Paint by the numbers

Mike Sciacca

The fluorescent, paint-splattered steps and boardwalk along Pier

Plaza indicated that something out of the ordinary had taken place at

the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier.

The paint-stained hands of Brian Cole confirmed it.

Cole, a 2002 graduate of Corona del Mar High School, was kicking

back with his Team Dynasty teammates Sunday in their makeshift beach

dormitory. Their work was done, for the time being, during the final

rounds of the 2004 National Professional Paintball League Super 7

World Series.

“We’re having a great time and the setting here in Huntington is

the perfect venue for this event,” said the 20-year-old as five other

games simultaneously raged on at nearby playing fields.

Several of Cole’s high school friends had come out to cheer him

on.

“People have randomly passed by on the boardwalk and up on the

pier these past few days, and they’re stopping to see what’s

happening,” he said. “That opens up their eyes to the sport of

paintball, and that’s great. They are seeing first-hand just how

strategic the game is.”

When the last paintball had landed early Sunday evening, Team

Dynasty had emerged as champion of the Professional Division.

It was the second straight Surf City triumph for the San

Diego-based team, which won last year’s event.

“We had a very controlled atmosphere for the amount of people we

had down here,” said Chuck Hendsch, president of the National

Professional Paintball League. “Fan turnout was great, once again,

and it was really great to see teams from all over the world come to

Huntington Beach for this event.

“All these teams travel all over the world and compete against

each other, so this entire league is like one, big family.”

Joy Division came to Huntington Beach from its native Sweden to

take part in the tournament.

Paintball enjoys an enormous popularity in Europe, where it boasts

a huge fan base. Games are played in soccer and football stadiums.

But Max Lundqvist, a mid-front player for Joy Division who arrived

in town on his 28th birthday, said that the Huntington Beach setting

was the perfect stage.

“It’s by far the best, best venue we’ve played in,” he said. “A

setting like this is a revolution for the sport. So many people came

out to watch us play and I think that they learned that paintball’s

not a war game, but more of an extreme sport.”

That’s how Jordan Dominguez sees it.

The 15-year-old came to the tournament with his 22-year-old

brother, Joshua. The two drove south from their L.A. home to see

Sunday’s final games.

“It’s pretty awesome to see a lot of action like this,” said

Jordan, who plays paintball. “It’s great to see all these teams from

around the world and see the different strategies. It’s a great

sport.”

Teardown of the paintball playing fields, surrounding stands and

vendor booths, began Monday. Hendsch said that his crew had a

takedown goal of two days.

“Our goal always is to turn the beach back to its natural state,”

he said. “That’s very important to our entire crew.”

The three-day paintball tournament, which began Friday, drew big

numbers:

* The weekend tournament was the first stop for the 2004 Super 7

World Series tour, which holds five contests in the states and

sanctions four more in Europe.

* The 160 competing teams far surpassed last year’s 92-team total.

Teams from throughout the U.S. and Europe, as well as Japan, New

Zealand, Canada, Mexico and Colombia, converged for the tournament.

Thirty-two teams had to be turned away from the competition, due to

capacity limits.

* Each of the 160 teams averaged 14 members in their travel

entourage.

* In addition to the main event, eight teams from seven

universities -- Arizona State, UC Davis, The Citadel, Georgia,

Illinois, Louisiana State and Nevada Las Vegas -- competed on an

adjacent field in the College Division.

* Competition was held in four divisions. The 160 teams that began

the tournament on Friday had been whittled down to 60 by Sunday.

* The five playing fields, which featured, for the first time, an

action-back turf laid directly over the sand, each measured 180 feet

long by 100 feet wide.

* The top-ranked team from Europe, Joy Division, participated in

the tournament and finished fifth to Team Dynasty in the Professional

Division.

* An estimated 60 local youngsters volunteered their time and

wiped down field bunkers in between matches. Professional cleaning

crews immediately washed down all water-soluble paint splatters found

on any surfaces outside the playing fields.

* There were 60 vendor booths -- five times the amount from last

year -- erected in nearby Pier Plaza. The television show, Fear

Factor, set up a booth and held an open casting call, which drew 150

hopeful contestants.

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.