Mark Armstrong, a former minor league baseball player who played for the Dayton Dragons and is the current high school baseball coach for the Clark-Shawnee Local School District, said that many of his players go out of town for advance training once the season is over.
Armstrong, along with his two business partners Wyatt Meyer and Kade Ryvolt, all residents of Clark County, wanted to create a similar atmosphere for players in Springfield. The goal is to have a location that offers batting cages, weight training and open space for team exercises.
Armstrong said that they want to eventually grow their offerings in the area. The business will be called Advanced Sports Academy Ohio.
The trio chose Springfield because “it is big enough to be known as having a good athletic community," Armstrong said, noting that the city is also “small enough that some might overlook it."
Meyer added that “we don’t want (players) to have to go out of town in order to develop their skills.”
They were able to lease a space that offers 6,300 square feet and is located at 2001 Lagonda Ave., in Springfield. Advanced Sports Academy Ohio will officially open on Dec. 1.
By that time, the space will have three 20-foot wide cages where people can practice their pitching and batting. Those cages will be retractable to allow for more team exercises. There will also be equipment for weight training and other services.
Armstrong said they are in the process of getting independent trainers to work out of that space. He said they are just not focusing on baseball and want to get other types of athletes involved.
They are also working out pricing, with individual cages going for $20 per half hour. Monthly memberships will focus on two categories – training and developing skills.
Armstrong said they expect to have memberships related to sports performance to be $180 per month. For those wishing to use the batting cages, memberships could range from $100 for 10 half-n-hour sessions or $150 for unlimited sessions throughout the month.
The idea is to have individuals wanting to work on their skills or train to do so during the week while the weekend would be reserved for teams. The goal is to gradually offer more services, including adding more trainers as well as space for physical therapy.
Meyer said that the idea to have this type of location has been in their minds for sometime.
He and Armstrong build and renovate baseball fields for another company. While looking for a location to store equipment they found space to launch Advanced Sports Academy Ohio.
A lot of local teams have also had their season interrupted or canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Meyer said that adds to the need to have an indoor location that offers advanced sports training.
Armstrong said they will be following coronavirus guidelines to ensure social distancing. He said that includes asking people who use the batting cages to bring their own balls or using rentals that have been extensively cleaned.
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