CLINTON, Iowa — Jason Lee first tested out the target range, where flashing strobe lights and police lights splash color on the camouflaged walls.

Then, the 20-year-old Clinton man stepped to the cash register to buy his own supply of paintball equipment. He was hooked.

Lee is one of a growing number of people — young and not-so-young — who hang out at Clinton’s new WiseGuyz Paintball store, run by two off-duty Clinton police officers with one mission in mind: Giving young people a positive place to channel their energy.

“The kids were begging for something to do,” Bill Sattler said. “This is to give back to the community. And we like to play, too.”

Police officers Sattler and Dean Ottens use their spare time to run the shop, which coincidentally is located across the street from the Clinton Police Department, at 124 6th Ave. S.

They say the proximity is convenient, allowing them to take turns after patrol shifts to keep the store going, but separates it from their police duties.

“It’s a great balance for us,” Sattler said. “Over there, we see people at their worst sometimes. Here, we get to see people in a more positive light.”

The place draws small crowds of young people, mostly in the 18-25 age range, with some as young as middle-school students and others closer to 48-year-old Bob Black.

The Clinton plumber said he is a paintball addict. Wherever he travels, he tries to find somewhere to play paintball, so having a new hometown location is exciting.

“It’s a pure adrenaline rush,” he said. “It’s a blast.”

WiseGuyz is owned by the officer’s wives, Kristy Sattler and Kim Ottens, who Sattler says have been “the brains” of the store since it opened Thanksgiving day.

The store sells paintball guns, clothing, boots, targets and paintballs.

“We also have an indoor target range with a variety of targets,” Sattler said. “People can bring in their own guns and practice and we can fill CO2 tanks.”

Tim Clark, the owner of Zirkelbach Refrigeration, leases the storefront space to WiseGuyz and allows the use of one of his old appliance buildings on 5th Avenue South for large-scale paintball games.

The first sold-out event is Saturday, when WiseGuyz will host a hostage-rescue scenario game with five players per team, playing in an arena to eliminate the opposite team’s members. The next event is scheduled Feb. 12 for novice-skilled players of all ages.

“The main reason I was interested in the business was because I took part in youth mentoring,” Sattler said. “I have three sons, and my oldest and I got into paintball, and we really enjoyed it.

“We figure we can organize events to teach kids about safety,” he said. “We will provide good supervision and make sure they don’t get hurt.”

The store encourages kids to stop by if they want somewhere to go, even to get away from the cold.

“A lot of kids come here after school to hang out,” Sattler said.

Kay Luna can be contacted at

(563) 243-5039 or kluna@qctimes.com.

Source: http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?...y&c=30,1044409