The Canary Islands are just off the northwestern coast of Africa in the Atlantic ocean. An autonomous region of Spain and the latest visitors to the CatShack. Hailing from Tenerife Island on this chain of extinct volcanoes. They welcome all the female teams of Canarias on their side of the globe.
Natalia “Lula” Gonzalez formed the first female paintball team in the Canary Islands after a meeting of high school alumni awakened her dream of having an all female team in the region. She was talking about her love for the game with other individuals when the interest started to grow with some of her female alumni. Lula has been playing the game since 2002. Ms. Gonzalez learned at Girona-Can Garriga during a clinic, how to help teams work out, run drills and prepare for events. On top of that she normally handles the rental players and keeps everyone at the field abreast of the latest happenings in paintball. Keeping players safe and having fun is how she helps to promote the sport in a positive manner.
Her first experience in paintball was running through the Eucalyptus trees with her brother in law for some one on one games. From there she bought more equipment to bring some friends along but she will never forget those first moments of stalking her brother in law in the thick of trees. Taking aim and eliminating a friend or family member is a memory many of us share with delight, just as she does with enthusiasm and joy. It was these early games that started the passion for the sport that she shares with others.
So spring forward to recent years and back to the alumni gathering where everyone was discussing their professions and Lula of hers, it seems she was getting question upon question for hours and answering them in the most positive way possible. It seems she lit a spark in some of those in attendance as not a week later while talking to Nayra about her dream it was decided it was time to make the all girl dream team become a reality. This was not something that came in a rush, her dream of starting this team was four years in the making. A long, arduous process that she kept alive in the back of her mind for quite some time. Taking the dream from it’s infancy to reality is a great accomplishment in her eyes.
Through the interactions with her friends she gathered seven ladies to play this sport that has taken the world by storm. Lula started the process of getting the team into a fined tuned shooting beast. She went over the rules and taught them the basics of playing. She instructed them on how to play their bunkers, running and gunning, and everything she could think of that she learned through years of play. She taught the team how to react without having to think first. With plane tickets in hand the newly formed group ventured to another island to play some paintball.
The team still gets the typical comments from all male teams in the area, you know the “oh look, girl’s “type of comments most female paintball players get. Unfortunately for those guys they usually face the business end of Canaria’s markers in short order. Nothing like speaking with your skills as opposed to just talking about how good you are.
This is simply not just a speedball team, oh no, these girls rock on the speedball fields and in the woods. They love to play paintball no matter where the game is happening. Being at home in the woods and on the speedball fields builds skills that can be transitioned to both aspects of the game.
Roster:
Lula
Nayra
Olivia
Maria
Angeles Valentina
Monkia
Maica
Sponsors:
Rockstar Energy Drink
Make sure to check out the team on Facebook and their website listed above.
Let’s get more women involved in the sport.
By Paul Forcier
