A jubilant Hawaiian Heat paintball team returned home from Huntington Beach, Calif., on April 15 following an exciting first-place finish at the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) Surf City USA tournament, held on the beach by the pier.
A jubilant Hawaiian Heat paintball team returned home from Huntington Beach, Calif., on April 15 following an exciting first-place finish at the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) Surf City USA tournament, held on the beach by the pier.
Hawaiian Heat competed in three previous NPPL tournaments on the mainland over the past year, consistently performing well in the D2 Division. But, the team “turned up the heat” this time and annihilated the opposition four straight games in the semifinals and finals brackets, said team spokesman Randall Gerber.
Members of the championship team are Gilbert “GJ” Sakaguchi, Nathan Bell, Royce Lee Kwai, Ian Gerber, Jason Yuh, Ryan “Dirty” Buckley, Tien-Sy “Tinman” Nguyen, Marcello Cannon and team Capt. Stanton Tawata.
“The success of Hawaiian Heat represents the best performance of any local paintball team in National competition,” said Gerber. “Heat would like to express appreciation to their supporters: Valken, Planet Eclipse and Notions in Paradise.”