On Saturday, August 11, 35 players came together from all over the United States to battle it out and determine a regional Grifball champion. Check out the distribution on our Player Map. The teams were broken up into groups based on the geographical proximity of those who signed up, and six teams were created: Manifest Destiny, a group of West Coast players extending as far east as the Rocky Mountains; Points North, a team centered around the north Midwest; Greater Lakes, where players hailed from both sides of the Great Lakes; Old Man River, which consisted of players close to the Mississippi River from the Gulf Coast to the central Midwest; Colonial America, with players spanning the Eastern states from New York to North Carolina; and Cradle of Liberty, made up of players from New England and New York state.
While some teams consisted of players who were already friends or teammates, other groupings threw players together from all corners of the Grifball world. The event featured seasoned league pros and champions, newer league players, and some players stepping into competitive Grifball for the first time. In the six team Round Robin, 14 of 15 games were played over the course of four hours, with one game sacrificed to make up week league obligations. With player registration open for several days, teams consisted of 6-7 players which became frustrating to some players when nearly everyone who signed up showed up on time and ready to play - and we thank you all for it! That's a good problem to have, and if the current amazing attendance record continues, expect to see similar tournaments set up in the future with smaller squads and more playing time.
At the end of the night, a champion was crowned, and Colonial America, captained by OVERweightGOAT and made up of KidQuantum, Ezy08, Packfan010, ghetto KoolAid9, and ColonialPie took home the regional title for the night. But other competitors were close on their heels, especially when the missed game is considered. New friendships were forged over the course of the night as well, which feels like a victory for all of us. A big thank you to NetsPride15 for suggesting the event to the NGA, and thank you to all players who participated, as well as the team captains who helped get everyone some playing time and made sure the event was enjoyed by all. Awards have been given out on Grifball.net as well as HaloUNITY, so be sure to check your player pages for new swag. And if you have any game film from last night you'd like to share and have uploaded to our YouTube channel, put the film in your file share with the tag NGA, and let RageMoreNerd know you've got a film for him.
As our league players know, the NGA Summer League 2012 Playoffs are under way, and we now have several streamers you can catch on Grifball.net throughout the bracket. If you are interested in getting your game streamed or your stream featured, please let us know, we'd love to get you on the site if possible.
Our next event will be the already infamous Stat Padding Derby on August 22 - more details coming soon. Also, check in with us over the next few weeks for signups for the final Halo Reach Grifball season as well as several planned community mixers and other fun happenings. Finally, if you've got a great Grifball event idea, please let us know - we'd love to help make it happen.