And Then There Was The Noise
Hands down , the spectator section brought us one of the most perfervid stories of the season in the form of a cheerleader by the name of Chanel Rafie .
Rafie , an attorney in Dallas , TX , came to World Cup in support of her longterm boyfriend and partner , Paul Mart , who plays for the practice squad of Shut Up We ’ re Trying . By association , Rafie has become a hardcore supporter of SUWT as well as the other squads out their homefield , Paintball Fit .
Although she has tried paintball as a player herself , a torn calf muscle at her first tournament led Rafie to find another way to support her team .
“ I basically became the team mom and cheerleader ,” Rafie said . And cheer she did . When the boys committed to attending the World Cup , Rafie determined to go beyond providing sandwiches , fruit , and hydration , and teamed up with her mom to make dozens of signs and unique cheers in support of her squad . Naturally , that meant calling out their rivals in Indiana , Blastcamp .
The rukous started at the divisional fields during prelims . Rafie said that early on , it seemed that everyone at the field understood that her cheers were intended to be lighthearted and fun . She said that even her soon-to-be nemesis , Virgil Frey of Blast Camp , seemed to get into it .
“ Virgil approached me on one of the smaller fields on Friday ,” Rafie said . “ He came up to me and commented on one of my signs , and he walked away with a smile on his face . So I assumed that he got that it was a joke .”
Photo By Weronika Wrona Krzemińska - Połeć
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