WEEKEND WARRIORS FIGHT PAINT-BALL SKIRMISHES

JACKSON -- War rages on a battlefield at a former factory where friends become enemies and the game is kill or be killed.

Urban Conflict, a business that opened just over a month ago, has attracted a loyal following of would-be warriors anxious to shoot their friends in a "paint-ball" skirmish.

Two teams of up to six players each attempt to capture the other's flag. Officially that's the object, but actually more competitors play a game of elimination. The team with the last man not splattered by paint wins.

Tom Jaster, who operates Urban Conflict along with Scott City Police Chief David Beck, said: "It's open to the public to come in and reduce stress. We have been surprised at the response so quickly. After less than a month, we have a packed house every weekend."

The battlefield is situated in the old International Shoe Co. factory at East Washington and Georgia, two blocks east of the courthouse square in Jackson.

Jaster said he hopes eventually to also conduct police officer weapons training at the facility.

"We always thought the outdoor fields were great, so why not an indoor field?" Jaster said. The indoor arena is climate-controlled and there's no mud.

The indoor combat area includes one large paint-splattered room with 200 feet of wooden tunnels; 30, 4-foot barricades; and an assortment of sandbag bunkers.

Specially-designed guns are powered by CO2 and shoot paint balls. Jaster said actually it's not paint but gelatin. The plastic balls break on contact, splattering paint on the victim. Don't worry; it really does wash out of clothing.

The paint balls string when they hit. In fact, most players wear several layers of clothing to soften the impact. If a paint ball hits at close range, it can leave a red whelp.

As a safety precaution, contestants are

required to wear helmets and elbow and knee pads.

"It's one of the fastest growing sports internationally," Jaster said.

He said many local people have been playing the game for a number of years. "It's very addictive," Jaster said. "It's so much more realistic when someone is going to shoot back."

He said children as young as 12 have played at Urban Conflict. "We had a dozen men here the other day who were all about 45 years old.

"It's an extraordinary workout, and people keep telling us it's the best stress reduction they have had in their lives."

Jaster hopes to start league competition soon.

Among regulars at the facility is a group from Oran.

Tom Frederick, 18, of Oran, said: "It's a good way to relieve tension. The first time we played we didn't come in with a plan. We got our butts slaughtered."

Since then the team has regrouped and now plans a strategy for each game. Games can last as long as 15 minutes, but most are over in about five minutes.

"It seems so real when you get out there," said Frederick.

Travis Brashear, 16, of Oran, said, "It's an adventure every time."

The paint-splattered room seems pretty simple at first glance.

Brent Glastetter, 16, of Oran, said: "I know it doesn't look like much out there, but once you're out there it changes. It's a battlefield, and those are marks of previous battles."

Frederick admitted that when he gets hit it hurts. "It stings, but I like that. It makes you not want to get hit anymore. It makes this even more realistic."

People can make reservations or just show up. They can come with teams intact or join games already in progress.

Jaster recommended that adults accompany children. He said many parents and children are playing together.

All-day admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Players rent a gun and must buy paint balls and CO2 cartridges.

The cost of the game depends in part on how trigger-happy participants are. Jaster said adults are paying an average of $14 to $20 for about three hours of play.