The first Canadian professional women’s paintball team has formed and is about to take on the competition across the border.
With less than a month to go before Team Canada makes its National Xball League debut, the Northern Lights have some big plans to try and become one of North America’s top teams.
“Two years ago they started a women’s league down in the states, and then we were approached to create the first all-female Canadian women’s team,” said Northern Lights captain and co-owner Erin Scott.
They have gone coast to coast recruiting talent for their eight-member squad.
“We have a mom from Nova Scotia. She’s flown all the way from Nova Scotia to try out,” said Scott.
“We have another girl from Ottawa who has been playing just as long as I have.”
With dozens of men’s and women’s pro teams in the U.S. and Europe, competition can get very intense, especially with prize money on the line.
“You are getting shot at like 300 (times) a minute, so you’re definitely getting some bruises, maybe some bloody lips,” said Scott.
Everyone on the team had the same start in paintball, blasting around the woods at a birthday party or another event.
Now the group is set to show the Americans that the Northern Lights will be a new force to contend with for years to come.
“It looks like their team is going to be pretty solid. It’s exciting, the whole community is excited,” said Scott.
“The fact that we’re going down there as a women’s team, playing women’s teams is something very exciting for us.”
She says the long-term goal is to have a camp on each coast in order to practice together, so they have two solid lines when they go to competition.
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