Femmes Fatale
Femmes Fatale is an American women's professional paintball team established in 1999 by Tami Adamson. One of the early all-female tournament teams in the United States, Femmes Fatale competed in major amateur tournaments during the 2000s and subsequently became an inaugural member of the Women's National Xball League (WNXL) in 2022.[1][2]
The team is associated with DYE Paintball and is based in Fort Myers, Florida.[1]
History
[edit]Formation and early competition
[edit]Femmes Fatale was established in 1999 by Tami Adamson, who identified an opportunity to develop an all-female tournament paintball team.
According to Adamson, the team's first tournament appearance was at the Mardi Gras Open.[1]
Among its early members was Bea Youngs, later known as Bea Paxson, who joined the team in 2000. Youngs subsequently became a prominent paintball player and industry representative.[2][3]
The team's early activities attracted attention beyond specialist paintball publications. During the 2001 Aruba Open, members participated in a photographic feature for Maxim magazine, as documented by contemporary WARPIG coverage.[4]
At the same tournament, Femmes Fatale finished second in the Amateur B division behind Aruba Madness II.[4]
DYE sponsorship and tournament victories
[edit]In 2002, Femmes Fatale established a sponsorship relationship with DYE Paintball. According to Tami Adamson, it became the first all-female paintball team to receive full team sponsorship from the manufacturer.[1]
The team competed in several formats, including three-player, five-player, seven-player and ten-player tournament paintball.
Femmes Fatale won the women's division at the 2003 Ultimate Madness tournament in Huntington, West Virginia.[5]
The team successfully defended its title at Ultimate Madness IV in April 2004, finishing ahead of Women of Worr, Southern Seduction and the Valkyries.
Contemporary WARPIG reporting described the team's experience and aggressive play during the final round-robin competition.[6]
Return to professional competition
[edit]Femmes Fatale became one of the inaugural professional teams in the Women's National Xball League, which began regular competition in 2022.
The organisation entered the new competition under the ownership and coaching of Todd and Tami Adamson, with players recruited from North, Central and South America and the United Kingdom.
DYE announced the renewal of its sponsorship relationship with Femmes Fatale for the 2022 season.[1]
The published 2022 roster included Tami Adamson, Tea Adamson, Monica Lopez, Daniela Rojas, Shelley Farmer and other international players.[1]
Femmes Fatale finished third at the 2022 WNXL World Cup and fourth in the overall season standings.[7]
The team continued competing in subsequent WNXL seasons.
2025 and 2026
[edit]In March 2025, Femmes Fatale won the WNXL professional division at the NXL Tampa Bay Open, defeating the New Jersey High Rollers 5–1 in the final.[8]
The team subsequently finished third at the 2025 NXL World Cup and second in the overall 2025 WNXL professional season standings.[9]
In the 2026 season, Femmes Fatale reached the final of the NXL Midwest Open, where it finished second to The Heroines following a 3–1 defeat.[10]
Selected tournament results
[edit]| Year | Tournament | Division | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Aruba Open | Amateur B | 2nd |
| 2003 | Ultimate Madness III | Women's 3-man | 1st |
| 2004 | Ultimate Madness IV | Women's 3-man | 1st |
| 2022 | NXL World Cup | WNXL | 3rd |
| 2025 | NXL Tampa Bay Open | WNXL Professional | 1st |
| 2025 | NXL World Cup | WNXL Professional | 3rd |
| 2026 | NXL Midwest Open | WNXL Professional | 2nd |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- DYE Paintball, "Femmes Fatale Join DYE", 2022. Official sponsorship announcement, team history and 2022 roster.
- Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Jason Genegabus, "She's one hot shot", 18 October 2005. Interview with Bea Youngs discussing her involvement with Femmes Fatale.
- Bea Paxson, personal biography. Account of her early paintball career and involvement with Femmes Fatale in 2000.
- WARPIG, "2001 Aruba Open", September 2001. Contemporary tournament coverage and Amateur B results.
- WARPIG, "Ultimate Madness III", 4–6 April 2003. Contemporary tournament report identifying Femmes Fatale as women's division champions.
- WARPIG, Joshua D. Silverman, "Ultimate Madness IV", April 2004. Contemporary report of the women's division victory.
- PBLeagues, "2022 National Xball League Season Rankings". Official WNXL event results and season standings.
- PBLeagues, "2025 Tampa Bay Open". Official match results documenting Femmes Fatale's championship victory.
- PBLeagues, "2025 National Xball League Season Rankings". Official WNXL professional season standings.
- PBLeagues, "2026 NXL Midwest Open". Official WNXL tournament results and final scores.