Members of the ISU paintball club and other Ames paintball enthusiasts no longer have to drive to Des Moines to purchase equipment or ammunition.

ICU Paintball opened Friday at 111 Lynn Street in Campustown. The store not only sells paintball guns and paintballs but also goggles, hoppers, propellant and everything else needed to play the game.

“We had a lot of people coming down from Ames and Boone to buy equipment or to get their equipment serviced at our Des Moines store,” said Todd Billings, owner of ICU Paintball. “We felt that Ames had the population required to warrant opening a store here.”

The advent of the store, which caters specifically to paintball players, may prove to be beneficial to the ISU paintball club.

“The new store is obviously a lot closer and will be helpful for last minute repairs,” club president Peter Longobardi said. “We can also stop in and check out the latest equipment.”

Longobardi said other stores in Ames carry paintball supplies but most of them are geared toward beginning players. ICU Paintball sells advanced equipment as well as beginner packages starting at only $129, which include a gun, propellant, a hopper and thermal goggles.

“Anyone can play paintball,” Billings said. “That’s the great thing about this sport. You can start playing and within an hour of when you started, you are already feeling competitive and have a good handle on the game.”

With a local equipment supplier in place, all that’s needed is an area to play that’s close to Ames. The paintball club is currently practicing at Action Jack’s, about an hour east of Ames.

“The Ames area is due for a field,” Longobardi said.

Billings said there are other paintball fields south and east of Des Moines, but he would promote any field close to Ames.

Even without a nearby field, Longobardi said that there is a huge interest in paintball on the ISU campus. He said the paintball club will try to recruit as many new members this year as possible and hope to triple their numbers.

“The sport is more mental than physical; it’s all adrenaline,” Billings said. “The popularity of paintball is growing at a phenomenal rate and it isn’t about to slow down soon.”

Factbox

ICU Paintball business hours:

Mon. 12-6pm

Tues.-Wed. Closed

Thurs.-Fri. 12-8pm

Sat.-Sun. 10-6pm

ISU Paintball Club Web site: www.scc.iastate.edu/paintball or check them out at Clubfest on Sept. 18