Battle Blasters: Youth Open Play

Dusty will be your Battle Blasters facilitator, bringing years of hands-on gameplay and a strong focus on safety to the field. He spent four years playing competitive paintball, including semi-professional tournaments through Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP), where he learned the importance of structured games and maintaining high safety standards. He also served as a referee at Xphere in Faribault, MN.

The idea for Battle Blasters started when Dusty and his wife, Kim, bought a Gel Blaster for their son’s birthday. After seeing how much fun he had, they set up a backyard party with inflatable bunkers. It was a huge hit, and that sparked an idea: Why not bring this exciting experience to more families? Together, Dusty and Kim launched Backyard Bunkers, a mobile blaster experience created to bring fun to kids in the community, starting with these Battle Blasters classes.

Kim is the behind-the-scenes engine that keeps Battle Blasters running smoothly. She handles the details so Dusty can focus on facilitating. From checking kids in to keeping things on schedule, she makes sure each session is a success.

She and her husband, Dusty, started Backyard Bunkers with the goal of creating something fun and active for kids in the community. As the Marketing Specialist for Albert Lea Community Education for the past six years, Kim has developed a strong passion for helping families connect through meaningful and memorable experiences. Battle Blasters is another way she is helping bring creative, engaging, and fun opportunities to local families.