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National airsoft competition held in Iloilo

LAST Nov. 21-22, 2009,Iloilo hosted the FIRST national close quarter combat airsoft competition in Iloilo. The event followed the “Iloilo Cup” which was held one week prior. What is airsoft anyway?

According to wisegeek.com, airsoft had its beginnings in Japan during the late 1970s. Devised to be an example of combat sports that required relatively little preparation but was capable of entertaining participants for several hours, the sport quickly began to spread, and is today found in many places around North America and Europe. Airsoft enthusiasts tend to organize clubs that are referred to as meetings, and often structure their games along military lines. However, there are airsoft meetings that specialize in historical reenactments of famous battles, as well as some meetings that provide choreographed simulations for the wider community.

Just like the popular game of paintball, airsoft is structured along the lines of a military unit fighting against another team. While the guns and rifles that are employed as part of the sport are very similar to the real thing, they are configured to shoot small airsoft pellets that will bounce harmlessly off the individual. Typically, when a participant is shot with an airsoft pellet, he or she is expected to voluntarily declare themselves to be dead and thus out of the game. Once all the members of one team have been eliminated or the remnants choose to surrender, the game is considered to be over.

In most instances, airsoft is conducted in a wooded area or some other terrain that will involve plenty of opportunities for cover and the use of strategies to capture and eliminate the other team from the game. Participants tend to dress in clothing that is not unlike military garb, and may use camouflage gear as part of the strategy. The typical airsoft game can last the better part of a day, especially if the participants are seasoned airsoft players. However, there are some variations of airsoft in which there is a specified start time and end time to the game. When this is the case, the team with the most “live” members is considered the winner.

Airsoft weapons and ammunition is still largely manufactured in such countries as China, Taiwan, Japan, and China. Generally, these products are processed through independent distributors in countries where airsoft has gained a measure of popularity. There are also a number of online retail sites that feature airsoft equipment, including camouflage clothing and accessories.

Airsoft appeared in Iloilo City in the year 2000, played among six friends at Puerto Real Subdivision. Over the time they grew to a group of 25 players coming from different strata of society. They called themselves the Iloilo Ground Troopers. As the sport became more popular so did the numbers and the group formally organized themselves under the name R6 Iloilo Airsoft. Unfortunately, the weapons were classified under the category “Toys for the Big Boys” as a gun with battery and mask could set you back P20,000. Of course, the brand was Tokyo Maraui, the top of the line. The breakthrough came in 2006 with the introduction of “made in China”. This brought prices down and gave the opportunity to many to enter the sport.

R6 Iloilo Airsoft is an organization that caters to people interested in the sport. It is an association registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and serves as an umbrella organization for freelance airsoft players. The services offered are to represent the players with the various government organizations regulating the sport and to provide game sites to its membership, design game scenarios and organize local events and join out of town games.

Last November 14-15 the organization organized the CQB Iloilo Cup for teams to prove their worth to join the national cup that followed November 21-22. The site for this event was in the heart of Iloilo City at Robinsons Place Iloilo. The event was blessed with over 275 players coming from different provinces of the Archipelago. The mirror image design of the game site made it a perfect balance of power and probability for any team. The scenarios were time based, set to a 10min game in which a team needed to clear the area to meet up with engineers who had to proceed to a laboratory where they needed to extract a canister containing a biological weapon. The team to retrieve the canister and who brought it to the safe zone was declared the winner.

The 2nd runner up as team NAF (Negros Airsoft Federation), the 1st runner up was ASG Bacolod and the Champion was ASG Cebu team Bravo. The champions brought home a huge trophy and 1 year bragging rights.

Airsoft is truly an opportunity to develop self-discipline, camaraderie, teamwork and leadership skills. A sport filled with excitement where no 2 battles are the same. A sport where gender nor age are obstacles. Should you show interest in the sport, please feel free to contact R6 Iloilo Airsoft at R6 Depot, located at the back of Jo’s Chicken Inato, Quezon St., Iloilo City. Look for Dennis or contact 09209258038 or 3961005 or simply visit us at www.r6iloiloairsoft.com.