Der Paintballstar hat ein Interview mit Bea Youngs geführt. Das Interview kann man entweder beim PBStar selber oder auch hier nachlesen:
Bea Youngs, one of the most famous women in paintball tells us about how she got involved in paintball and gives us the inside scoop on practicing with her team. She also tells us why so many people think she's stalking Chicago Aftershock, and that she'd own Keely Watson in a one on one ninja battle to the death.
How long have you played and how did you get started?
I've been playing now for 5 years. Started in August of 2000 when Tami Adamson (Owner of Femmes Fatale) asked me to play with her on an all-female paintball team that she was trying to put together. There have only been one other organized female team that I know of that played on airball competition fields before we did it as the Femmes Fatale. That was the Iron Maidens.
What team do you play for now and what equipment do you use?
LTZ Destiny. I shot ZAP paint since I played with the Bushwackers with Mike (Paxson). My apparel and pack comes from Circle Paintball. I currently shoot a hocktech DM5, use a Halo, thanks to Tank at Tank's Paintball in Houston, Texas.
As a woman, when you step on the field do you feel looked down upon by some of the other players?
It's all about perception, and initially, when I first started playing, I never noticed other players looking "down" on me. In my rookie days, I always asked other teams afterwards for constructive criticism. Now that I have a "coach" (Paxson), I ask him for that constructive criticism. Lately, when I step on the field, I feel like I have to work harder for that respect, play better than my best, and alot of that feeling is my own perception. My biggest problem is caring too much about what people think about me. There have been several forums that trashed talked about me, so that adds to the "feeling" of being "looked down upon". But, it's something I have to get over and come to the realization that I can't make everyone like me. The worst part about the trashtalking is that those same people have the chance to come up to me and talk to me about it, but instead, they choose to be cowards and smacktalk behind my back. I'm very approachable, I'll talk to anyone.
When will we see a female player on a pro team?
I actually played pro for about 6 months with the wackers, but only played one tournament with them at the London Millennium Series where we took 5th place. I didn't see alot of playing time, though, and that frustrated me to no end. I'd rather play as a novice player and play every game than sit and wait for my turn to play on a pro team. So, when Mike (Paxson) left the 'wackers to go and play with Shock, I left, too. It wasn't too much later than that when Destiny was formed. As far as when, maybe in two-three years, I wouldn't doubt it. I would love to see that happen. There was one female that did play pro back in 2003, I believe, but it was a situation where she didn't see alot of playing time, either. Now, she's not even playing anymore. Not sure what happened to her.
Who would win in a cat fight, you or Keely?
I hate to fight, really. I love Keely, too. How can you ask me this question?! But, for kicks and giggles, I'd have to say… ME. Why? I hate to lose and will fight until I can't stand up anymore. I've got Asian blood in me, too, and was born knowing how to Karate chop (Seriously, I did train a couple of years in Tae Kwon Do). I have boxed in a real boxing ring before, too, but we won't talk about that. Those were during my college years. If you ever come over to my house, I'll show you the video tape of my boxing experience and I have the trophy to prove it.
Who do you think is the best female player in paintball?
Right now? Man, the last two times I have said this, they both got big heads (and you know who you are)… I'd have to say… Emma Carey. She is not just a good female paintball player, but one of the smartest players I know. She owns and coaches MR Paintball, Division II X-Ball team, and co-owns MR Paintball in Calgary, Canada. The man who taught her everything she knows? Mike Carey (Used to play with Bob Long and now is with Shock).
When you're not playing you can almost always be seen helping out Chicago Aftershock. What's your role with them?
Sideline Coach. I basically call out positions, keep track of the dead count, and work the guys down the snake side. I play X-Ball with MR Paintball in the PSP and wish I had a clone of me on the sidelines. I'm serious. People think that I sound annoying, I'm sure, I annoy myself, but truly, repeating it is necessary because if you've played X-Ball, you need that constant coaching in order to compete with the other sideline spectators "coaching" the opposing team.
What are your plans for the 06 season?
Moving LTZ Destiny up to Division I to compete in the Super 7. Working for ZAP Paintball again, Pb2X again, PaintballSchool.com again, but I want to work on being home in Florida more often. My dad's was diagnosed recently with Parkinson's and I want to spend more quality time with him, my mother, my brother, and his family, too. Don't want to be too busy working and miss the time I have with the family I love so much. I want to also work on covering more events and getting to know the pro teams more. Eventually, I want to be a commentator on tv for one of the leagues, either Super 7 or NXL/PSP. I enjoy that and love promoting the sport.
When you were little did you play with cap guns instead of cabbage patch kids?
I did play with cap guns, but I also had a cabbage patch kid. My brother (who's two years younger than me) and I were always competitive. We both fought like boxers, too, and almost put each other in the hospital. Well, actually, my brother did put me in the hospital. I was like 5.
What is a typical practice is like for you? Do you play shirts and skins with your team like we used to in
gym class??
Get there by about 830AM to start playing by 930-10AM. We run drills, 3-on-3's, and then progress to 5-man, and then 7-man. We try to scrimmage against teams that are ranked in the same division as us, or play pros. We've scrimmaged against the Ironmen, Dynasty, a mixture of Shock, Oakland Assassins, Legacy, most of the SoCal pro teams that will give us the time of day. When we start running out of paint, we'll do drills, like snap-shooting drills where we set up different sections on the field with snap-shooting targets. Then, we'll play 1-on-1's. Mike loves to play HORSE with the team to make it fun. H.O.R.S.E. like you do in basketball. The object is to shoot a target either left or right-handed, one shot per pull, and if you miss, you get an "H", etc.
If you could have a custom product made and named after you, what would you have made?
There was the Smart Parts Evolution, thanks to Graham Easton who made that happen. It was a black to yellow fade Evolution. But, if I could have another custom product made, it'd be another marker, but custom made by Paxson's brilliance.
Mohalk or afro?
Afro
For the next few questions finish the sentences:
This interview is:
enlightening.
Star Jones is full of:
opinions.
paintballstar rocks because:
it informs the people that matter.
How are the airline peanuts these days?
still tasty.
If there was a movie to describe you what would it be, personally I
think mine would be girls gone wild.
"Life or Something Like It"