Girls Airsofting?

Techno_Toaster wrote: »

Thinking of starting up airsoft but from what my boyfriend and his friends say its very sore. Just wondering if any girls on here airsoft and is it really as bad as they say?

I reckon I could take the pain but just curious about girls opinions on it! Thanks for the help:)

Hey there,

Your fella is a wimp! its not that painful to be honest. Can sting sometimes, but its not bad at all.

I know plenty of other girls that play, and the guys complain more about the hits.

I know a few girls that play and love it. You dont have to be the fittest person to play as it will help build your overall fitness levels.

Also you dont have to get into ditches or the likes if you dont want to get dirty but most of my friends (girls) dont mind this. Betty troop was in the ditch for the first time last night and she did really well :P

I know a Hand full of girls that play Airsoft aswell including 2 on my team!
And as far as I can gather they're as addicted as the rest of us! Playing every weekend etc.!
Just like any other sport, you'll know wether it's for you or not after you'v tried! so get your boots on and give it a shot(excuse the pun)!
xXx

Plenty of different girls play, and play for different reasons. Personally? its good craic, and its physical, and i get to meet many random people I'd never meet otherwise.

The whole hits thing is not a big deal. it happens, and its not aweful. I wear a full face mask in cqb where things are close, and other than that, im not too worried. I'll admit, at times it can be a real stinger. But thats about as bad as it gets. You will certainly play again... give it a go


(We need more girls)

Firekitten wrote: »

And speaking from a girl's perspective. I personally disagree with the NAG concept... You lot make your minds up.

As females are a huge minority in this sport, every opportunity should be given to them to participate.

What is it about the NAGconcept that you disagree with?

I assume it is just a team of like minded people that like to play airosft, just like many other teams, except this one is mainly female.

hey toaster, welcome to airsoft girl all i can say from my experience is give it a go and see what happens. i got dragged along by my other half on my first day and i was nearly sick with nerves, terrifed i'd hate it, that it'd hurt,that i'd mortify myself and i'd have to go home crying after an hour... over 2 years later and i'm out playing almost every weekend, have been on a couple of trips to the uk for TA events and currently planning my next trip over there. i play mostly in ballyvourney in cork on Mad Ozzies site Cork Airsoft with lads i can't praise highly enough.
99% of airsofters i have met are a fantastic friendly funny bunch who will welcome any player. the "meer cat" effect does happen occasionally and i did have one memorable gentleman who kept referring to me as "princess" and "sweetheart" (didn't last for long, he discovered bald heads make shiny targets :eek: ).
I agree with firekitten, in that i prefer to be regarded as a player rather than "a girl who airsofts" and prefer a more integrated approach than a them vs us mentality, but thats my opinion and has nothing really to do with the game itself
but back to the original point...give it a go! you'll love it! its highly addictive, great craic and you'll meet some of the best people out there on an airsoft site feel free to PM me if you need any advice or what not, will be happy to help and if you're ever down cork direction call in for a game

oh and depending on the site you may have to pee in the bushes but thats a whole other story...

Dogwatch wrote: »

WOW, that is a bit rambling.

Any group that encourages people to join and enjoy our sport is a good thing. Their publicity methods are different and maybe not to everyones taste but it shows females like the OP that there is a place in airsoft for them and they will be treated as equals.

After all, we are just big kids running around with toy guns having fun and getting fit, well, trying to get fit,:D

Rambling? You asked me to explain my point, and I think I did that fairly concicely, and in a well structured manner... rambling would suggest I repeated myself.
I agree, that the ecouragement is a good thing, but what place in airsoft does it show? I'm not sure Its the right one, which can be almost as bad as not doing it in the first place. For example, I'm not sure a calender of female players trussed up in pvc, leather, and toy guns shows us that we're going to get treated as equals...

Spitfire: Bushes... *shudder* I played at a scotish site once in December, in a foot and a half of snow... It had no toilet either, I think you get the picture :S
As I said earlier Techno_Toaster (love that username btw ). The little boys might have a goggle for a few seconds, but they finally realise you're just another player behind another gun. The game doesnt hurt that much, and its the most amazing fun ever. (Explaining some of the strange bruises though to friends who dont play can be interesting though lol) Give it a try, and I know you'll like it.
x

ok, It didnt seem that way... but thats the problem, 'perception' tends to have a greater influence on the majority over the actual facts of a case.

The 'them and us' thing was wrong I guess, but like I say, it 'seems' that way, thus , has the same effect.

Positive discrimination of sorts really.


(wow we've gone so far off topic)

If I translated that right.... I don't think it will. It's been going in the UK for 20 years now, and the relative 'guy to girl' ratios are still MASSIVELY tipped to the guy side.

Yeah, most do, its a culture deal. There will always be more men playing.

Having had a lot of experience promoting more female inclusion in male dominated activities, I feel strongly compelled to stick an oar in here.

Dogwatch made the point about any organisation promoting female integration can only be good, since it will appeal to some, and the rest will ignore. However, where I disagree with the point is in relation to equality - promoting an activity to be gender neutral is a house of cards, and more often is done arseways. Whereas I commend the efforts of NAG, I do have to say that I do not agree with its publicity methods.

The media coming from NAG is often quite sexual in construction, and the glamour of the shots tend to detract from the message, or at least that is my own taking from it. Basically what I mean is that some of the photos from NAG tend to look like what men think Airsoft-ing girls should look/dress like, rather than portraying gender diversity in Airsoft.

Can I ask a simple question though...truthfully, why do you (airsofters) want more girls playing? This is a key question. Most male airsofters would like a greater female presence due to procreative urges. This will probably be denied, but on a subconscious level, I really do think it has more than a little to do with it. This is where the likes of NAG really help by showing a larger female populace in Airsoft, which can help women feel less...alone, although that's not a great word for it. Put simply it helps eliminate some of the concerns of, as Spitfire_24 so eloquently put it, the 'Meer Cat effect" with a preemptive strike that shows girls do play airsoft, and enjoy doing so, and that helps make things more accessible.

In the past I have worked to get a larger female involvement in other activities for one reason...to further the diversity and creative development of these activities. When an activity becomes male-dominated, or even female dominated, the activities stagnate. They become monotonous and predictable, as they cater for very specific stereotypes. With a more diverse demographic you get a much more organic activity. It evolves to suit its players, which are not easily lumped into the stereotypical, or even archetypal categories.

Airsoft is not exactly a creative activity, however like war itself, it is male dominated which affects how things are conducted. With a greater female identity, you would see the games shift to suit a middleground, and this shift is what makes activities continually develop instead of stagnating. What I want out of Airsoft is good fun, tactical play, and a continually developing activity so as I never get fed up with repetitive games. More diversity works toward my goals, so in turn I work toward more diversity...because I'm selfish.

Well said inari
and yes the meer cat comment was stolen from firekitten
tbh the nags are good if you want the support of a girls team, fair play to them. but personally it has no bearing on my own airsofting cuz the lads i play with don't make the fact i'm a girl an issue and besides Ozcam, i have yet to meet a nag member in ireland.
getting back on topic OP, i forgot to mention in my earlier post that knee pads may be useful...bruises from bbs (if they happen) are generally small, bout the size of 2cent coin...most bruises i've gotten have been from kneeling on rocks and stuff so good knee pads have stopped that. that said you never notice the bruises til you get home and go "how did that happen??" a facemask (either full or half with eye protection) is a good idea for the first few games at least.
also, any gloves i've gotten online from airsoft sites have been far too big, i found that cycling gloves are pretty good. they generally have a toughened and padded palm so you won't get pinched when climbing into furze bushes, some have padding on the back which takes the sting out of knuckle hits and most importantly they'll actually fit!

and ozcam, dont blame ya for overlooking me, i'm not on here that often hopefully i'll get time off for sept, looking forward to it!