The first time Erin Scott played paintball she took a licking.

Twenty years old and running through the woods in Maple Ridge with her younger foster sister, Scott got a good taste of the feeling of paintballs striking skin.

B次元官网网址淲e got absolutely stomped on. But for some reason, she and I looked at each other and we were just like, B次元官网网址楾his is awesome!B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

There was something about the adrenaline and the anonymity of wearing a mask that gave both the typically-shy women an exhilarating boost of confidence.

B次元官网网址淚t hooked us in.B次元官网网址�

Thirteen years later, the Mission resident is a set designer and the captain of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 first all-womenB次元官网网址檚 pro paintball team, the Northern Lights.

The new team is made up of seven other players B次元官网网址� four of them also from B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Fraser Valley, one from Nova Scotia, one from Ottawa and one from Manitoba B次元官网网址� all dead set on growing the sport.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 changed my life,B次元官网网址� Hannah Urquhart, a 28-year-old Chilliwack high school teacher says.

She was introduced to the game just a couple years ago by her fiance. They showed up to the field with his old gear and struggled to make the equipment work before they even started playing.

B次元官网网址淚t was intimidating. I felt really silly,B次元官网网址� Urquhart says. She told her partner she didnB次元官网网址檛 think she wanted to go back.

At that point in her life, Urquhart was the kind of person who liked to play it safe. She was good at school and good at her job and, for the most part, that felt like enough.

B次元官网网址淚 was really shy and didnB次元官网网址檛 have a lot of confidence. I didnB次元官网网址檛 really feel great taking chances B次元官网网址� not just playing paintball, but in other areas of my life. I was a bit of a people pleaser, a perfectionist.B次元官网网址�

But something inside her made her return to the paintball field once more, and she scored. SheB次元官网网址檚 been there most weekends since.

B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 get super fantastic right away, thatB次元官网网址檚 definitely not how it was. But the way I would feel when I played changed quite a lot.B次元官网网址�

Grinding away at something truly challenging and seeing progress was immensely rewarding to Urquhart in a way sheB次元官网网址檇 rarely experienced before. The paintball community was different from what she was used to, too. Instead of just being polite and telling her what she wanted to hear, UrquhartB次元官网网址檚 fellow players were honest and direct with their criticisms B次元官网网址� unrelenting in their push to see her improve.

B次元官网网址淚t changed the way I saw myself.B次元官网网址�

Like Scott, Urquhart started to feel a kind of confidence she hadnB次元官网网址檛 known existed.

Part of it was how hard they had to work to prove themselves. Most times the only women on a team and often times the only women on a field, Scott and Urquhart say there were games when they were treated as second-rate players or men would get upset for getting shot out by them.

Amanda Renardy, another Northern Lights player from Chilliwack, says she distinctly remembers a day in 2019 when she was practising and was approached by a group of regulars offering up some tips.

B次元官网网址淚 think that was the first time I felt really acknowledged that I was there to be a player and wasnB次元官网网址檛 just someoneB次元官网网址檚 girlfriend,B次元官网网址� the 27-year-old disability management worker says.

All three agree the lack of women in the sport is primarily an issue of representation.

B次元官网网址淲e are often conditioned to believe that weB次元官网网址檙e not as capable as men, that weB次元官网网址檙e not as aggressive as men, that paintball isnB次元官网网址檛 a game for women,B次元官网网址� Urquhart says.

But the game doesnB次元官网网址檛 favour one body type over another, it rewards mental strength.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 about how you approach each point and how you process change,B次元官网网址� Renardy says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 essentially a very fast-paced chess game. ItB次元官网网址檚 a lot of read-and-react. Every second counts and you canB次元官网网址檛 let other people get in your head.B次元官网网址�

Renardy says it doesnB次元官网网址檛 make a big difference to her if sheB次元官网网址檚 playing with men or women, only that she wants to see the sport grow. If young girls seeing Renardy on the field instead of in the sidelines makes that happen, then thatB次元官网网址檚 a win in RenardyB次元官网网址檚 eyes.

B次元官网网址淚 think people need to be brave enough to suck at something new. Paintball comes with a lot of life skills that people should try and explore.B次元官网网址�

Scott and Urquhart are also hopeful the Northern Lights team makes more people consider joining the game.

B次元官网网址淚 hope we show the little girls at my local paintball field that if you just play and take chances, you could end up doing things you didnB次元官网网址檛 expect were possible,B次元官网网址� Urquhart says.

The team will be heading to the world cup in November.

jane.skrypnek@blackpress.ca
Like us on and follow us on .