“ In the finals game , we went up a few points early on , and it felt like we were going to win for sure ,” said Baird . “ The Cheetahs had a small comeback , but I was confident that we could pull it out .”
She said , watching the clock , she knew they had it on lock when they were up 3-2 .
As time seemed to be slipping away from the Cheetahs , they made a crucial error and only sent four players to the start box to run the point that would decide the fate of the tournament for them .
“ I knew we wouldn ’ t let them come back again ,” Baird said . “ The final point , we set up a defensive play and wanted to run out the clock . None of us had any idea that they didn ’ t start the point with five players on the box .”
As for the series this season , in a shock to many , it was the Chesapeake Cheetah ’ s , a team that took second place at all three
Photo By Cheryl Ellis events , who finally had their chance to stand atop the podium taking home the series title .
The international representation was strong in the Women ’ s Pro Division with four teams making the journey to the World Cup . Comprising 25 % of the field of 12 teams , the multinational squads included Drakaina of Norway , Karma of Spain , the Suricatos of Columbia , and Belgium ’ s own Belladonna who won the Euro-Series back in September and made it into the quarterfinals at Cup .
Still , the Women ’ s Pro Division is clearly experiencing some growing pains . Having already seen the mid-season demise of the Sacramento Diamonds this year , rumors were flying around World Cup that Destiny , a team which has consistently held a topthree position , would be exiting the league in the 2024 season . After the event , it seems that these rumors are being confirmed as Destiny players are listing themselves as free agents . www . paintball . media
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