For those living under a rock, can you briefly talk about the team (PMS) and how it all began?

Pandora’s Mighty Soldiers (PMS Clan) was formed at the launch of Xbox Live in 2002 when my sister (Athena PMS a/k/a Valkarie of the Fragdolls) and I played with the first female we ran across and had an amazing time! We were having so much fun laughing and playing that day that we realized a female clan would be a great way to have that experience everyday. We met up with a couple other ladies, including Fraggity Ann who is now known as PMS BoomStick, and have been happily fragging ever since. We are now global which spawns divisions not only in Xbox, but in PS2 and PC as well. Our main partner is Microsoft, and our main sponsor is Verizon FiOS. Our ultimate mission is to provide a fun and competitive environment for female gamers. 
 
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome in getting PMS to where it is today?

Keeping our heads high when people tell us we suck or we don’t deserve what we get out of gaming. Not many realize that not every PMS girl is a professional player, and not everyone should be expected to be. We are a community first, and we just happened to have some talent develop in that community. Also, constantly battling the “women can’t game” stereotype is really getting old.  “They don’t have any major wins!”  Yeah, I guess a lot of gamers do not realize that we have placed top 8 four times in PRO events like CPL, WSVG, and CGS.  “Why not top 4?” We got a 2nd place finish at CGS. “Well, why not 1st?”  For many, I have come to realize we will never be good enough no matter if we get a first or not. It is not just an obstacle it is a freakin’ steel-enforced giant mountain! Some communities are worse then others of course, although some embrace us with open arms. A very mixed bag, indeed. On a lighter note, I take pride in the fact that we compete in co-ed events, and we’ll happily take lower placements in order to play with the best out there. There are thousands of guys, and they outnumber us in competitive game types like FPS by a large margin, but once we accomplish our goal of getting more female gamers (and keep the women motivated in playing), I expect we will have a larger pool of talent to draw from and get that elusive 1st place win. This will not be easy though, everyone knows the talented individuals that go to professional events are the best in the country. They are almost ALL amazing people as well.    
 
Electronic Gaming Monthly, a popular gaming magazine, has named you one of the "World's Most Dangerous Gamers", a title that is only shared by four others. Would you mind telling us a little bit about it? The famous "Ogre Twins" and "SephirothKen" were also given the title by EGM. These three players have proven themselves time and time again in many tournaments they have entered, placing top-eight every time, as well as winning many major events. You however, have never placed in the top three at any major tournament you have entered. What is it that you believe makes you an admirable choice for this title?

You are right, the competitors have amazing talent. They also featured Lil’ Poison, who does not have a slew of wins either, but he is certainly newsworthy, being only 8 and hanging with the professionals!  He is not the norm, and that is why he is so amazing for us to hear about.  I am not the norm either.

So, I will start off by saying it does not matter if I feel I should have been there…I am just honored that a major publication feels that I should. Obviously, EGM chose me not for my gaming skills per-say. But you can’t escape the fact that PMS was the first all- female team to ever get a major placement in a co-ed professional event; that happened to be a team I played on. I have also led or coached many other top placements of our female members, who may not have been there if it had not been for PMS Clan.  Basically, EGM said that this was the list of gamers that were “on their way to being household names,” and I think EGM was recognizing someone in a group who didn’t just PLAY, didn’t just WIN, but was instead being recognized for doing something they felt is good for gaming as a whole. I think they believed PMS Clan and myself are “dangerous” because we make people realize they need to do more then “just play” …and they felt that was newsworthy enough to recognize.

For instance, we have helped raised over $20,000 for charity at the Celebrity Gaming tournament with FiOS. That was part of our "Gaming for A Cause" initiative we started last March. We are doing a similar event at Digital Life for scholarships with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. We have also supported the growth of this industry with writers & volunteers across many gaming outlets, provided a unique group for women empowerment, supported and participated in industry research, helped educate the industry at conference panels & contract assignments, AND had several top placements.  Yes, I would think a lot of gamers might find that dangerous…especially when you sit across from them at a tournament and see their hands start shaking because they are scared at even the possibility of losing to a girl, haha. 

Are we the best? No, and we never say we are. We are just gamers like anyone else — we just happen to be female, which causes a stir sometimes. But I certainly take pride in the fact that we help the industry and the mainstream audiences take note of gaming and female gaming.

Also, we have been “newsworthy” enough to get features in Entertainment Tonight, ABC/NBC News, Fox Sports Radio, AOL, G4TV, Yahoo, MTV, Entertainment Weekly, EGM, and Tips and Tricks magazine to name a few. Mainstream audiences like to support unique stories. I guess they felt that was key to being a “household name.”