Spartan Airsoft’s arena features broken vehicles, large tires and other objects around which to dodge, dip, duck and dive.

VALDOSTA – Julian Vigay had never paid much thought to airsoft, either to the guns or to the sport of it.

“I thought it was a kid thing at first, so I wasn’t really receptive to it,” said Vigay.

That changed in January when his friend, Diego Trulillo, was given an airsoft gun as a gift from his fiancé.

They traveled to Airsoft Barracks, an airsoft store in Jacksonville, Fla.

“Talking to the owners and managers there made us want to start one here,” said Vigay.

That started a month-long dive into airsoft culture, as Vigay and Trujillo traveled around Georgia and Florida, visiting different airsoft arenas and stores.

“I was very transparent,” said Vigay. “I let everyone know we were thinking of doing one in Valdosta. The airsoft community, I have to say, are wonderful. Airsoft Barracks took us through the retail side, and 904 Tactical in Jacksonville, they taught us everything we needed to know about how to set up the field.”

Even then, Vigay was designing the Spartan Airsoft course which has an urban, “Call of Duty” feel to it, housed at 418 Dale Lane.

There are, for example, several cars in the arena. The tires flat, the keys absent. Players can use the cars in a myriad of ways, ducking behind them, hiding inside them, climbing on top to use the hood as high ground.

Along with some fairly open areas, there are closed-in interiors and a number of objects that can be moved: unhinged doors can be picked up and used as shields, a couch can be dragged in front of a door to trip up anyone trying to enter the room.

“We wanted a dynamic field,” said Vigay. “Simply opening a door can change how you play and how people engage you. Standing on top of cars, going inside of them, shooting out of them changes the place and makes the field bigger.”

Roughly in the center of the area is an observation tower, used to house a DJ and referees to keep an eye on the action. Unlike paintball, there is no visual marker that a player has been hit, with players calling hits on the honor system.

There are also two spawn points, diametrically opposed, where members of a team go back to when they’re hit to start on another life.

There are seven

different match types played at Spartan, all designed to be team based (although they also do one-on-one matches).

Most of the match types resemble game modes on multiplayer first-person shooters. There’s Domination, which combines capture the flag with king of the hill as two teams fight to raise their flags at five flag points around the arena and keep them up until time runs out.

There’s Search and Destroy, where each team is searching for and trying to secure a certain object.

And there’s a match called Lone Survivor. It starts as a 3-on-3, but each time a member of the latter team gets hit, they respawn as well as bring out another player for

the team (think of the

mythological hydra and the two heads that replace each one that gets cut off). The three “lone survivors” only have one life each and fight the ever-increasing team until it becomes three people against everyone else in the arena.

At that point, members of the larger force are restricted to one life each, with the lone survivors winning if they manage to hit all the members of the final wave.

The busiest days are Friday and Saturday, with 30-40 players showing up on an average Friday and 50-60 on Saturday.

Cameras are set up throughout the arena, allowing players in the waiting area to watch the match.

Along with the arena, Spartan has a retail side, as well as onsite technicians.

“We stock everything in the airsoft community,” said Vigay. “We stock the guns, the accessories, upgradable parts, magazines, masks, apparel and tactical dress.”

In the next year, Vigay plans to start an outdoor arena, as well as possibly opening a second location in Albany.

Spartan Airsoft charges $35 for a day pass for players who need a mask and gun and $15 for players who come with their own mask and gun.

There is also a weekend pass which is $55 and covers Friday through Sunday.

Military and law enforcement discount of 10 percent.

It also offers a group discount for large groups that call ahead and make an appointment.

“We’ve got military guys and civilians out here, men and women, black and white, young and old,” said Vigay. “With all the race stuff going on, it’s wonderful to see kids from different walks of life that are in there playing with each other.”

Spartan Airsoft is located at 418 Dale Lane.

Spartan Airsoft is open 4-9 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday, 4 p.m.-midnight Friday, noon until midnight on Saturday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

More information: (229) 242-4272 or (229) 242-7183

FB: Spartan Airsoft Inc.

Instagran: @thisisspartanairsoft

Website: www.thisisspartanairsoft.com