This post is based off the input of multiple people, and is a group effort with multiple writers.
Some members and I were sitting around talking about the state of paintball after an awesome day at the Norcal Socal event. We covered markers, cheating, sponsorship, patents, and the overall general fare that occupies the late night musings of AOers. This also got talked about in the AO chat room as well.
Oh yeah, and we played Scrabble.
Anyhoo, one topic that stood out in our conversation was the role of women in paintball. More specifically, in the tourney scene.
Those in the discussion decided that we would love to see an all female team that plays a respectable game, and root for them. It's an inspiring thing to see women do well in anything that is traditionally dominated by men.
But we cannot think of one female team that fits this description, and this is disappointing. We can only think of a couple of female players that had this kind of character, and they don't play anymore. They were REAL paintball players. Maybe some of you can add some more examples of those we are overlooking, if any.
We tried to pin down why this is, when there are a few female teams out there. The first thing we talked about is how they play.
Appearance is everything. They look convincing on the break, good enough for those important photo opportunities. We suspect that they practice the break a lot for these convenient group photos. But what the still camera does not capture is the lack of hustle, the lack of heart, the lack of exertion. Even mediocre male teams get out there, and hustle. Maybe this has something to do with why these women teams get rolled so much. The female players give little indication that they are trying to win by the way they play.
And then they get to their first bunker. And then what? The game falls apart, and it appears that they are clueless and never pull it back together. It closely resembles a rookie team that has some idea of what they are supposed to be doing it, but they can not execute.
You can't see an underlying strategy or game plan, unless you call hiding behind your 20 a game plan. They move here and there, but then what? You don't see them working together, working their way up the field, or any sense of coordination whatsoever.
This is not a big deal. There is nothing wrong if a team is in a learning stage, or tries to better themselves. But these teams have every resource that they need to get better, and play a respectable game. Why do they keep getting rolled by mediocre male teams that are paying their own way? Not just beat. Rolled. Rolled like a pair of dice at Caesar's Palace.
But they talk the talk, they talk the "paintball language.' Female machismo. They can't actually deliver the goods, and this doesn't mean winning the event but at least putting up an effort. They are good at acting the part of a "paintball player." They get interviews that are are scripted. Paintball is more of a side note, and the interview is more like a gentleman's periodical interview. They talk about how they learned everything they know from some pro, or how much they practice. They talk about how "aggressive" they are. Hahahaha! "Remember kids, be aggressive just like me! Do whatever you can to be closest to the camera! Hold on, my smores are almost done. Let me get them from my back bunker campfire."
They play for the wrong reasons, and some of them don't even pretend anymore.
Quit playing for the attention! One of their tricks is to complain about other female players who play for attention, but they are special. They are exceptional. This idea that they play for attention is not a new one, and a common retort from the females is that the "naysayers" are just jealous. Really. Of course they don't believe it, they are fooled by all the fanboys who tell them all about their "mad skillz," or whatever it takes to increase their minimal chances of getting a piece of hot poser action.
They say they are trying to represent the average girl in paintball, and make a presence in the sport. But all they are doing is trivializing the average female player, the real ones. They are not doing anything that helps female players get taken seriously, although they pretend to. Is it their expected responsibility? Absolutely not, but it's what they say they are trying to do. These girls have no female paintball role models, unless you call a role model someone who:
Gets wasted every night partying in their hotel rooms, clubs, limos, or bars, instead of attending the player get-togethers or meeting the fans.
Act the part of mini-celebrity and treat you like you are nothing if you can't do something for them.
Let's herself be a "token" player and/or an object
Is more concerned with being able to get flown around by sponsors and party than the game itself.
Has no real job.
Has no education.
and....
Has no game.
It would be thrilling for paintball if this were not the case, and we saw vicious female teams like you find in soccer, softball, basketball, and every other sport. They play for the glory of the game.
Some members and I were sitting around talking about the state of paintball after an awesome day at the Norcal Socal event. We covered markers, cheating, sponsorship, patents, and the overall general fare that occupies the late night musings of AOers. This also got talked about in the AO chat room as well.
Oh yeah, and we played Scrabble.
Anyhoo, one topic that stood out in our conversation was the role of women in paintball. More specifically, in the tourney scene.
Those in the discussion decided that we would love to see an all female team that plays a respectable game, and root for them. It's an inspiring thing to see women do well in anything that is traditionally dominated by men.
But we cannot think of one female team that fits this description, and this is disappointing. We can only think of a couple of female players that had this kind of character, and they don't play anymore. They were REAL paintball players. Maybe some of you can add some more examples of those we are overlooking, if any.
We tried to pin down why this is, when there are a few female teams out there. The first thing we talked about is how they play.
Appearance is everything. They look convincing on the break, good enough for those important photo opportunities. We suspect that they practice the break a lot for these convenient group photos. But what the still camera does not capture is the lack of hustle, the lack of heart, the lack of exertion. Even mediocre male teams get out there, and hustle. Maybe this has something to do with why these women teams get rolled so much. The female players give little indication that they are trying to win by the way they play.
And then they get to their first bunker. And then what? The game falls apart, and it appears that they are clueless and never pull it back together. It closely resembles a rookie team that has some idea of what they are supposed to be doing it, but they can not execute.
You can't see an underlying strategy or game plan, unless you call hiding behind your 20 a game plan. They move here and there, but then what? You don't see them working together, working their way up the field, or any sense of coordination whatsoever.
This is not a big deal. There is nothing wrong if a team is in a learning stage, or tries to better themselves. But these teams have every resource that they need to get better, and play a respectable game. Why do they keep getting rolled by mediocre male teams that are paying their own way? Not just beat. Rolled. Rolled like a pair of dice at Caesar's Palace.
But they talk the talk, they talk the "paintball language.' Female machismo. They can't actually deliver the goods, and this doesn't mean winning the event but at least putting up an effort. They are good at acting the part of a "paintball player." They get interviews that are are scripted. Paintball is more of a side note, and the interview is more like a gentleman's periodical interview. They talk about how they learned everything they know from some pro, or how much they practice. They talk about how "aggressive" they are. Hahahaha! "Remember kids, be aggressive just like me! Do whatever you can to be closest to the camera! Hold on, my smores are almost done. Let me get them from my back bunker campfire."
They play for the wrong reasons, and some of them don't even pretend anymore.
Quit playing for the attention! One of their tricks is to complain about other female players who play for attention, but they are special. They are exceptional. This idea that they play for attention is not a new one, and a common retort from the females is that the "naysayers" are just jealous. Really. Of course they don't believe it, they are fooled by all the fanboys who tell them all about their "mad skillz," or whatever it takes to increase their minimal chances of getting a piece of hot poser action.
They say they are trying to represent the average girl in paintball, and make a presence in the sport. But all they are doing is trivializing the average female player, the real ones. They are not doing anything that helps female players get taken seriously, although they pretend to. Is it their expected responsibility? Absolutely not, but it's what they say they are trying to do. These girls have no female paintball role models, unless you call a role model someone who:
Gets wasted every night partying in their hotel rooms, clubs, limos, or bars, instead of attending the player get-togethers or meeting the fans.
Act the part of mini-celebrity and treat you like you are nothing if you can't do something for them.
Let's herself be a "token" player and/or an object
Is more concerned with being able to get flown around by sponsors and party than the game itself.
Has no real job.
Has no education.
and....
Has no game.
It would be thrilling for paintball if this were not the case, and we saw vicious female teams like you find in soccer, softball, basketball, and every other sport. They play for the glory of the game.
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