When was superior formed? is there any relation to “Superior Firepower”?

The actual field of “Superior Firepower” has been around for a long time, almost 20 years I’m told.  Our current team was formed in the winter of 2007 with our first tournament appearance being at the MWPPA event #1 of that year.

Our team definitely has roots from the old Superior Firepower squad, we wanted to bring tournament paintball back to the field.  We did have help from some of the original players from Firepower, like Geoff Olson, Nate Selby, Nick Templis, and Levi Pearson.  Selby was our team captain for the 2007 season, but had to throw in the towel unfortunately, and Levi stepped up to lead the team after Selby left.

Do any of the superior firepower players still play?

Every once and a while Nick Templis will play with us, and we are trying to get Levi to at least make a guest appearance sometime this year.

Who are the ‘core’ players of Superior?

As of right now I’d have to say the core of the team would be myself, Josh Solem, Billy Granlund, Joe Pierre, and Mickey O’Conner.  Not necessarily because this was our 5 man line for the AA series, but because out of the whole team, we put in the most work to the team, showed leadership, and practiced the most.  But we do have some up and coming talent, that with the right training and dedication, will definitely be the future of our team.  And of course, we still have Levi hanging around helping us out every once and a while.  He did a very good job leading, coaching, playing, and networking us with other teams around the state, he is definitely still involved with us, and helps us where he can.

What is your home field?

Our home field is “Superior Firepower” out of Superior, WI.

What was the last tournament superior hosted? Is there anything planned for 2011?

The last tournament we hosted I believe was kickoff in 2010, a 3 man event, our tournaments are tough to get good tournaments as well.  And we will probably have more tournaments this year, it’s just difficult to get people there.

Where does the team typically practice & play?

Other than our home field, we like to go down to Air Assault to practice and scrimmage as much as possible.  Brent does a really stellar job of organizing, and we are very grateful to him and Air Assault for allowing us to practice there, because we would not be doing nearly as well as we are without that opportunity to be scrimmaging against other teams.

Who do you typically practice against?

We have been practicing for the last few years against some of the best teams in the area, Fargo United, Air Assault, and Hostile Ground.  After getting our butts kicked up and down the field for a while, we finally started to catch up.  We desperately wanted to get better, and we knew to do that we had to play against teams that were already established, and were better than us.

Is it hard to find people to travel up to Superior to scrimmage, or does the teams typically have to travel to the competition?

It can be difficult to get people to come to Superior because it is such a drive, and most people don’t even know where our field is.  But we are almost always open to have people come up and play at any of our practices.

Who does superior consider to be their rivals?

One of our first rivals playing the MWPPA’s was Fargo United. But with the AA series coming around, our biggest competitors have been FU, Hostile Ground, Dirt Warriors, and pretty much anyone else on the other end of the field.

What are some major accomplishments of the team?

When we started to just play on Sunday on a consistent basis was huge for us, but for sure our biggest accomplishments as a team have been our two 1^st places finishes in the AA series, mostly because those were our first two 5 man wins.  And of course winning the AA series over the summer was the big one.

What tournament series does Superior play? and what division

Our primary tournament series in the past has been the MWPPA, but with the advent of Air Assault coming out with their own D4 and D5 series, we couldn’t pass that up.  All of us knew our concentration would be there from now on.  Our older more experienced players play D3 and D4, our younger guys play D5.

Are there any weaknesses that you have or are trying to over come?

I think our biggest struggle as a team right now is attracting new players, and retaining them.  We live and play in an area that is not nearly as rich with players and fields as most of the rest of the Midwest.  Once you pass Hinckley, we are one of the last fields until you reach Canada, the isolation factor is what is tough for us.

Who are some of your sponsors? How do you support each other?

Our only official sponsor has been our field, Superior Firepower, we have had some smaller ones in the past, like Burger King and Out There Advertising, but they were only for one season.  We try to help out our field by reffing, trying to attract new players to the field, holding tournaments, and generally helping out when we are able.  And our field gives us the best type of sponsorship a team can have, just a place to play.  Without that, we wouldn’t have a team at all, guaranteed.   And even though we are not sponsored by Air Assault, we feel that because Brent and Air Assault have allowed us to scrimmage and practice with them so much over the last few years, they are like a sponsor to us.

How has the team expanded and changed over the years?

We started out pretty raw, most of us were playing with old and outdated guns and gear.  But we progressed, and the shift of leadership has happened a few times already.  Selby was our captain the first year, Levi was captain for a season and a half, then it came to me, and I have been the captain since mid 2009 season.

I came to be the team captain during a very tough time for our team, not only had Levi left, but 3 or 4 of our other solid players either got hurt, or left as well.  Our numbers were down (we didn’t even have enough to have a legit practice on a given Saturday), and things weren’t looking very good for us, some of us were even questioning if there was going to be a team next season.  But the few that were left decided that no matter what, even if we only had 6 players at a practice, that we were going to make it work, and not let the team collapse.  So through our team work, collective perseverance, and attitudes, we not only bounced back, we had our best season by far, we won the 2010 AA series.

Another major change that helped us, was we acquired an X-ball field in 2008.  Before that we were playing on very old and outdated bunkers, it made it hard to compete on an X-ball field, when we didn’t practice on an X-ball layout.

What does the future hold for the team?

As of right now, we are all looking forward to next season, but are going to be concentrating on the AA winter events, and getting in playing time whenever we can.  The outlook for us is good right now, our team is looking good for next year, and we are going to be trying to pull in new blood.