From the LA Hitmen: There’s Big News For Pump Paintball in Northern California Today.

From the LA Hitmen: There’s big news for pump paintball in Northern California today. When you think of the northern California paintball scene the LA Hitmen don’t really come to mind. The LA Hitmen have been the top pump team to beat for years now, winning multiple pump and non-pump events since 2005. For many pumpers getting a chance to play against the team is a dream come true. For those who push themselves hard, getting a chance to play for the team is even a larger goal. We recently announced that we would be expanding our program to include pump players who demonstrate the will to become a part of the Hitmen family, even if they can’t practice with us in So Cal. Some boys in Nor Cal had the dream of becoming Hitmen. Their lives are about to change.

In February 2009, Lester Samano, Bret Neundorf, Alex Boites and David Wilson created Mulisha, a pump team based in Northern California. The four key members decided to put together this team after their last team disbanded. At first, the boys with the pump guns were picked last. But after time, other players wanted to be on the same team as them. The boys started gaining respect from semi players and professional players who months before doubted their ability to play on the same field as them with pump guns in their hands.

Slowly, the guys started to be recognized as some of the few players in the area using pump guns at a speedball field. They played and guested for other teams in various local and regional tournaments in the Sacramento and Solano areas. Sometimes, they even loaned out some of their players to other teams to fill in their rosters–just like the LA Hitmen routinely do. The team’s greatest achievement in 2009 is winning first place overall in the Davis Pump Series held at Davis Paintball Field. (Davis Paintball owned by paintball legend Micah McGlocklin hosts the only monthly Nor Cal Pump Series)

During the 2009 Davis Pump Series, the team expanded their network by meeting other new and veteran pump players in the area. They picked up Brandon Pendley to complete their 5-man roster. Micah encouraged them to speak with me about further helping pump play in Nor Cal. After Micah’s introduction Lester put in an application to represent the Hitmen in Northern California. The boys were ready to see if their dream will come true this season.

We are now happy to announce that the Mulisha team will join the LA Hitmen family. In response to his team being absorbed into the LA Hitmen, Lester said, "Getting to play for the Hitmen is one of the biggest goals for any pump player.” With that the newly formed "LA Hitmen Oakland" squad has now been born. Their first event under the LA Hitmen name will be at Davis Paintball in March (for more info on Davis Paintball please visit www.davispaintball.com). We believe this approach will help pump paintball grow in their area and motivate players/teams there to challenge them and practice with them more often. We also want to thank Micah for his efforts to help pump paintball in Northern California.

For more information on the LA Hitmen please visit www.teamlahitmen.com or visit us on our Facebook page.