RAINBOW WARRIORS PAINTBALL GRUNTS GET TASTE OF BATTLE.

Byline: Amy Raisin Staff Writer

NEWHALL - As if mirroring the tactical warfare and gun-toting combat dominating the news, about 200 men and boys scurried from the cover of trees and wood planks over the weekend during a typical game at Paintball USA.

In fact, the owners of the paintball adventure company, which boasts more than 40 acres of rugged terrain, said that they have experienced a 30 percent jump in business since the war on terror began after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

``The general answer is people are here to take out their aggressions,'' said April Schwartz, whose husband launched Close Encounters Paintball USA 15 years ago. ``Some people go to therapy. This is therapy for the more aggressive sorts.''

Concealed in the mountainous brush above the interchange of the Golden State and the Antelope Valley freeways, Paintball USA's ``safe'' area is a haphazard display of tents and shacks, all strewn with camouflaged netting and other militaristic hallmarks.

Just a few feet away, however, is the war zone.

Sporting the required battle mask, the fighters - divided into either the red team or blue team - creep and slither from their base camp in the attempt to capture the opposing team's flag.

Parents are required to sign waivers for players age 10 to 17, while adult players must sign the same waiver in order to see action.

While a few females are found wielding the paintball guns, the sport largely draws the guys.

And at a price tag of $40 for the basic package - all-day admission, a mask and rental gun - many of the fighters come for the day.

``It's fun and entertaining,'' said Ed Camacho, 26, a paintball enthusiast from Santa Paula. ``It's kind of like an adventure. It's another way of getting outside, spending a day.''

His cousin admits that the dense conditions and incessant snaps and pops of guns being fired is at least a small taste of what trained military fighters are experiencing in Afghanistan.

``They may want to see what the troops are going through over there, yeah,'' said 20-year-old Miguel Camacho. ``It's a whole different experience out here, and it's not too hard to imagine what it would be like.''

Schwartz said the paintball craze has spawned start-up businesses everywhere but cautioned that the nature of the games requires strict safety guidelines.

For example, players must be at least 10 years old to play. For young newcomers, there is a beginners' field.

Every 30- to 40-minute game features trained referees. And there is perhaps the most important rule of all: never remove your mask during play.

``Even just to wipe your face or something, the players are never to take their masks off on the field,'' owner Mike Schwartz said. ``These paintballs travel at a high rate of speed. Without the battle mask a terrible accident could happen in a split second.''

Resting after a game that did not produce a winner, one player, dressed in camouflage from head to toe, explained the appeal for many, from businessmen to auto mechanics.

``You get a rush,'' said David Monzingo, 26, of Van Nuys. ``It's like playing competitive hide-and-seek when you were a kid. But it's the adult version.''

For information about Close Encounters Paintball USA, call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Paintball warriors take cover behind a wall bearing the marks of a previous game at the Paintball USA in Newhall.

(2 -- color in Valley and SAC only) Decals on their gear projects the paintball warriors' sense of bravado while in exchanging fire with their opposition.

battle.

(3 -- color in Valley and SAC only) Jack Siccama, 13, sports the protective headgear required of all participants in the mock battles at Close Encounters Paintball USA.

(4 -- color -- ran in AV edition only) Plastic balls filled with paint provide the ammunition in the play-acting battles waged at Close Encounters Paintball USA, which has seen business rise 30 percent since the war on terrorism began.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer