THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 26, 1994 TAG: 9406240253
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CAROLE O'KEEFFE, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: 940626 LENGTH: Medium
Robert P. ``Bobby'' Weeks, Jr., 23, did it.
{REST} The Suffolk native and political science major at Old Dominion University already had been accepted to law school when he played the game he said gives him a big adrenaline rush.
``I was hooked,'' Weeks said.
So much so that when friends began asking him to buy them paint-ball supplies, he decided he could make a living doing something fun, at least for awhile.
Weeks had tried skydiving, motocross and even hunting. But paint ball offered more.
``When someone is shooting back at you, it's a little different, more of a challenge,'' he said.
His decision was swift. Just a few months after graduation, in August 1992, Weeks opened Action Town Sports, at first operating out of his home.
Before too long, business was brisk enough for Weeks to open a store in October 1992 at 1528 Holland Road. He's glad he took the path less traveled.
``My parents tell me today they would rather see me go back to school,'' he said. ``But I enjoy what I do. I see a lot of guys my age out there now. They are killing themselves to make good money.
``I make good money here, and we do a lot of traveling and interacting with the public. And I am paid to play.''
Paint ball shooting is popular in many large metropolitan areas, and Weeks travels to keep up with new developments in the sport.
Most of Weeks' customers come from outside Suffolk. As many as 100 sailors come on weekends to play.
``The Navy is my biggest market,'' he said. ``They can spend $40 for all day, shoot plenty of paint and go home tired.''
Most of the mock warriors are men, but women play too, he said. Participants wear whatever they want. The paint washes out.
But players do have to wear goggles to protect their eyes, ears and mouth.
The marble-sized paint balls, launched at 300 feet per second through an air-powered gun, explode into a splotch of color when they make contact.
Weeks rents the goggles, gun, ammunition and air propellant necessary for the games.
Or he sells them. But it is an expensive hobby.
Prices range from about $225 for a ``good semi-automatic gun, up to $1,000 for the hottest seller,'' Weeks said.
A case of paint, which might last only a day for some players, costs about $100.
It's not unusual for a fully outfitted fighter to spend $1,500 for his own equipment. That's why many choose to rent.
Equipment rental is $15 per person, and includes goggles, gun and the CO2 cartridges. Paint balls are $5 per 100.
Players must be at least 12 years old. The pellets, about the size of marbles, might cause young people some discomfort, Weeks said. And there are insurance requirements.
Weeks borrowed from his parents to get the business off the ground. He has used several parcels of family-owned property as the shooting fields.
Even though there are paint ball games in other nearby cities, many participants tell Weeks they come to him because of the terrain on his property.
The playing field offers creeks, foxholes, ravines, rustic two-story fort-like structures Weeks built and trees big enough for ``three people to hide behind,'' he said.
Games last anywhere from just a few minutes to an hour, depending on the number of players and on how willing combatants are to risk themselves.
The games are structured so that there are sides and territories. One team must take the flag of the defenders and return safely to its home base.
``When the goal is to take the flag, the fighters become more aggressive and take more risks,'' Weeks said.
by CNB