Despite some dicey weather, the 2008 Chicago Open Paintball tournament went as scheduled last week, and Bolingbrook Park District officials say they look forward to hosting the event again in 2009.

“I think overall it went as well, if not better, than any previous tournament we’ve hosted,” said Tom Carstens, deputy director of the Park District.
“This was our fourth year working together with Paintball Sports Promotions, and we are getting to where we work very well together and communicate very well with each other,” he added.

The tournament brought 235 teams to Bolingbrook to compete in one of the largest paintball tournaments in the country, and Carstens said the event “should just about break even.”

The Park District budgets about $50,000 for the event.

Communication was key during the event, especially when a windstorm played havoc with operations on Saturday.

“All week long, we had a good line of communications with the Bolingbrook Fire Department, who kept us informed about approaching weather systems, and on Saturday, we closed down the tournament for about an hour as heavy winds came through and brought down four of the fields,” Carstens said.

“Unlike last year, when heavy rains hurt us, we were able to predict, and adapt to, the weather systems as they came into the area this time around,” he added.

Before the storm struck at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, tournament officials were aware of the approaching weather and notified on-field supervisors, who then cleared the fields of players and spectators.

“We were shut down for about an hour as four of the fields had obstacles knocked down, but it didn’t really impact the tournament other than delaying it a little,” Carstens said. “We had a good plan in place, and we were able to execute it.”

Two of four competition fields were re-assembled by Sunday morning, Carstens said.

“Many of the teams had already left following the first three days of competition, so there wasn’t a scheduling issue at all,” Carstens said.

Feedback from Paintball Sports Promotions officials, vendors and participants indicate Bolingbrook is a good location for the tournament, and park officials want to see the event return next year.

“Everyone we talked to said this year was one of the best-run, accessible tournaments they’ve been to,” said Ray Ochromowicz, Park District director.

“We haven’t had our team meeting to discuss the event and debrief, but I’d say, on the whole, we would welcome the event back again next year,” Ochromowicz said.

Keely Watson, spokeswoman for Paintball Sports Promotions, said “despite a little crazy weather, we were very pleased with the way the tournament turned out.”

“We will begin looking at next year’s schedule later in the year, but we would certainly like to return to the Bolingbrook Recreation and Aquatic Center in 2009,” Watson said.

Promoters and park officials usually begin negotiating terms of a contract in December or January, Ochromowicz said.

“The DuPage County Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the economic impact locally at more than $3 million. I know it was a huge success economically for this area,” Carstens said.

“Our research shows the hotels in the Bolingbrook area are full, and restaurants on Weber Road and even into the Promenade were heavily used by tournament players and spectators,” Carstens said.