WNXL Announces it's 1st Expansion Team - New Jersey HighRollers
This week, the WNXL announced an expansion for the 2023 season naming its seventh team as the New Jersey High Rollers. Franchise owner Allie Balmores, a former member of Team USA, has created this franchise as an extension of her first tournament team which bears the same name. In her first act as owner, she named as head coach Frank Connell and assistant coach Brendon Chester.
“I am excited to bring professional women's paintball to the Tri-State area. There is so much talent here,” Balmores said. “I’m looking forward to working with women who are real competitors, seeing what Frank can do to dig in and pull the best out of them, and also cultivating new players for the league."
The High Rollers are based out of Quickshot Paintball, a field owned by Lawrence Valenzano in Shamong, NJ. Elvin “Bebo” Colon, Director of Quickshot Speedball says he is looking forward to the growth this will bring to the sport.
"The High Rollers' relationship with Quickshot pre-dates me. That's how long they have been here,” Colon said. “They have been a big part of growing and sustaining the sport here in New Jersey, and we are eager to support them in any way we can."
The committee of WNXL franchise owners voted amongst themselves to induct the New Jersey High Rollers into the league, citing Balmores’ dedication to the sport and over-all growth mindset as the deciding factors that set the New Jersey High Rollers apart from other applicants.
“In the early stages of any endeavor you want to surround yourselves with like-minded people, organizations that are battle-proven and have stable foundations. Allie, Quickshot, Frank Connell, and the Rollers checked all those boxes for us,” said Anthony Vitale, WNXL board member and co-owner of the Heroines based in Boston, MA. “[The High Rollers are] another stable franchise in a geographic area that is a hot bed for tournament paintball. An organization led by someone who will put action behind her words and look to grow competitive female play in the region.”
Having already been part of so many facets of this sport as a team leader and as competitor, Balmores said she was on-board and embrace the WNXL when it was announced it, but noticed that the Mid-Atlantic region, comprised of New Jersey and the surrounding states New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, was missed in the first round of franchises
“This area is a hub for tournament paintball, and there is a large pool of talent to draw from here,” Balmores said. “I’m excited to tap into that and to bring in players from elsewhere as well. ”
The New Jersey High Rollers will host their first team try-outs on January 28 and 29 at Quickshot.
For more information and media, contact njhighrollerspaintball@gmail.com
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