’s55 original form must protect the trigger of the marker.

7.3.6. A marker may fire at a maximum rate of 13.33 balls per second.56

7.3.6.1. A player on the field of play during a game whose marker shoots more than one paintball within 65 milliseconds will receive a gross penalty.

7.3.6.2. A player on the field of play during a game whose marker shoots more than one paintball within 70 milliseconds will be assessed a major penalty.

7.3.6.3. A player on the field of play during a game whose marker shoots more than one paintball within 75 milliseconds57 will be assessed a minor penalty.

7.3.7. A marker may fire no more than three shots per press and release of the trigger, and no more than three shots between presses of the trigger.58 A player who carries a marker onto the field of play that fires more than three shots per press and release of the trigger, or more than three shots between two presses of the trigger, will receive a gross penalty and a minor
suspension.

7.3.8. A marker that has not been fired within the previous second may fire no more than one shot per press and release of the trigger until after the marker has been fired three times.59 A player who caries a marker onto the field of play that will fire more than one shot per press and release of the trigger before the marker is fired at least three times after not having been
fired for at least one second will receive a gross penalty and a minor suspension.

7.3.9. A marker with settings, whether mechanical, pneumatic, or electronic, that may be adjusted without the use of tools to allow the marker to operate in an illegal manner is illegal.60 A player who operates buttons, switches, valves or other adjustable device on a marker on the field of play without the permission of a judge will be assessed a minor penalty. A player who operates buttons, switches, valves or other adjustable device on a marker on the field of play after being instructed to provide the marker to an official, or prior to being instructed to do so, will receive a gross penalty and that player will receive a minor suspension.

7.3.10. A marker that is thought to be malfunctioning for the player can be brought to the attention of a judge so that the marker may be safely handled by whatever means the judge feels necessary, so as to not cause the player or players any harm. This allows the player to still be considered “active” in the game and not incur any penalties.

7.3.11. Marker barrels may be equipped with porting, but may not have a sound suppressor attached or integral to the construction of the barrel.

7.3.12. A marker with any valve, expansion chamber, or other item or device except a barrel or screw-in air source61 that may be adjusted on the field of play to increase or decrease velocity without the use of tools is illegal.

7.3.13. Any person possessing a marker that is attached to an air source, does not have a barrel sock properly installed over the end of the barrel, is not at a designated chronograph station being chronographed and is not on the field of play during, in the 10 seconds prior to, or the 10 seconds immediately after a game,62 will be assessed a minor penalty.

7.3.14. Any illegal marker is not allowed on the field of play. Players carrying an illegal marker on the field of play will be assessed a gross penalty. A player bringing an illegal marker onto the field of play after being informed by a judge that the marker is illegal will be assessed a gross
penalty and a minor suspension.

7.3.15. Any player whose marker has been modified from the manufacturer’s original form to disguise its mode of operation or to allow the player to change the mode of operation on the field without the use of tools will receive a major suspension.

7.3.16. A marker may be confiscated for inspection at any time, and may be kept for up to three days following the conclusion of the event.

7.4. Velocity

7.4.1. A judge may chronograph a marker on the field of play at any time, including before, after, or between games.

7.4.2. Any player whose marker fires a shot in excess of 300 feet per second will be assessed a penalty as follows:

FPS Penalty

301-310 Minor Penalty

311-330 Major Penalty

331-370 Gross Penalty

371+ Minor Suspension

7.4.3. A player may only be assessed one velocity penalty per game.

7.5. Paintballs63

7.5.1. Players may carry any number of paintballs.

7.5.2. Paintballs must be completely water-soluble.

7.5.3. Paintballs may NOT contain PINK or RED fill.

7.5.4. Paintballs must not stain.64

7.6. Other Equipment

7.6.1. Players may carry one constant air or CO2 tank, including any tank attached to the player's marker, or any number of disposable CO2 cartridges.

7.6.1.1. Constant air or CO2 tanks may have a neoprene or plastic protective cover, provided no material has been added to the protective cover's original form.

7.6.1.2. Constant air and CO2 tanks may not have any stickers not present on the tank at the time of original sale.

7.6.1.3. All constant air and CO2 tanks must have a DOT stamp, and must be within the DOT-certified hydro-testing certification date. Players using uncertified or out-of-date tanks will be fined $100 and receive a major penalty.

7.6.2. Players may carry any number of pods and squeegees, but no pods that are padded or absorbent in nature.

7.6.3. Players may carry one hopper.

7.6.3.1. Hoppers may not be covered by any absorbent or padded material.

7.6.3.2. Hoppers may not be yellow or orange.

7.6.3.3. Hoppers are allowed to have one (1) 2 inch by 4 inch sticker on each side only. The stickers may NOT contain the colors: yellow or orange.

7.6.4. Players may carry any number of batteries.

7.6.5. Players may wear one pack, designed to carry pods and/or an air source.

7.6.6. Players may carry one remote line that connects their air source to their marker.

7.6.7. Players must carry a barrel sock.

7.6.8. Players may carry one time keeping device.

7.6.9. Stickers may be affixed to equipment other than an air source. A judge may require that stickers be removed if the judge believes the stickers interfere with their ability to officiate.

7.6.10. Players may carry or wear items that are made necessary by a medical condition or to protect an existing injury, as long as such objects are not unnecessarily padded or absorbent.

7.7. Prohibited Equipment

7.7.1. Any clothing or equipment not expressly permitted by the rules is prohibited unless permitted by the Referee Coordinator. Players possessing prohibited clothing or equipment on the field of play will be assessed a gross penalty.

47 The article of clothing should be grabbed at a single point and pulled away from the body or limb. Once this has been done, the clothing should be pinched on opposite sides of this point so that these two points are brought together next to the body or limb. The clothing will then be tight around the body or limb, with any extra clothing pulled through the pinch and held at the original grab point.
48 “Turtle” caps and headbands can be worn as the ONLY layer on the head. Players will be asked to remove any excess layers.
49 Goggle manufacturers must submit independent laboratory test results to the promoter at least 10 days prior to the start of a tournament demonstrating that the goggle system meets or exceeds ASTM standards for any system such manufacturer wishes to be allowed for use during that tournament.
50 Cracks in the lens, however slight, affect the ability of the goggles to protect the player.
51 A player may not ever remove their goggles once they enter the field of play. Note that if an active player removes their goggles intentionally, they are automatically eliminated and a teammate must be eliminated to satisfy the minor penalty. Because an elimination is NOT a penalty, the player eliminating themselves does not count as a penalty being assessed.
52 Ex. Goggle Fans, but decorative additions that are not padded or absorbent are acceptable.
53 Hits on padding are obvious. Players should not wear so much padding that they cannot feel hits.
54 They may operate if and only if the trigger is pulled, and may not fire if it is hit, dropped, or sneezed on.
55 Unaltered trigger guards from aftermarket grip frames are ok.
56 The rate will be measured by the shortest time between two shots. Players whose markers have no electronic components and fire no more than one shot per press and release of the trigger will not be penalized.
57 A measurement of 75.0 milliseconds or higher is acceptable. A measurement of 74.9 milliseconds or lower will be penalized.
58 Shots may not be buffered past trigger pulls – if you pull the trigger, the marker fires, and you pull the trigger again, the marker may only fire three more times, not five.
59 If the trigger is pulled one, two or three times, the marker may fire no more than the number of times the trigger is pulled. The marker may fire up to three balls per pull after that. If the marker is not fired for a second, the trigger must again be pulled three times before the marker may fire more than one shot per pull.
60 Essentially, anything that can adjust velocity, shot mode, de-bounce, etc, must be locked-down so it can’t be changed on the field.
61 This exception only applies to screwing in or unscrewing the air source – any settings on the air tank itself must not be adjustable
without the use of tools.
62 Players will be given a reasonable amount of time (10-15 seconds) to install barrel condoms after a game ends.
63 Only “authorized” paintball manufacturers paint may be shot at PSP events. Participating vendors will be identified at each events
captains meetings.
64 See Appendix A for tests used to determine if specific paint stains.

[The Hulk]

8. Miscellaneous

8.1. Decorum

8.1.1. Code of Conduct
Participants in PSP/NXL events shall observe this code of conduct and all applicable rules for the duration of the event(s) in which they participate. Participants shall, at all times, conduct themselves in a manner becoming of athletes that will not reflect unfavorably on PSP, its employees, officers, representatives tournaments, or sponsors. To this end, participants shall use their best efforts to demonstrate professionalism and integrity in support of the sport of paintball. Any participant who violates this code may be subject to suspensions from competition, permanent ban from PSP/NXL competitions, or any combination thereof deemed appropriate by PSP.
This code of conduct extends beyond the physical property of the events. Hotels, restaurants, airports, etc which are considered by PSP to have a distinct association with the event will be considered, in cases of misconduct, in the same sense as the playing facility.

8.1.2. Media Comments and Public Attacks The favorable public reputation of PSP and the NXL as organizations within paintball, the integrity of its officials, and the reputation of its media properties are valuable assets and
tangible benefits for PSP. Accordingly, it is an obligation of competitors to refrain from comments to the news media that unreasonably attack or disparage the integrity of tournaments, tournament officials, sponsors, or other participants. Competitors are encouraged to express themselves and they have the right to question the rules officials. Responsible expressions of legitimate disagreement with PSP/NXL policies are encouraged as opposed to attacks upon the rules or officials. However, public comments that a participant knows, or should reasonably know, will harm the reputation of PSP/NXL, PSP/NXL officials, PSP sponsors, or principles shall be considered unacceptable conduct and will result in disciplinary action at the sole discretion of PSP. This disciplinary action may include fines, suspensions, banning from future participation, or any other action deemed necessary by PSP.

8.1.3. Persons attending an event will refrain from wearing or otherwise displaying offensive pictures, words, logos or other materials at the event. Persons displaying such offensive materials may be instructed to remedy the situation and/or be assessed a minor penalty.

8.1.4. An ultimate judge or other authorized official may assign a minor or major suspension to any person who violates decorum.

8.2. Maintenance and Cleanup

8.2.1. All persons shall adhere to the administrative rules and regulations promulgated by the promoter with respect to maintenance and cleanup of the event facility.

8.2.2. All persons will dispose of all trash they generate in designated trash receptacles.

8.2.3. Any person that fails to adhere to rules and regulations contained in section 8.2 or promulgated by the promoter may be fined up to $250 by authorized personnel.

8.3. Appeals

8.3.1. Calls made on the field of play may be appealed to the ultimate judge of the field.

8.3.2. No judge may overturn eliminations.

8.3.3. The decision of the ultimate judge of a field is final, except for point penalties, suspensions and ejections, or other actions that extend past the end of the match where a call was made.65

8.3.4. A team may file a written grievance with the Referee Coordinator regarding the decision of authorized personnel, a scoring official, a judge, or an ultimate judge.

8.4. Rules Modifications

8.4.1. Judges have the authority to interpret, extend and apply the rules to situations not already covered by the rules.66

8.4.2. Under exceptional circumstances, the promoter may modify one or more rules for the duration of the event. Teams must be informed of any modifications during the captains’ meeting.

8.4.3. Should any reasons for a modification arise during the tournament, the Referee Coordinator may issue a modification to the rules, upon which time a captains’ meeting will be called to inform the teams of the change. Teams will not be held accountable for any changes made to the rules prior to the completion of such meeting.

65 Errors including a player being erroneously eliminated, or a player not being properly eliminated, or any other in-game call is not
reversible, although you can still file a written grievance.
66 Any such action may be appealed through the standard process.

[The Hulk]

Well that's all of it. d**n, my fingers are numb. hahaha

[Captain America]

Well done, my android friend. Kudos to you and your numb fingers

[Iron Man]

Wow great job my friend. That is a lot to go through. One thing they didn't mention was when lunch is or what is for lunch....lol.

[Captain America]

re-fried-fried beans with re-fried fried chicken and a side of re-fried french fries and a bottle of Coke...fried.

[The Hulk]

Are you fried?, lol. I must've been to go through all that, haha.

[Iron Man]

Feb 11, 2009 0:04:01 GMT -5 Captain America said:

re-fried-fried beans with re-fried fried chicken and a side of re-fried french fries and a bottle of Coke...fried.

I think that this is even too much fried stuff for even me. What the h*** I give it a shot what time is lunch?