Destiny (paintball team)

Destiny is an American paintball team organisation founded in 2004 by Bea Youngs, later known as Bea Paxson, with professional player Mike Paxson. Established to provide opportunities for women in competitive paintball, Destiny has fielded all-female, mixed-gender and regional tournament teams. [1][2]

Destiny won the Division 2 championship at the 2006 National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) San Diego Open and the Division 4 championship at the 2013 NPPL Las Vegas World Championships with an all-female roster. The organisation later competed in the Women's National Xball League (WNXL), winning the 2023 Sunshine State Major. [3][4][5]

History

Formation and early competition (2004–2005)

Destiny was established in 2004 as an all-female tournament paintball team.

Bea Youngs and Mike Paxson developed the organisation to encourage women's participation in competitive paintball, particularly in the NPPL Super 7 format. [1]

The team initially recruited women from different parts of the United States and competed against mixed-gender opposition.

Destiny subsequently adopted a predominantly female roster, allowing male players to participate while retaining women as the majority of the team.

According to Youngs, Destiny finished seventh overall among 140 Division 2 teams competing in the 2005 NPPL season. [6]

NPPL San Diego championship (2006)

Destiny achieved its first major national tournament victory at the 2006 NPPL San Diego Open, held at Qualcomm Stadium from 8 to 10 September.

Competing as LTZ's Destiny, the team advanced through the Division 2 elimination rounds.

Destiny defeated Torment in the semi-finals before facing Dynasty Entourage in the championship final.

The final was decided over three games. Destiny won the opening game, lost the second and won the deciding game to secure the Division 2 title. [3]

The championship was achieved with a predominantly female roster rather than an exclusively female team.

Destiny finished second in the overall 2006 NPPL Division 2 season standings, according to Youngs' contemporary account. [6]

Continued NPPL competition (2007–2008)

Destiny continued competing in the NPPL Division 2 during 2007.

At the Tampa Open, the team advanced to the semi-finals, where it was eliminated by Miami Rage D2.

Destiny finished fourth at the event. [7]

Youngs reported that the team finished 19th overall in the 2007 NPPL Division 2 season. [6]

In 2008, Destiny returned to an all-female roster for the opening NPPL Huntington Beach event.

The team advanced beyond the preliminary rounds and finished 15th among 53 Division 2 entries. [1]

Destiny continued competing during 2008, but its national tournament programme was subsequently placed on hold.

Return to competition (2012)

Destiny returned to national tournament competition in 2012.

The organisation's revival followed Bea Paxson's return to playing alongside former Destiny members Kat Secor and Katie Kelley.

The returning roster included Kat Secor, Katie Kelley, Brittany Wagoner, Jackie Lon and Becky Rai. [1]

Mike Paxson was involved in coaching and managing the programme, alongside other experienced professional players. [1]

Destiny also expanded its activities beyond the original national team, developing regional squads and participating in recreational, scenario and pump paintball events.

NPPL Las Vegas championship (2013)

On 6 October 2013, Destiny won the Division 4 championship at the NPPL World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The team competed with an exclusively female roster in a division open to both male and female players.

Captained by Kat Secor, Destiny qualified eighth following the preliminary rounds before advancing through the elimination stages to win the tournament. [4]

The team was coached by former professional player Steve Connor, with Bea Paxson serving as owner and manager.

The victory was widely reported as an important achievement for women's participation in mixed-gender tournament paintball.

An article published by OC Weekly on 11 October 2013 described the result as a historic national championship victory for an all-female team. [4]

Destiny's 2013 championship was distinct from its 2006 Division 2 victory, which had been achieved with a predominantly female mixed roster.

Regional expansion

Following its return to competition, Destiny developed regional squads in different parts of the United States.

By 2014, the organisation was operating separate eastern and western programmes, allowing players to train and compete closer to home before combining for national tournaments. [8]

Destiny also supported women's paintball events and training opportunities.

Its activities included all-female tryouts, coaching clinics and participation in regional competitions such as the Central Florida Paintball Series.

The organisation subsequently expanded into multiple teams using the Destiny name, including development and youth squads.

In its organisational history, Destiny states that it grew from eight players into a network of more than twenty regional and specialist teams. [2]

Women's National Xball League (2022)

Destiny was among the original teams announced for the Women's National Xball League, a professional women's division introduced by the National Xball League in 2022.

The WNXL provided a dedicated professional X-Ball competition for all-female teams.

The original announced participants included Destiny, Dallas Vibe, Boston Heroines, Sacramento Diamonds and Femmes Fatale. [9]

Destiny's WNXL roster included sisters Kary Blanco and Andreina Blanco, who were identified by the league as leading attacking players. [9]

During the inaugural 2022 season, Destiny reached the championship final at all three WNXL events.

At the Sunshine State Major, Destiny lost the final 5–3 to Dallas Vibe. [10]

At the season-ending World Cup, the team faced The Heroines in a final that would also determine the inaugural WNXL season championship.

The Heroines won 2–1, leaving Destiny as World Cup runners-up. [11]

Destiny finished second in the overall 2022 WNXL standings with 384 points, behind the Heroines on 393. [12]

First WNXL championship (2023)

Destiny returned for the 2023 WNXL season after finishing second at all three events in 2022.

At the Sunshine State Major in March, the team advanced through the preliminary rounds with three wins and one loss.

Destiny defeated Femmes Fatale 4–0 in the semi-finals to reach another championship match.

In the final, Destiny faced the Chesapeake Cheetahs.

The team established a 3–0 lead before the Cheetahs scored once. Destiny maintained its advantage to win 3–1, claiming its first WNXL professional tournament championship. [5]

Destiny subsequently finished third at the Windy City Major and fourth at the World Cup.

The team ended the 2023 WNXL season third overall with 373 ranking points, behind the Cheetahs and Heroines. [13]

Later organisation

Destiny's regional and development activities continued beyond its 2023 professional WNXL season.

Tournament records from 2024 and 2025 include teams using names such as Destiny Dolls and Destiny Space City in NXL three-player and amateur divisions. [14][15]

In a statement published on the organisation's website on 13 May 2025, founder Bea Youngs described her decision to step back from competitive paintball while continuing to support women's participation in the sport. [2]

The available records do not establish a formal dissolution of the Destiny organisation.

Notable players and personnel

Documented individuals associated with Destiny include:

Bea Youngs (Bea Paxson) – Founder, player and team owner.
Mike Paxson – Co-founder and coach.
Kat Secor – Captain of the 2013 NPPL Las Vegas championship team.
Katie Kelley – Member of the organisation during its early years and 2012 return.
Brittany Wagoner – Player who returned to Destiny in 2012.
Jackie Lon – Member of the 2012 returning roster.
Becky Rai – Member of the 2012 returning roster.
Kaarin Schroepfer – Member of the early Destiny programme.
Seanette Taylor – Member of the early Destiny programme.
Mona Hejazi – Member of the early Destiny programme.
Linh Truong – Player associated with the 2013 and 2014 programmes.
Mikaela Wilkins – Member of the 2013 NPPL championship roster.
Kary Blanco – WNXL professional player.
Andreina Blanco – WNXL professional player.
Steve Connor – Coach of the 2013 NPPL championship team.

[1][4][8][9][16]

Selected tournament achievements

Year	Competition	Division	Result
2006	NPPL San Diego Open	Division 2 7-man	Champions [3]
2006	NPPL Season	Division 2 7-man	2nd overall [6]
2007	NPPL Tampa Open	Division 2 7-man	4th place [7]
2008	NPPL Huntington Beach Open	Division 2 7-man	15th place [1]
2013	NPPL Las Vegas World Championships	Division 4 7-man	Champions [4]
2022	NXL Sunshine State Major	WNXL	2nd place [10]
2022	NXL World Cup	WNXL	2nd place [11]
2022	NXL WNXL Season	Professional X-Ball	2nd overall [12]
2023	NXL Sunshine State Major	WNXL	Champions [5]
2023	NXL Windy City Major	WNXL	3rd place [13]
2023	NXL World Cup	WNXL	4th place [13]
2023	NXL WNXL Season	Professional X-Ball	3rd overall [13]

Sponsorship and development

Destiny has received support from several paintball equipment manufacturers and businesses.

Its sponsors during the 2013 NPPL championship included Valken, Anthrax Paintball, Virtue Paintball, R7 Replay and Social Paintball. [4]

The organisation also worked with professional players and coaches to provide training opportunities for women entering competitive paintball.

Through its regional squads, Destiny sought to reduce the travel and organisational difficulties associated with assembling all-female tournament teams from different parts of the country. [8]

Significance

Destiny has played a documented role in the development of women's competitive paintball since 2004.

Its early participation in the NPPL demonstrated that a predominantly female roster could compete successfully against mixed-gender opposition, culminating in the 2006 San Diego Division 2 championship. [3]

The 2013 Las Vegas victory was particularly notable because Destiny won a national tournament division with an entirely female roster. [4]

The organisation subsequently became an inaugural participant in the Women's National Xball League, reaching the final at all three events during 2022 and winning its first professional women's championship in 2023. [5][11]

References

External links