The Warrior Blog: Player Profile

Here is another is our series covering exceptional players and teams in the Sport of Airsoft. I have known this young lady for a little over a year and a half and followed some of her journeys in life including the birth of her baby! The first thing that you notice about her (Online) is her striking and somewhat imposing profile picture but as you get to know her, you find that she is a woman of great intelligence that is very down to earth. She has graciously consented to share a little about who she is and makes her tick. We hope you all enjoy this!

Padre' W03

Hey all, Sisu (https://www.facebook.com/SisuMilsim) here! Evidently some folks are curious to know a little bit more about me and I was kindly asked to write up a little introduction so I’ll just skip into the important stuff…
I’m originally from Massachusetts (think Boston) and grew up a super girlie girl; think bleach blonde banana curl hair, pink jelly shoes and playing with Barbie and my little Pony. Fast forward to middle and high school and I became more of a tom boy, not afraid to play in the dirt. From the more traditional sport of playing soccer and field hockey to the more unique archery and fencing, I’ve always been a pretty aggressive kid. Throughout my childhood to today, I am an American Revolutionary War reenactor. It’s living history, going out to places and teaching the public what life was like in the 18^th century. I even served on a British canon crew (cue the “my guns are bigger than yours” jokes). So when a boyfriend asked me to try out airsoft way back in 2005 or 2006 (I think), it came as no huge shock that I was willing to go give it a whirl. Super cold with frozen hands and soaked feet, playing in snow and being the only woman on the field was a shocking introduction to the hobby. I had a blast though and despite a big break in between becoming active again, I have to say, I’m really not too surprised that I enjoy it so much.

Let’s fast forward to 2013 and playing in Oklahoma. My husband and I (his call sign is Spartan – Spartan Milsim on fb) started going to the local fields and instantly were welcomed by the fantastic community out there. I quickly picked up my call sign, Sisu. The term “sisu” is actually a Finnish term (I’m Finnish and Swedish) that means strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. In English: "having guts." My grandparents growing up always joked that I was “Stubborn like a Swede” and “had the temper of a Finn” so it only seemed fitting that this be my airsoft call sign. We played at T.A.Airsoft (whose shop is in OKC) outdoor field in Norman and the “Yard” in downtown OKC in an abandoned slaughterhouse… EVERY. SINGLE. WEEKEND. Yes, even in 113 degree heat. Personally, I prefer a more objective style of game play rather than just plain force on force and shoot-em up or spray-and-pray / speed-soft type of play… I just think those are boring. Give me a mission and I’m happy, which is probably why I’ve grown so fond of the big milsim ops. Bring on the creative problem solving. J

We created our own team and since moving back to New England have a central and east division now. Dogs of War Milsim (https://www.facebook.com/DogsOfWarMilsim) team are what we’re all named and I love all our members. We like playing aggressively and causing some shenanigans along the way. The guys maaaaay have even galloped onto the field at a skirmish game in OKC a-la Monty python… Like anyone, we love winning, but there’s no point if you’re not all having a good time.

The hubby had almost all of his gear already having played since 2003 and most of my gear for a very long time was all used, hand me downs or knock off gear. And to be quite honest, most of it still is. I started with just some basic 5.11s and gear we found in the closet that fit me, a knock off maritime ciras, an old helmet and an M4 we picked up for $100. If it works and suits my needs, I don’t care if it isn’t the newest, latest and greatest. That M4 served me well till it had a short hiatus after I smashed it to bits after an American Milsim OP (Rebel Yell). The more amazing bit is that I think it actually shoots better now than it ever did before. J

Of course from there, my gear has upgraded slowly but surely to my HK 416 which is my size (cue the laughter whenever I pick up our heavily modified m249), 1911, JPCs in coyote and

ranger green, Beofang radio with the crazy fun whip antennae, my mesh lower that I no longer leave home without, Oakley eyepro (eBay finds, wooo!) and in addition to the traditional camo, all of the “oddball” patterns that we like: Auscam, British desert DPM and hopefully soon, SwedishM90. Most of my gear has been modified in one way or another. It’s sort of just the way it is with women in airsoft. Nothing fits properly. This is part of the reason I’m going to be launching a YouTube series soon on how to do just that; modify gear. I’ll go over the basics of course of stuff you need and how to do the basic hem, button hole and so forth for simple fixes. I’ll also be doing much more complicated modifications like the raid mod (moving pockets to the arms), helmet covers and yes… the dreaded Crye kneepad mod.

Now, all of this is well and good, but I’ve had to take a rather large hiatus from playing and man is my trigger finger itchy. Last year at American Milsim’s ESR 19-2 was my last big airsoft event and the very first for my son (we didn’t know I was pregnant at the time, although my husband had guessed it the night before the OP). We welcomed our little boy, Aidan, this past October and couldn’t be happier. J And NO, I will not be playing with him in a tactical molle baby carrier, haha.

All in all, I hope that any of my story is interesting to you all and I very much hope that it encourages more women to play. Some of the guys will roll their eyes and chalk it up to just being overly sensitive to the issue at hand. The reality is that it’s VERY difficult to get most women to agree to go onto the field, even if it’s with a camera (which is a good way to introduce them gently btw). While it’s true that some women will have zero issue putting on the boots, picking up the airsoft gun and slinging plastic with the rest of us, it is certainly not the majority. It can be extraordinarily difficult to break into the boys club and I do applaud and commend the communities and players that welcome them and new players in general with open arms. It’s SO incredibly important to be supportive to these players because let’s face it, some folks out there are pretty intimidating. I guess the moral is just worry about your own kit and calling your own hits. We all have to start somewhere and if we aren’t there for each other, this hobby will fizzle.