Perhaps an unintended side effect of all of this movement at the top has been growth happening in the WNXL Amatuer women ’ s division .
Four teams were entered into the WNXL Amature Division for XBall competition , which is the best turnout that the ladies have seen to date . There was a new team out of Sherwood Paintball in Indiana , the Midwest Warmaidens , who have been working since the spring on fielding a squad , and showed up to Cup with a bang , taking second place .
The rest of the field consisted of some very familiar faces . The now defunct Sacramento Diamonds squad made up two of the other teams . The San Fransisco Sirens line , who took home gold out of the Amatuer division , were the very same players who made up the starting line for the Diamonds up until the teams dissoultion . And Sacramento Storm was composed of the ex-Diamonds practice squad . Rounding out the division was the Suricatos , most of whom reportedly played in the Pro Division , as well .
On the whole , the WNXL has made some significant strides in the right direction . Continuously meeting their challenges with a positive mindset has aided in what seems to be a solid trickle-down effect and the growth of women ’ s participation across the sport at-large .
And one thing is for certain , what the 2024 season has in store for the WNXL will be interesting and some captivating drama , both on- and off-field , lies ahead .
Photo By Cheryl Ellis
080 paintball . media magazine