Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, July 26, 1993                   TAG: 9307260122
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOE TAYLOR ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD                                LENGTH: Medium

PAINTBALL PLANS HAVE NEIGHBORS SEEING RED

Kirk Johnson said Clark and other residents near the proposed paintball recreational park in Isle of Wight County had nothing to worry about.

Johnson, an engineer at an aerospace company in suburban Philadelphia, and a Washington-area business partner, Ronald M. Gilchrist, ran into a storm of opposition in mid-July when they went before the rural county's Planning Commission with a request for a special land-use permit.

Johnson's and Gilchrist's company, Challenger Paintball Inc., wanted permission to use 55 acres within a 220-acre parcel to operate paintball war games.

"It's a sophisticated game of tag," said Johnson, who first played paintball combat while in college.

Paintball is a growing sport that attracts people who like outdoor competition that offers the thrill of combat without the usual dangers.

A game usually involves two or more teams whose members search out and "shoot" each other with specially designed guns that use compressed gas to fire capsules of paint.

When someone is hit, they are out of the game. The paint creates a small splatter on clothing, but cannot break the skin. Participants wear goggles to protect their eyes.

The paint is environmentally safe, but the activity itself has come under criticism from people who view it as too much like real war.

Johnson said people who think the sport is risky or that it attracts only participants prone to violence are mistaken. "It's not about people who want to be in the military or are left over from some war," he said. "It's about people who want to have fun."

However, enough concerns were raised at the Planning Commission meeting to convince the panel to put off a recommendation until its next meeting Aug. 10. Afterward, opponents learned that the site of the proposed facility has a restriction on commercial use, and Johnson said he and his partner probably will have to find a new location.

Clark, who just built a $165,000 house on a five-acre nearby parcel and moved in June 15, couldn't believe it when he found out about the proposal the day after the commission met.

"We'd been looking for something totally secluded," said Clark, who retired from the Navy three years ago. "It's peaceful out here. I did my time listening to gunshots."

Ana Crocker, who lives near the property, said calling paintball a sport doesn't make it any less violent.

"A lot of people take that kind of thing seriously," said Crocker, who has three children. "It's not always going to be just entertainment to them."

But Johnson said his business would put the property to a much less violent use than it sees now - hunting.

"The land is used by hunt clubs that kill deer," he said. "You're actually killing something. With paintball, you're just playing tag."