Third Coast Airsoft

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Enjoy

I'm glad you guys like it. We work hard to have our community working as well as it does.

wow....Patrick Scott.....that's a name i haven't heard in awhile...

savoy6 wrote:wow....Patrick Scott.....that's a name i haven't heard in awhile...

Yeah, I've been busy elsewhere for a while. For the last 2 years, it's been working with Third Coast regionally and growing the American Airsoft Association nationally (more than 5k members now) so far as airsoft goes. Haven't gotten a lot of field time due to other obligations.

Third coast is an affiliate organization of the American Airsoft association and is a definite step forward in comparison with the way things have been done in the past. I am both honored and proud to be a member and Council Representative with Third Coast Airsoft.

Third Coast seems interesting, but I noticed a hierarchy of rank and title that put me off a bit - but to each their own, and clearly, you guys are being successful, so cool, dude.

Che Chuy wrote:Third Coast seems interesting, but I noticed a hierarchy of rank and title that put me off a bit - but to each their own, and clearly, you guys are being successful, so cool, dude.

There's no hierarchy of rank. I am a Council Rep for my team and for the American Airsoft Association (but I get only one vote). Each Third Coast Airsoft team, vendor, field owner, etc. gets to chose who will represent them on the Council. In other words, everybody has a say in how we govern ourselves. Every Council Rep is responsible for checking the site for council issues and bring it to their team. Each team must decide amongst themselves how they will vote on any given council matter. It is, truly, a democratic process. No one is better than anyone else.

In fact, back in March, after the last issue of Third Coast Airsoft Magazine (where The Foundation was featured in an interview on pages 16 & 17), a vote was passed to extend membership to The Foundation Airsoft Association. I cannot find the response at this time, but for some reason I thought the invitation was accepted. Either way, invitation is still open to TFAA and to any of the teams associated with it.

Kind of reminds me of the SEA and what Shocktroop was trying, I'm Just Saying

Howie wrote:Kind of reminds me of the SEA and what Shocktroop was trying, I'm Just Saying

Who? I'm not familiar with them.

Yeah, I've been busy elsewhere for a while. For the last 2 years, it's been working with Third Coast regionally and growing the American Airsoft Association nationally (more than 5k members now) so far as airsoft goes

wow....5000...huh?......just wondering since your A3 forums have the following stats..

Total Topics: 267 - Total Posts: 844
Last Updated Topic: Annual Open Airsoft Challenge by JOE COOL (May 25, 2010, 8:28pm)
View the 25 most recent posts of this forum. Total Members: 155

you'd think that more than 155 of the "thousands" of members would be active on the forums of the association that they were paying dues to.......oh wait,i guess since there hasn't been any activity since may of last year.....maybe the dues aren't so much any more..... :shock:
so...fast forward to "third coast airsoft".........at least your stats are better on that one...

Total posts 2061 | Total topics 409 | Total members 165

but that's spread across 5 different states.....
the foundation here has the following...

Our users have posted a total of 9170 messages
We have 286 registered users

while they are pretty local they are beating both your sites in traffic and members.....once again we are having the same sort of "hey...let me start a new site for your community/hey, we're trying to unite all the gulf coast players on one site......i'll take care of everything...just let me run it"......sort of thing like you tried over on the ALA forums....here's the result of that...
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
i think i liked Bravo 37's post better than the ones i made...lol..

If or when this forum dies I will move to the DSA, Tennesee or BK forum. I refuse to use an outlet owned or overseen by a bully and self absorbed despot. (speaking about A3)Why you might ask, this is a hobby and I do it for enjoyment I do not need threats of legal action from any person who does not get his way. With the exception of one or two instances the new owner of the domain has been at the center of every blow up since I have been on this forum. I can take my little red wagon and go elsewhere. Those of you who choose to support him I wish you the best but I cannot.

or from madrule..site admin over there...

Guys this boils down to one issue. Do we want to govern ourselves or let another do it for us. I stand beside Matt and say we should stay here and make our own decisions. Further, I agree that we should draw up a set guidelines on how we decide our leaders/admins. We will lead ourselves and not have the content of our forum decided by a individual but by us, the members of Alabama Airsoft. I say this forum is our home and I am staying here with my brothers.

those who want to "Unify" things under their control or the control of their organization have been with us since the begining....(anyone been in it long enough to remember the old "US Airsoft Corps"?)....and it's never worked....mainly because the end result is little to no returns for the members of the "unified" communities...and while many of these groups promote themselves as being "non-profit"...(the org themselves usually are)...the actual web sites they host aren't...and the ad revenue and site traffic for a popular site like airsoft forum adds up pretty quick...and we won't even go into freebie items like guns and gear for "reviews" by staff members......especially from newer retailers that aren't deep enough in to know who is who out there in airsoft land....
plus there is the added bonus that these groups usually try and push a specific set of rules for the group across the board.....this,fairly quickly, turns into a set up where players ,fields and events are either sanctioned or unsanctioned..(ya'll remember how foundation events had to go into the "unsanctioned" section on the SEA forums...lol....even though the foundation/TFAT/the rally point has been around since 2000....)...once again ,more control for the ruling group and less control for the players and teams actually spending the time and effort to run fields and do events.....myself ,dino ,has and others of us "Airsoft Dinosaurs" have seen these folks move from community to community around every 2 or 3 years or so...dino and i were just talking last week about how the 2 to 3 year thing seems to come about due to there being a turn over of a majority of community members in most groups in that time frame....so these folks figure that when they show up again after that, that no-one will be left that remembers their shenanigans....lol....kinda like how the SEA re-appeared on here and elsewhere after not being heard from much since the last Iron Justice event...3 years ago.....or this...after the ala. fiasco....2 years ago.....pattern anyone?...
look..alot of you guys that have already jumped on the TCA/A3 bandwagon are going to hammer or delete this.....but those of us that have been around for awhile have something of a responsibility to the community as a whole to do some gate keeping and point this sort of thing out.
and ..yeah A3..i know..your going to talk about how i'm just being paranoid or sckitzo or something...lol.....and how you just have everyone's best interests at heart....oh and i like how when che questioned something you had to modify both following posts with all the stuff you deem yourself in charge of...lol....

Patrick Scott
Founder / President
American Airsoft Association
-----------------------------------------
Council Representative for ODA 202 and A³
Third Coast Airsoft
-----------------------------------------
XO, Colonel
1st SFA Operations Command
Commanding Officer
2nd Grp, 1st SFAOC
Team Leader
ODA 202, 2nd Grp, 1st SFAOC
-----------------------------------

Look, I was not trying to start a fight.

I just wanted to say that I got out of the military because of rank structures and "in" crowds (and the like) - and so, it was not for me. But I was not opposed to the group (foundation) joining or having a say about it (in joining or not), and I would not mind attending events held by those kinds of groups. You say there is none of that involved, and I will take your word for it, but you DO have a rank structure and you DO have Groups and Teams and Councils and areas of responsibilities and so forth. Which is not my bag, baby.

In truth, at some point, the sport of Airsoft MUST "go global" or at least national and start formal teams and such if it wants to grow from a hobby to a sport. And I applaud anyone (or group) that tries to unite everyone under a common banner, I truly do. Nothing would be better than a single, uniform set of rules - or even two as NFL-AFL or even football-rugby. I'm not saying stadiums and teams with owners, but perhaps akin to AYSO or something.

And before you decry that this is a sport, and not a hobby, consider the events, and how everyone of the event planners wonder how many players will show up on game day.

I dunno, but I am sorry if I started a fight.

It's Not a Fight, It's Not a arguement, it's just plain out to voice out concerns. Alot of time on the field and behind the scences to get the foundation moving on a right track, And we all have alot to say.

Savoy, why, oh WHY do you always have to have diarrhea of the mouth?! Why is it that you have to go and start [fecal matter*] where there is none?! Maybe I'm just dense as hell, but I don't get it.

Now, you question the numbers I provided on membership with A3. So, what do you do? You post stats from a forum we no longer use. The numbers I provided are from our membership list on file and not the forum. We receive new membership applications daily.

I will admit that I host the TCA website. However, you will notice that there are no banner ads. Nothing about that website makes any money. It's my contribution to a community that I thought was worth helping. I'm not even a founding member of TCA. I came on board after they had already adopted the A3 rule set.

Furthermore, you are quoting Eric (Bravo37) and Craig (Madrule) out of context. That was from a fiasco where I TRIED to do something nice for the Alabama Airsoft community and it blew up in my face. Apparently, they didn't like me buying the domain and building them a new forum without asking their permission first. What was meant to be a gift to the community was completely misconstrued. All has been forgiven on both sides, yet here you are still beating that drum. WTF?! You don't like me, fine. You're an adult. Start acting like it. These personal attacks are getting tiring.

And, so far as this "modification" to my posts, that's my forum signature, Savoy. Get a clue. It probably didn't show up in earlier posts because I hadn't gotten around to adding it to my profile. Not that I need to explain any of this to you. I'm just a "self absorbed despot".

Now, back on topic. Che, I'm still not seeing a hierarchy (although, that may be due to lack of sleep). However, I get your concerns. I know that TCA isn't for everybody. But, TCA is here for everyone. Get me? If you really want to know about TCA, contact Zmonster on either TCA's forum, or on Alabama Airsoft's forum. He's one of the founding members. Currently, he's stationed at Ft. Benning attending the School of The Americas. He's a good man.

Respectfully,

[* if I can't say it on the forum, neither can you.]

It is true that I may be misinterpreting, r reading into what I saw, I'll grant you that. But I stand by the majority of my post, and as I have said, to each their own.

LOL! Man i saw this coming. TRUE words hurt sometime savoy .Savoy is right this has been going on for the last 10 years.
S.O.S just a new name .

thanks for the support dino....you know it's truth if another dinosaur jumps in ....lol...
uh yeah, a3/reaper06 or what ever.....so the only forum link on the front page of your HUGELY active association leads to a dead forum that "we don't use any more"?...yeah, ok....and you host the TCA site, but you only came on board after they adopted the A3 rule set?horse-cart-horse..something..?....or maybe they they just had a "unprofessional looking free site" like you tried to tell the ALA guys they had..(as to why they needed to switch to your site).also...don't sit here and act like you don't get ad revenues and free gear and guns from advertisers...good god,talking about running off at the mouth ,everyone had to listen to you rattle on about that damn VFC AK you were bragging about getting for free when you were at OP Prometheus.....the same op where you spent 15-20 minutes leading the side you volunteered to lead but spent the rest of the day trying to get free stuff from the airdog airsoft folks.....so yeah ,whatever.....
you're quite right..don't like you much but it's mainly because i get tired of the same shills turning up trying to find some way to "lead",control,or make money off their fellow players in some fashion,always in the interest of "helping the community".....though i'd love to know where the info and statements in the article came from given that obviously not all of TFAA "would be proud to be a part of TCA".....(though TFAA has twice the members and more active players and posters than TCA,which covers 5+states...lol). i also love how you come on here and tell people they need to "get it" when they dare question any aspect of your set up...
and yeah che..i feel you on the rank/ODA thing......airsoft special forces.....lol...if you are saluting and crap in AS you have a mental issue...lol...
though we could have a great discussion on the hobby/sport thing and how this hobby will never have the acceptance and perceived safety that paintball enjoys...lol..but that ought to go into it's own post.....

Guys,

I want to personally clear things up here, TCA exists to sell the sport of airsoft to the mainstream, being that players have the best intentions at heart for the sport.
Paintball enjoys a large following due to the dedication of the players and teams in the 80s that sold the sport, resulting in televised tournaments on ESPN and corporate sponsorships.

TCA was started by Teams, players, field owners, web/regional communities and vendors with the core principles:
1) Positive news on Airsoft/Inform others that it is not a backyard sport
2) A common FPS/safety set based on a National Insurance Standard
3) Bring players together and keep the game safe/honest (cheat in the TCA footprint and you are done)
4) Mutual respect among players/teams regardless of age and experience
5) An organized voice giving power to the consumers (bad vendor/field owner=no business in a 5 state footprint)

A copy of the charter is found at thirdcoastairsoft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=157

The Board introduces policies, discusses issues relating to airsoft, assists each other in events/connections, makes decisions based on the community vote. There is no overall head man, would not work with one.

The magazine was created to support Lines of Operations 1-5, with the magazine being free in order to attain the widest dissemination.

Do we have our knuckleheads now and in the past, yes, who hasn't, but the sport has been better for it since TCA's creation in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Those that have found themselves on the out with the Teams of TCA have been the biggest offenders of sportsmanship and safety, that was their biggest beef with an organization of any kind in Airsoft (tell me you guys haven't experienced these types).

Bottomline, TCA is not a threat to any established organization, it is an Assembly Area and common ground for Airsoft Organizations trying to get the word out.

Council Teams maintain a rep that is responsible for checking the site, Facebook Page, or contacting each other via email. Most drop and out without an account.

Thanks for the time to put this out, The Foundation is already considered a valued member,

Sal Zuniga
"Zmonster"

Below is the FY 2011 Board Statement of Way ahead,

Team Leaders, Players, Vendors, Field Owners, and Council Reps,

We must remain focused on the hobby, its safe conduct, and sportsmanship. The past 4 weeks we have seen several events in the 5 state footprint that have brought embarrassment, heated exchanges, lies, cheating, and attempts to wreck personal lives over the hobby. One begs to ask, “Where are the adults in all of this?” The truth is there are a great deal of us in this sport that do care and do not attempt to gain fame, fortune, or notoriety. I say let our actions speak for us, let’s not get dragged (or drag ourselves) down to lower levels and argue petty things with people that cannot conform or understand, they simply never will or are self serving. In time those people’s actions will reveal their true nature and others in the communities will learn and take action necessary to protect the integrity and safety of the hobby.

As of now, there are leaders of communities that feel comfortable in their bubble or kingdom, it’s all theirs, and they are free to do as they wish. But make no mistake, the players that count will see through the haze and know that there is better opportunities out there going on in the hobby, where players are valued for their integrity and method of play, where “leaders” strive to provide the best examples and foster ethical climates for safety, sportsmanship, and focus on not “being the best of the best” but on “how the game is played, win or lose.”

In the Service, we talk about shotgun blasts, in this case, this statement only hits the ones that find it offensive. To others, it serves as a reminder of why this hobby is great when done right. Players, we are this hobby, and it cannot exist without us. The “us” are those that have played in some great, organized, and safe events. Whether it be a Saturday Skirmish or a 500 man Invasion.

Players and Leaders, look past the drama, be a professional athlete on the field, and play the game as it should be, with ultimate integrity and sportsmanship. Do not tolerate those that do not, don’t argue with them, simply let them go. Their actions will carry their reputation forward to other communities. They can reach out to a dozen other communities, but it will be in vain until they can get their house in order, and if that never comes, then they will put themselves into a corner. But it will be done by their own actions and not by us. We will have driven on to high ground.

I have a couple questions and concerns regarding your event rules and regs, for clarity I'll be using bold font to ask my questions. Additionally, I'll be eliminating the paragraphs that are irrelevant to the discussion at hand, and striking the paragraph title as a placeholder. (No intent to take any information out of context)




A³ and 3rd COAST AIRSOFT EVENT RULES & REGULATIONS

A³ MilSim re-enactment rules create conditions and variables of actual small infantry units operating in the field. We try to inject as much realism as possible, yet at the same time we balance it with safety. In order to achieve these conditions, our combat re-enactment operations use the following rules:

A³/TCA RULES & REGULATIONS QUICK REFERENCE CHART
1. All operators are expected to follow the "Code of Conduct"
2. CHEATING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED
3. All Airsoft Electric guns, must chrono at 400 fps or less using a 0.20g BB . All Squad Assault Weapons must chrono at at 450 fps or less using a 0.20g BB. All Sniper Rifles must chrono at 500 fps or less using a .20g BB. ANY READINGS HIGHER THAN THESE WILL IMMEDIATELY DISQUALIFY THE GUN.
4. All operators must use approved BBs
5. All operators must use hard lens type goggle or glasses that have a tight seal around the face
6. All hits to the operator's body count as a kill, including web gear
7. Gun hits do not count
8. When you are hit you will die in-place and act as if you have been fatally shot and remain motionless for 2 minutes
9. After 2 minutes, you will place a red rag on your head (if available), put your gun over your head or on your shoulder with one hand in the air and them move away from the combat area at least 300 feet
10. Dead men do not talk to live operators
11. Dead men do not talk on the radio, not even to say "I'm dead"
12. Dead men do not spectate. They hunker down away from the field of action and contemplate their state.
13. If a dead man suddenly finds himself in a combat zone, he will immediately move to a new secluded area.
14. There is absolutely no shooting at anyone within the minumum safe engagement distance established for your weapon.
15. If you encounter an enemy head-on and you are less than the MSD, you must call a "parlay".
16. You may surrender an enemy if he is 20 ft away, and you are behind him with a clear shot and he is unaware of your presence.
17. If someone surrenders you, you must comply without question if the attacker is within your 20-foot safety zone.
18. If any operators have any disputes, they are expected to resolve them in a gentleman-like manner.

Detailed Rules:
Hits
Getting Hit
Dead Man
Dead Man Rules
Reincarnation
Airsoft Hits

Resolving a Hit Dispute
First of all, if you think you hit someone, give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you didn't hit him. But if you are absolutely sure, then you may call a "CHECK" on an enemy. A "CHECK" lets an operator know that another operator feels that he has been hit. After a CHECK is called the combatants can discuss the hit. In most cases the situation can be quickly resolved. If there is still some dispute then both operators may consider a truce or "Parlay". If the operators still cannot agree and start arguing in an unsportsmanlike conduct, they will both be ejected from the mission.

So, this would work like a 'paint check' in paintball. My only issue is that there are VERY FEW Admins running around in-game, and there will certainly be times that this cannot be adhered to properly. What are your plans or recourses for working around this?

Ignoring Hits
Cheating
Profanity
Physical Contact Prohibited

20 Foot Safety Rule
All operators are considered to have a safety zone of 20 feet. No operator is allowed to shoot another operator inside this 20 feet zone. Any operator caught violating this safety rule will be expelled from the operation AO and will not be allowed to participate again in the future.

How does this work, with CQB rules and minimum engagement distances inside of 20 feet for sub-350fps replicas?

Parlay
Surrenders
CQB Rules
CQB/MOUT:
Why 400 fps?
Why 400 fps with 0.20g BB?
Safety

Balance of Power
Speaking of the balance of power.... see FPS rules

Wear & Tear

Equipment Regulations


RULES AND REGULATIONS For EQUIPMENT Used In OPERATIONS

Airsoft Guns

Velocity Limits

Minimum Engagement Distance (MED)
The minimum Engagement Distances are as follows:
300 and below : No MED (AEG / GBB & GBBR)
301-350 fps : 10 Ft. MED (AEG / GBB & GBBR)
351-400 fps : 20 Ft. MED (AEG / GBB & GBBR)
401-450 fps : 50 Ft. MED (Support weapons only)
450-500 fps : 100 Ft. MED (All Snipers)

What is your model to determine FPS limits and MEDs? Likewise, why is it that a bolt-action is limited to 500fps or roughly 2.3j, where a SAW can run ~1.9j and still be legal for use? In terms of range, there is very little difference for a well-tuned replica of each kind. There is hardly a balance of power here. There is no reason to outlaw 501-550fps replicas, even for legal reasons. If presented properly, then most insurers will be relatively open-minded about this. How do I know? I've spoken to one that works with a field west of Atlanta.

Furthermore, it doesn't seem like you have a consistent impact energy to determine MEDs. Most knowledgeable sites suggest a 1j (328fps/.2g) impact energy as being acceptable, and if presented as such, should be NO PROBLEM to have that legally cleared for insurance purposes. For giggles, I've constructed a quick model, using the ATP's calculator for BB physics and energy(found here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ). AEG/SAW ranges are calculated using a .25g BB, DMR/Bolt Action ranges are calculated using a .36g BB.

AEG (Sub-300) -0 (5ft for those that wish to play CQB)
AEG (301-350) -10
AEG (351-400) -25
SAW (401-450) -35
DMR (451-500) -65
Bolt (501-550) -90

...YES, these are all modeled off of a 1j impact energy, any BB from any one of these guns would have the SAME EFFECT at their given MEDs. No one replica or class of replicas would hurt any more or less than any other. For those that would like a little bit of lee-way, how about:
<300 -10
301-350 -15
351-400 -30
401-450 -45
451-500 -75
501-550 -100

This guarantees UNDER 1j of impact energy, and should be relatively easy to process since the numbers are a bit more 'round.' If you're concerned about young, immature players coming out to play 'sniper' with poor range estimation skills or the tendency to snap-shoot at anything that surprises him/her, then you could require that anyone shooting over, say, 400fps must be vouched for by an OP host, an Admin, or a recognized or otherwise respectable member of the forum.


Eye Protection
Mouth Protection
Smoke
Radios
Paintball Guns



This is not meant as an attack, just as a question as to why your rules are set the way they are, and a suggestion of my own.

On the other hand, I totally intend to attack.

1. In defense of Hierarchical claims.
Your signature says it all: Founder / President, Council Representative for ODA 202 and A³, XO, Colonel, Commanding Officer, Team Leader.
Everything in that one statement SCREAMS, “I am a person of importance, and you must listen to me.”

Oh, and ranks, titles, uniforms?
“After putting it to a Command Staff vote, Brown berets are now approved for all GFT members for formal formation wear.
Green berets are still approved for all ODA members.”

Formation? Really?

No, there are no hierarchies. You’re right.

2. In defense of Savoy & Dino.
“Savoy, why, oh WHY do you always have to have diarrhea of the mouth?! Why is it that you have to go and start [fecal matter] where there is none?! Maybe I'm just dense as hell, but I don't get it.”

While I have no idea what is going on there, but there is clearly bad blood. So bad, in fact, that you must immediately and vehemently attack Savoy6. Now, it may be just me, but that just gave them more weight to their argument than you did by your own actions.

Doesn’t this break your own rules, say, mutual respect (I’ll even go so far as to say, just the appearance of) or bringing players together?

So much for higher standards of integrity, sportsmanship. Oh and you make a fine standard bearer, team leader.

Other things:
“There is no overall head man, would not work with one.”
Why, then, an established set of fiefdoms replete with titles, and formations? To whom must everyone pass in review?

“Council Teams maintain a rep that is responsible for checking the site, Facebook Page, or contacting each other via email. Most drop and out without an account.”
Sounds to me that you-all say that it is democratic, but that most don’t meet your criteria to vote, for one reason or another.

Board Statement:
A. Kingdoms. How magnanimous of you to let us have our little kingdom. We few, inferior, petty players don’t bother with high minded things like integrity or sportsmanship. Perhaps we need a Herald, or what did you guys call it? Oh yeah, a standard bearer.

B. It only offends if you’re guilty. Right. Yep, you betcha. I’m not at all offended at being called provincial, petty, or intolerant.

C. And finally:
“They can reach out to a dozen other communities, but it will be in vain until they can get their house in order, and if that never comes, then they will put themselves into a corner. But it will be done by their own actions and not by us. We will have driven on to high ground.”

I believe that is exactly what Savoy6 and Dino were trying to say.

-----
Once again, I may have this all wrong, but it sure does quack like a duck.

Lunchbox
Concerning FPS, the Host/field owner has the say ultimately based on what their insurance is allowed. The FPS set is a guide, 500 FPS is a standard set by most (most) NSERA insured fields. You are correct on the Joules, but some new to the hobby have yet to understand that just yet. Most games run under slightly modded rules, safety is the guiding principle. I remember when TASO (Texas Airsoft) would swing the axe on events that didn't conform, but allowed LionClaws games with modded rules. TASO now understand (in accordance with their charter) that the host/field owner can mod a ruleset.
One could put it up to the council for change to the base set.

Che Chuy, whatever bad blood is going on, that is between Reaper and other parties concerned, and is in no way related to the teams, field owners, vendors, and players of TCA. I have a policy about getting between a dog and a fire hydrant. Sounds to me that they need to go behind the woodshed or pull up bar.

Do not confused Third Coast Teams with ODAs and GFTs(1st SFAOC). ODAs/GFTs are members of 1st SFAOC, with some of their teams being members of TCA. Each ODA and GFT have Council Reps. Ranks are honorific titles unless that individual is retired military or law enforcement. 1st SFAOC is a completely separate organization with regional teams that have dual membership with TCA. TCA teams have free reign to organize themselves internally as they see fit. See SE-TAC.com for an example.

Team Leaders of organized teams are held responsible to control the actions of their members on the field, unless they ask for help. This keeps the drama down (unfortunately does not eliminate it entirely). Show me a community that doesn't have issues from time to time. Teams and players that aren't members are invited to events unless they are on a nationally shared banned list (example Lionclaws persona non grata, or state organizations like TASO or NMASO, or Alabama saying no to this player for XXX reason). Even then it is still up to the host/field owner.

Guilty? The smaller groups that at the time dropped out of TCA were conducting operations on renegade fields, punching players/getting physical during a match, using pyro without permission, shooting over 600 FPS, and nearly ran over a player with a vehicle on a field after the field owner had said no to it. Those organizations said no to TCA because they can never (or want to) conform to safe, organized events. You wouldn't want them either.

Che Chuy, please contact me via landline, I'll send you my number. We need to talk.

No issues with questions guys.

Sal

Thank you, but no. I will concede the field.

Well, could you take a few minutes and explain exactly what it is you're after?
TFAT's membership in TCA?
Using TCA rules at our field?
Having us use your forum instead of our own?
Having our events 'sanctioned' by TCA?
What about this 'council?'

I have YET to see a link to the REAL A3/TCA forum that has 5k members, anyhow. Can you provide that?

Please, do tell.

After? Growing the sport by associating another great organized community so that other players move or plan to attend operations in Alabama, Florida, know there is a community there of like minded players.

TFAT is already considered a member, your ruleset is close and has safety as its core principle.

The charter of TCA only requires a representative from TFA to monitor the TCA forum and have the authority from TFAT to weigh in on decisions/votes/introduce policies, plus be able to update the greater community on unsafe players, bad vendors, and field owners so that the greater airsoft community doesn't have to relearn mistakes.

Events do not get sanctioned by TCA, members that host events meet the minimum requirements:
At all TCA skirmishes/events (hosted by aligned TCA Teams and players), the following must be done:

1) The skirmish/event must be played on an official location, (for large operations, an insured field), with permission in writing from the owner (if private property), and local law enforcement that has immediate jurisdiction must be notified prior to day of event (if private property).

2) Waivers must be onsite and signed by all participants, including observers that plan to take photographs or video. Those waivers are only good for that event and must be kept on file after the event for a period of 1 year from the date of the event or whatever is required by the owners insurance policy. Link to a generic waiver for example can be found at TCA Events thread.

3) Chrono must be onsite, and be used to verify all weapons on the field

TFAT FPS ROE is an insurable standard by NSERA, which is good to go. SAFETY is the common language.

Council wise, as stated before, requires someone that can speak for TFAT, how you guys determine that is on you. The forum board only requires one rep per team, vendor, field owner. With alot of our members being cross enrolled in at least 3-6 other web forums and regions. TCA does not claim A3 members, we do have A3 members as members of TCA. I'm on 8 different boards myself.

Plus, we need to have writers doing articles with photos about every region! The magazine showcases our members, which is a 5 state region. In a military way of thinking, TCA is the psyops for YOU. The first two issues alone nearly crashed our hosting server with over 4K downloads off the forum and another 15K on facebook. At the next 3 events (2 in Texas and 1 in Florida) vendors came out and donated much of the door prizes, because they realized that there were large organized communities. The magazine is free, with nothing made on the advertising or downloads in order to maximize exposure of this great hobby.

The Texas Chapter teams have raised money for scholarships, toys for tots, and food for local food banks. Which in turn gained them good press and opportunites like supporting military units with OPFOR and the use of MOUT sites. It would not have been possible so quickly otherwise without the exposure of the magazine.

Sal

Lunchbox,

This discussion is about TCA and not A3. That aside, there is no forum or website that shows 5k+ A3 members. The membership numbers quoted are solely based upon the number of membership applications filed and accepted with the American Airsoft Association since November 2006. While there was a push to use the old probords forum that you can still see, it never really took off. It does not reflect, at all, the real scope and size of it's membership. Membership is completely free and the only requirements are to abide by the American Airsoft Association's Code of Conduct , be 18 years or older, or not younger than 16 years old and have Parental Consent.

When I posted this under friends of TFAA, it was meant for people to check out your forum and let the players to decide for themselves if they want to join your forum on individually and not by a GROUP, like any other Group that is within Friends of TFAA, that all this was meant to be nothing more. So Why did I even start this makes me wonder if I SHOULD JUST LOCKED IT. People will Decide for themselves what they are willing to do and when? If eveybody been playing airsoft long enough they will go to the fields they like, do the game play they like. Attacking another member on these forums for telling what he knows is just PLAIN WRONG and I DO NOT AGREE WITH THAT PERIOD. ( any come back to what I just Said, is Just Retarded on that persons Judgement)

Not trying to necro this...but it's vehemently clear to me that TFAT (TFAA) is made up of a bunch of browncoats. Always has...probably always will. That doesn't me we can co-exist with other...hell we need each other as targets on the field. I'd never say now to being affiliated with an organization that was held by the highest level of scrutiny, but affiliated and joining are two different things. We enjoy a wonderful liberty at wilcox and the surrounding area. We in many ways don't/haven't experienced the asshat(ery) that is violence on the field, nor have we had to punt players (happen to me twice while serving as an admin in Missouri). We might disagree, but that makes us mighty. I am a firm believer in leading from the front, no matter how dumb of an idea it may seem. So if the TCA is around and would like for us to join...come do a demonstration or something of how your field regs, rules, etc will benefit. Otherwise, please understand that we are fortunate enough to operate our gaming days with the best players, admin, and landowners in the hobby.

Cheers!