HTK Airsoft opens in Jasper (Update)
After a brief closure due to some necessary variances to operate as an entertainment facility in an industrial-zoned area, HTK Airsoft has reopened.
The Jasper Board of Zoning Appeals made the exception for HTK Airsoft to operate in the former JOFCo factory at 1355 Vine Street across from the Vine Street Lofts at Wednesday’s meeting. The variance was given with some caveats limiting the hours of operation, the number of players and addressed the facility’s need for adequate parking.
Co-owner Jason McCoy agreed to the requirements the board requested and the variance to operate was approved unanimously.
Along with operating as an indoor airsoft facility, McCoy also plans on allowing the facility to be used as an indoor archery range if the interest is there. He told the board that he had already had some people contact him to see if he would allow it.
About 30 people were in attendance at the meeting; all in favor of the proposed use.
The original story about HTK Airsoft is below.
“Grenaaaaaaade!” Jason McCoy calls as his arm flicks around the wooden barricade.
A plastic water-bottle shape bounces across the wooden third floor of the former JOFCo building on Vine Street.
BOOM!
About 200 pink and white plastic beads shoot a short distance. The damage is minuscule but it forces the three defenders to duck down behind their
However, the defenders led by Jason’s son, Harrison, are positioned well.
Jason’s attackers attempt to lay down some suppression fire to give him a chance to lead the rush but they are pinned by two 18-year-old girls in a sniper nest and three other defenders whose positions are staged at about 10, 12 and 2 o’clock in the room.
BRRRRRRRP! BRRRRRP! BRRRRRP! The defenders fire short automatic bursts of plastic beads. Within a few seconds, the rush is stopped as Jason suddenly yells “I’m hit.”
As he stands with his hands in the air and walks back to his base — a requirement in this game — his team remains caught in a crossfire behind a wall at the stairwell entrance. No one wants to be hit by the small plastic beads — they do sting — and without Jason to embolden them, they retreat back downstairs to the floor held by their red team.
It’s a moment of reprieve for Harrison who says his dad is excellent at breaching rooms in the Airsoft games they take part in. With him gone and the opposing team retreating, he takes a moment to reassess their plans.
BRRRRP!
“I’m hit!” an attacker yells from a corner in the room. He had climbed up a fireman’s pole to flank the team as the rest of the team attempted their breach. Hands in the air, he also walks back to the red team base downstairs.
Harrison’s blue team will keep an eye on the pole from now on. Downstairs, red team members have their guns trained on the opening in the ceiling as well.
A short time later, after two more attempts, having lost all of his lives, Jason is out of the game.
Welcome to Jasper’s newest indoor recreational activity, HTK Airsoft. A 50,000 square foot indoor course featuring equipment rental and a shooting range for firing bb-sized pieces of plastic at your friends or targets.
Started about six weeks ago, the facility is located in a portion of the former factory across the street from the Vine Street Lofts. Jason and Harrison, 14, are partners in the business.
The interest started with Harrison being introduced to the sport about three years ago. “I got into Airsoft playing with a couple of friends in the backyard,” Harrison explained.
His first impression was that it hurt and he didn’t want to get shot so he enjoyed shooting targets. Then a friend happened to shoot him at nearly point blank range and he realized the pain dissipated quickly in light of the adrenaline of the competition and fun.
Jason watched as a couple of Harrison friends turned into a lot of friends showing up at his 120-acre property on the Martin-Dubois County line basically every Sunday.
“They’d be out there for about ten hours at a time so we’d put on a pot of chili and ring the dinner bell, feed them and then they’d run back out for another five hours,” Jason said.
Jason also began playing with the group. “I remember growing up that we couldn’t play for very long before someone had their feelings hurt or there would be a fight,” he explained. “These guys are out there for a year straight and I don’t think there was a single argument that wasn’t solved quickly.”
He and Harrison began to explore the community and the equipment with an eye towards higher-quality gear with a fun, competitive spirit. They found groups and conventions that gave them access to some of the best players in the world as well as hands-on with the best equipment.
In light of the expense — some competitors can easily spend thousands of dollars on equipment — the two realized there was a need for the average person to have a place to enjoy the sport with some of the best gear available.
“I really saw the benefit of it all and decided I could shepherd it along,” Jason said.
Harrison researched the best guns to use of the rental and Jason began to work on the space at 1355 Vine Street. The factory space was perfect; large open areas that can be shaped to create different layouts fairly easily.
For the barriers in the factory, Jason’s sister, Evie, called him when she found out the closing Kmart was selling all their shelves and displays. The Blue Light Special racks have found new life as
“We have had groups come from St. Louis and Arkansas,” Jason explained adding that the attraction is the large, interior course and the quality of the equipment and experience with
Groups as large as 30 to 40 players or as small as 10 to 15 can have a great time in the facility. Jason has been surprised by the demographic attracted to the Airsoft. He was expecting teens and young men but a large portion of the clientele served have consisted of folks in their 30s and 40s.
HTK is named after Harrison. The acronym stands for Harrison The Killer, a nickname he’s earned as he has racked up kills without himself being taken out by the opposing teams.
“It’s very tactical,” Harrison said who added he enjoyed the strategy of the competition.
He added that by bringing this to the area, HTK is a new outlet for teens and adults to have fun outside of bowling, roller skating, going to the movies and eating out.
Customers to HTK can rent masks and guns for their shooting fun. Those that are new to the sport or even shooting are brought into the shooting range and taught how to safely handle the guns while getting a bit of practice. Then, after getting geared up and magazines loaded, Jason will give the competitors a safety briefing before taking them on a tour of the facility to show them the egress points and allow them to try the fireman’s pole.
The guns are spring loaded, gas or electric fired and the light plastic bbs travel an average of about 350 ft per second — although the most effective range is less than 300 feet. They sting when they hit and if they hit exposed skin, they can cause welts or even slight contusions. Which is why players wear clothing and gear that cover most of their body.
Once the preliminary intro and safety brief is completed, the teams are given some time to set up for whatever game they could be playing — capture the flag or a team deathmatch are some examples. The signal is given and then it’s an intense game of back and forth until the conditions of victory are met or a time limit is reached.
Parents or spectators can watch the action from the players lounge downstairs as the facility has several cameras throughout the playing field.
An outdoor field is also available.
If you have your own equipment and just want a place to play, the rental for three hours is $10 for a single person while three can play for three hours for $25. Equipment varies, but guns are $10 to $15 and masks are $2 with bbs costing $5 per 1000.
Reservations are required for weekend matches and can be made by calling 812-661-7552. HTK is open Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 12 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 12 to 6 p.m.
More information is available on the company website at https://htkairsoft.com/ or on Facebook here.
