WilliamShatner.com :: THE CAVALRY PREVAILS, BUT CHARITY THE WINNER

THE CAVALRY PREVAILS, BUT CHARITY THE WINNER
Posted by: Jane.Singer on Tuesday, September 09, 2003 - 10:54 AM

	<font size="2"> On Labor Day weekend, over 700 paintball enthusiasts took part in SPPLAT Attack II at EMR Paintball Park in picturesque New Milford, Pennsylvania. This year’s event pitted the Cavalry (commanded by William Shatner) and the Posse (led by Eric "Mancow" Muller) against the Cyborgs (commanded by Tom Kaye) and the Raiders (led by Glenn Palmer). In the end, the Cavalry/Posse prevailed, but the real winners were the Hollywood Charity Horse Show children’s charities that the event benefited. </font>
<font size="2"><p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="left">Above, Tom Kaye presents Bill with a package of Depends, some Ensure and a bottle of Centrum vitamins just prior to the start of the game. Bill takes the ribbing about his age all in stride. Having successfully commanded the Federation team to victory in last year’s SPPLAT Attack, he knows what to expect this year, and he’s ready to do battle. <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">This year, the game ran from 10am to 6pm on Sunday, August 31, 2003.  It had a western theme, the scenario courtesy of Patrick and Diane McKinnon. As in the past, each team had the opportunity to gain points by conquering territory, completing missions and controlling property which, in this case, took the form of inflatable livestock! <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">At the start of the game, Bill, his lovely wife Elizabeth (a terrific marksman), and a small group of players traveled deep into the woods to try to head off the opposing team. Bill is the one gesturing in the middle of the photo above. After a long and treacherous walk though the forest, the group engaged the enemy. Paintballs were flying everywhere! <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">Fierce fighting took place hour after hour throughout the day. Territory was both gained and lost. Below is a map of the event site. The Cavalry/Posse’s base was located in Fort Huachuca near the right middle of the map. The Cyborg/Raiders’ base was located near the bottom left of the map in Dos Caberas. <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">Early afternoon had Bill being betrayed by one of his own. Tom Kaye coerced "Batman" to bring Bill to his encampment in exchange for a coveted new paintball marker. Batman took Bill hostage (see below…he’s in the middle with his hands in the air) and led him to the enemy camp. What Tom Kaye didn’t realize was that Batman double-crossed him and let Bill in on the arrangement. <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">But Bill pulled one over on all of them by faking a heart attack, and taking Tom Kaye out of commission by clapping him on the shoulder with a broken paintball. We understand that Bill was quite convincing (nearly scaring his XO Patrick "Pacman" McKinnon to death in the process)…and it’s all captured on film! This year, Outdoor Life Network film crews were on hand to record the action. The footage was shot for a paintball documentary that will air sometime in October. <p align="center"> <p align="center">JJ Brookshire and his wife, Toni, oversaw the event again this year and did a marvelous job. Yes, that’s paint splatter on JJ’s shirt. He was assisting a grandmother out on the field when he got hit! <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">Late in the afternoon, the teams regrouped for the final battle, the scores so closely matched that the victor would decide the game. Below, the Cavalry/Posse charge… <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">The fighting was fierce in and around the buildings. Bill took cover behind a tree and actually managed to stay in the game for quite awhile before being taken out by flying paint from the opposing team. <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">He left the field hand in hand with Elizabeth a little before 6:00pm. Note the paint on their masks, especially Elizabeth’s. She took a head shot! <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">Below, Mancow walks off the field at the end of the day surrounded by members of the Cyborg/Raiders. <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">After the game was over, JJ Brookshire took to the stage along with the team commanders. They gave away prizes donated by the vendors and auctioned off several items for charity. Below, Tom Kaye, "Batman" and William Shatner auction off the paintball marker that Batman received from Tom for turning traitor. <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">Some of the money raised during the weekend was donated to Kayleigh, the 7-year-old daughter of Linda and Kevin Wilkes who is battling cancer. <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">Above, Kayleigh is pictured with her dad. If you would like to make a donation to Kayleigh’s fund, their PayPal account is under Kwilkes@princeton.edu. <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">Even Bill joined the cause, both he and Elizabeth agreed to personally apply a temporary tattoo on the "person" of the highest bidder. Mancow got it for $650. If you haven’t heard just where he wanted it applied, use your imagination and you won’t be far from the truth! <p align="center">And for the Star Trek fans who participated in the event, there was a special surprise. The Starship Enterprise made an appearance. Isn’t she gorgeous! <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center">Finally, the score was announced. In a hard fought battle, it was the Cavalry/Posse with 1666 versus the Cyborg/Raiders at 1195. Both teams promised a rematch on Labor Day next year. <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="center"> <p align="left">Planning is in the early stages for SPPLAT Attack III. While EMR Paintball Park was a marvelous venue for this year’s event, SPPLAT Attack will be traveling around for a few more years.  Rumor has it that next year it will be held in the Chicago area, but we’ll let you know for sure as soon as we hear.  <p align="center"> <p align="right">Contributed by Jane Singer and Sandy Moruzzi </font> _________________________________________________________________________ <font size="2"> <p align="right">Shatner & Friends International is William Shatner'sofficial fan club.  We are a community of friends drawn together by an appreciation of William Shatner, the actor and the man. <p align="right">Our first newsletter, The Best of Times, is posted online.  Each issue features the latest news about Bill and his activities, exclusive interviews, articles,lots of candid photos, charity updates and much more.  The next one will be published in late September, early October of 2003. We will post time  sensitive information concerning Bill's appearance  schedule within Bill's online calendar. It's updated regularly, so keep checking back. <p align="right"> <p align="left"> </font><font size="2"> If you're interested in joining the Club, annual membership includes  a beautiful autographed 8x10 photograph of William Shatner as Captain Kirk, a copy of Bill's credits, a short biography, a subscription to The Best of Times and the opportunity to participate in our annual Shatner Weekend. Membership also grants access to the Captain's Club, an exclusive members-only part of WilliamShatner.com which includes a bulletin board and Club merchandise. Click </font><font size="2">here</font><font size="2"> to join. We are excited to be part of WilliamShatner.com and we will continue to make regular updates to the website </font>