World Cup 2K3

You have to love Florida. Well, that statement holds true for me at least, especiallly if the alternative is 6 degree weather back home in Toronto. I spent a week in Orlando for the 2003 World Cup and loved every minute of the wonderful Florida sunshine. I just wish there were more events held over the winter in warm, sunny locales.

The event was held on Disney property, at their Wide World of Sports facility. This was by far the best PSP venue I've been to. The grounds were kept clean and the washroom facilities were outstanding. My previous experience of PSP events have been somewhat horrific when it came to hygeine, but this one was top notch. The only major complaint that people had was the pricing on the food at the concessions - they were charging prices far beyond resonable and made airport food pricing seem cheap by comparison.

JT had their booth setup with tons of new product - new guns, jerseys, clothing, buttpacks, etc. Watch for their exciting new line in the months to come. Viewloader also released the new Z-board for the Evlution2. They will not be sold in the loader and are only available as an upgrade. Right: Bill working hard as always upgrading Ev2's.

Smart Parts was at the event in force with two trailers, VIP area and a Team Strange booth as well. They have 3 new Smart Girls with new posters and barrel condoms for all their girls so make sure to come by our Toronto location on November 22 to meet these lovely young ladies for our Get Smart event.

I spent 5 days working as the main tech for team Dynasty. Conditions are far from ideal working under a small tent crammed with two teams and their gear. Each tent supports two teams: the team that is currently playing and the one that is preparing for the next game. It is pretty much standing room only and repairs need to be made fast. Luckily the Angel is a very reliable marker and a properly maintained marker does not tend to have many problems.

Dynasty played well but were plagued with questionable calls by the x-ball referees. In the finals I watched them beat Strange when they were down 2 players due to penalties. Unfortunately, in the end they lost to Strange and had to settle for second place.

The Master Techs from Angel Force are the guys that WDP uses to fix the Angels for the pro teams as well as everyone else at the events.

Above: Trevor in with Dynasty.

Right: Eric in the Dynasty tent.

Below: Sean Bratten was the main tech for the Russian Legion.

Being Dynasty's tech allowed me full access to the field. I filmed this movie to give you all an idea of what goes on inside a dynasty huddle.

WARNING: The following video clip contains swearing and naughty words your mother should not hear. Play it at your own risk. We take no responsibility if your mom hears this and kicks your ass.

The movie file is a whopping 14 megs so if you are on dial up, go watch a movie, or play 3 hours of paintball and then come back.

Work hard, play hard. This usually means up early, work hard all day in the hot sun, get back to the hotel, meet in the bar for some drinks, shower, meet in the bar for more drinks, go out to dinner and have some drinks, come back to the hotel, meet in the bar for more drinks, go to bed, get a couple of hours sleep, then start again the next morning. It takes its toll on the body and the mind but I think most would agree that on these trips you cram in a weeks worth of fun and laughs for every day you're there. I know I always have a great time and with each event there is always a defining moment that will stand out in your mind for years to come. This event was outstanding and unfotunately I did not capture all those moments on film.

We had one of those "fishing for stuffed animals with a claw" games in our hotel bar. Frazer (above) was a master and managed to fish out a lot of plsuh toy souvenirs to bring home.

Left: A beer foul.

Right: Tiffany watching New York lose to Florida in the World Series.

Left: Lisa Harvey shows more than intended. The look on Rocky's face shows that he knew exactly what was going on. Wow!

This World Cup was a huge blast. Being so close to Disney meant that we could spend time with our old friends, Winnie, Tigger, and Piglet and especially Buzz, he's such a crazy guy!