And HK were ahead of their time and often misunderstood. They were one of the few amateur teams in the 2000s that never won a major event, yet they were probably the best known amateur team in the world. Why? How? Good questions. The short answer is branding. As the Hostile Kids’ mystique grew they noticed and took advantage of their notoriety. Within a few years the HK logo was on everything they had… t-shirts, pants, hats, their famed black turtleneck shirts, their hoppers guns and everyplace else imaginable. And the more they played, talked trash, used terms like “agg,” which they borrowed from the skate world—the more demand there was for all things HK. So the kids became entrepreneurs and began to sell their logo’d apparel. Soon the HK logo was one of the most recognizable in the game of paintball.

On the field the Hostile Kids had their moments, but never won a major event. With young players like Scott Kressin, Alex Goldman, Bear D’Egidio, Alex Cadalso and many other names you probably recognize now, HK just never had the leadership and the funding early on to make it to the next level on the field. But much of their roster would end up on pro teams around the country in the coming years. For a time they were a breading ground for future pro players.

Over the next few years the brand became bigger and bigger, and in 2007 several original HK members officially formed the company HK Army. Within a very short time HK Army was selling their own branded t-shirts, jerseys, pants and later harnesses, gloves, knee pads and more.

Over the past five years HK Army has morphed into a major player in paintball, with their own goggles/mask line, their own apparel line, their own hopper/loader, line of paintballs, shoes, hats, beanies and more.