Tourney in Poughkeepsie

When I heard about a laser tag tournament happening at Spins Bowl in (relatively) nearby Poughkeepsie my first thought was that this would be fun and I wouldn’t even have to leave the state! When I learned that this site runs Lasertron my next thought was that this could serve as good practice time since the Armageddon tournament is only a month away and it’s been, well…let’s just say “awhile” since I’ve played any tournament Tron. So I messaged my Armageddon teammates (several of whom are predominantly Tron players) to join me, but Poughkeepsie wasn’t conveniently located enough for the others, so instead I just registered solo with the understanding that I would be matched up with an eight player team once I got there on the day of the event. This is not the first time I’ve joined a team like this and I always appreciate when a tournament is flexible enough to add solo players like me. Of course, this also means you have to be ready for anything, but I was excited to get to be part of the first ever Spins Bowl laser tag tournament co-sponsored by the NY National Guard and K104 radio station with proceeds benefitting the Town if Poughkeepsie Soccer Club.

I was matched up with a walk-in team and met the players who had decided on a lark to come play in the event because it was supposed to rain today and they were looking for something to do. I have to smile at that! Team Ferrari was really a lot of fun, but what was most interesting about this team was that they were all very new to laser tag and looked to me for tips on Tron. Anyone who knows my history with this system will appreciate the irony of that! So we were an underdog team, but that actually made it all the more rewarding to do well right out of the gate.

This is especially so considering we didn’t have all the details about the game until we walked into the arena. You see, the event info referenced “tournament style play” so I was prepared for random chips and base strategies. However, instead the games were simply player tags and recharge, so my suggestions to my team about focusing on base tags were irrelevant.

The first team we went up against was the NY National Guard team. This now marks the second time I have had a chance to play Lasertron against members of the guard (as I still count the time with the National Guard in Alaska as one of my favorite memories). Some members of my team found this a little intimidating, but I found it an exciting opportunity to play against this team.

With base strategy out the window we just focused on pushing the field. The scores flip-flopped between the teams a bit in the beginning, but by the middle of the game we took a lead and held it. We won that game and moved on in the tournament. We also came out of that round with the second highest score at that point, putting us just behind the first place team. Not a bad start!

Nine teams took turns squaring off for 12 minute rounds in the over 4000 square foot arena. It’s basically what I consider a one and a half level arena in that there is a raised center accessible by ramps, but it’s not a true double level. It’s a typical Tron design with a symmetrical field.

As the rounds continued and teams proceeded to be eliminated we were among the top four teams going into the final face offs. I suspect we might have been able to pull off a higher placement if the match ups had been slightly different, but we next went up against the team that definitely came to win and did just that. They played hard and that ultimately ended our run meaning we were fourth in the ranking, but just missed taking one of the top three awards.

However, I give my congratulations to the winning team and to all the players who came to win. Everyone played well and I commend all the players on a great afternoon of tag!

I also want to thank Spins Bowl for hosting this event. There are not nearly enough competitive tag events in New York and I am always appreciative when a tournament takes place. I really had a wonderful time playing at your facility which marks my 260th laser tag arena! I hope to have another opportunity to play at your site, perhaps in a future tournament.

And on that note, now seems like a good opportunity to share some tournament tips and laser tag advice from a few pro athletes. Check out a few words of competitive wisdom…