If you ever played in an early ten-man
tournament you’ve probably seen Phyllis
Long, Bob Long’s wife, hanging around
the scoreboard. She was instrumental to
the Ironmen’s early success, even before
the NPPL existed.
In the UK Lesley Hickson (Shelley Farmer’s
mum) was one of the early top-level
female players as a member of Bart’s
Stud Squad, She was also the NPPL’s
scorekeeper for a time. Also in the UK,
Julie Dyke was quite an influencer playing
for Swamp Terrorists, Cobra, Crimson
Pirates, RPS Vipers, JT Dogs and the
Sandbaggers, as well as owning a field for
five years (Paintball Park, Kidderminste).
Clare Baker played with Bad Company
(UK) and was a prominent female figure
in tournament paintball in the 1980s. Joy
Spittle (Dave Spittle’s mum) played for
the UK Predators, one of the best teams
in paintball history. Jackie Sosta has also
been a longtime fixture in the European
paintball community.
Leslie Hickson and Phyllis Long
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paintball.media magazine