Polk couple seek OK to open paintball area

By DON BEHM dbehm@journalsentinel.com, Journal Sentinel

Thursday, May 22, 2003

Polk -- Loren and Dori Sparks say they would make more money charging people to shoot paintballs at each other on a field next to their home than they receive from local farmers who grow crops on the land.

The Sparkses, owners of Sparks Construction Corp., are seeking a town permit to create a paintball recreation area on the couple's 10- acre parcel on the north side of Pioneer Road, between Scenic Road and the Wisconsin Southern rail line.

Each player at the proposed Pioneer Paintball Adventure would pay a fee of up to $40 for a four-hour game, Loren Sparks said. No more than two teams, with four to 12 members on a side, would play at the same time.

The fee would include rental of all equipment -- air rifle with paintballs, mask, gloves and a camouflage jacket or shirt. Players would not be allowed to use their own equipment.

If a permit is approved, Sparks intends to create a pioneer appearance on the game field by building small, portable log cabins for players to hide behind as they fire paintballs at opposing team members.

Games would be scheduled only on weekends when the couple take a break from their truck scale construction business. "We'd like to see how it goes before we do more than that," he said.

The proposal will be discussed at a June 3 public hearing before the Town Board. The meeting is at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, 3680 Highway 60.

"We got started talking about this paintball business this past winter," Loren Sparks said.

The growing popularity of the sport -- marked by a surge in paintball Web sites and magazines and the popularity of paintball clubs on college campuses -- convinced the couple there would be plenty of customers.

They, too, are paintball enthusiasts and regularly play at a few of the indoor and outdoor facilities in the area.

"It's not just a fad," Sparks said. "It's been around for awhile, and it's growing in popularity."

It should not be difficult to generate more revenue from the land than they do now, according to Sparks.

"We rent most of the property to a farmer for about $290 a year," he said. "But we need to bring in more money to pay all of the taxes." Taxes total $1,800, he said.

Paintball generally is described as a hybrid of two children's games: tag and hide and seek. Sparks calls it an adult version of "capture the flag" because each team must defend its flag.

Participants use air rifles to shoot paint-filled gelatin capsules at members of the opposing team. Paintballs are about the size of a large vitamin or bath bead and break open on contact.

A player is tagged, or marked, and out of the game when hit by a capsule.

The game is over when one team captures the flag of the other squad. Teams could play several games in a four-hour period.

First-time players should not fear being hurt by a paintball, Sparks said. He describes the impact as feeling, most of the time, like "someone tapping you to get your attention."

"It's not painful," he said. "I've been shot numerous times."

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