At a Glance: News Briefs 10.7.09

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyoming -
Local paintball players win world title
A Jackson Hole-based paintball team has won the semi-professional world title of the fringe sport.

Team Suppressor, made up of 10 local residents, defeated teams from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia on its way to national and international titles last weekend at the Scenario Paintball Players League World Championship, in Pinckney, Mich. The SPPL format of play has teams competing 10-on-10 in “capture the flag” scenarios.

“It was a wicked game, man, a wicked game,” said Rick Bickner, the team’s captain. “This is the number one paintball league in the world. It’s not just some podunk tournament.”

Team Suppressor players took home a total of around $10,000 in prizes but no cash, Bickner said. In 2007, the team placed ninth, and last year it did not compete in the tournament. Next year, the Jackson Hole team will have to compete on the professional level because reigning semi-pro champions are required to move up the following year. The win should get the team some coverage in a popular paintball magazines like Splat, Bickner said.<br />The team has sponsors that pick up entry fees and some other expenses, but individual players are responsible for paying for their own travel, lodging and food.

Goatstock a win for Zell
If anyone who attended Goatstock, the fundraiser field party for Jimmy Zell last Saturday, wondered what portion of the event’s proceeds would go to the beneficiary, they might have figured it out when they made out a check to pay for admission, food or beer.

“Make it out to Jimmy Zell,” event volunteers were overheard saying.
Around 1,000 people attended Goatstock, a community effort to raise money for Zell, who was diagnosed with Lou Gherig’s Disease.

Zell declined to say how much the event raised, but said it was enough to cover medical expenses and help him live comfortably, which may include leaving Jackson Hole for a warmer place in the winter.

“To be the recipient of such incredible community support and love is truly an overwhelming experience,” Zell said Tuesday.

He said he may eventually put some of the money toward traveling to other countries for alternative treatments not currently available in the U.S.
A donated 1972 Cadillac Coupe de Ville fetched $4,000 in a live auction, and attendees –minus about 100 volunteers – paid a $10 admission.

Barrasso calls for BLM investigation
One of Wyoming’s delegates in the U.S. Senate has called for further investigation into a recent report by Dept. of Interior that alleges misconduct within the Bureau of Land Management, including possibly illegal relationships between BLM officials and environmental groups.

Sen. John Barrasso said the report raises red flags about past and future management of Bureau’s National Landscape Conservation System.

“The report uncovers undue influence and inappropriate relationships between federal officials and special interests,” Barrasso stated in a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “I request the Department of Interior suspend all activities related to the NLCS. The validity of the overall program is now in question.”

The report, released last week, found BLM employees “less than objective,” and indicated they created an atmosphere for potentially illegal activity when working alongside environmental groups concerned with the NLCS. JHW


 



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At a Glance: News Briefs 10.7.09 | Planet JH News Article: General News

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