Owners of a new multi-sports complex are ready to welcome the New Year with the opening of a 100,000 square foot facility on the south end of The Woodlands.
The Legends Sports Complex, at 602 Pruitt Road, is set to open early January and offer a wide-ranging center for enthusiasts of just about any sport.
€We pretty much have it all,€ said assistant manager Adam Ferguson. €If you want to lift weights or hit a couple of baseballs, shoot some hoops or drive some golf balls, we've got it.€
The sprawling complex is set to be one of the largest multi-sports training centers in southeast Texas, with two roughly 45,000 square foot buildings situated on the 15-acre site.
All in oneThe idea for the complex initially hatched as an all-inclusive baseball training facility by owners Rick Mora and Chad Fox, a former professional baseball player.
It was to include the traditional pitching and hitting training centers, as well as spots for ancillary areas like weights, fitness equipment and sports medicine professionals.
€It started off as batting cages, but as they started to look at other areas, they realized that nobody really had all the sports venues covered,€ Ferguson said.
€You may find one or a couple of sports (in one facility), but nothing that incorporates all in one.€
So the foundation of the center was expanded to add basketball courts, volleyball courts, a golf driving range and an indoor turf field for soccer, lacrosse or other sports.
€You can find about anything you need no matter what sport you're interested in,€ Ferguson said.
The first 45,000 square foot building houses four tournament size basketball courts, as well as eight junior courts that can be used as volleyball courts.
The second 42,000 square foot building includes a 12,000 square foot indoor turf field that can be used for soccer, football, lacrosse or other training.
Also featured there are six batting cages and three instructional pitching lanes for baseball and two simulators for golf.
Building two also has an 8,000 square foot fitness facility for weightlifting, with a specialized cardio room for Pilates, yoga and wellness programs.
High-tech edgeFor those trying to work out the kink in their golf swing, the Legends complex has a pair of new computer simulation systems to help golfers iron out those awkward strokes.
Through a series of cameras and a high-tech computer model, the simulator tracks the projection of the ball as a user swings through the shot.
It can also help to fix trouble spots with aim and distance.
Ferguson said the new systems can give instructions like that of a seasoned golf pro, but with a little more fun.
€It's kind of like (Nintendo's video game system) Wii for adults,€ he said.
Tips from the prosWith the upcoming opening, Ferguson said the management has just finished hiring on the instructors and staff that will be teaching in the various sports.
That roster includes several former athletes that had once played in the professional ranks in their respective sports.
Co-owner Chad Fox, who also serves as the director of baseball, had pitched for nine years in the major leagues, including a stint for the 2003 Florida Marlins that won the World Series.
Football director Jermaine Williams had similarly served as a running back on several National Football League teams, including the 2001 AFC Western Division champion Oakland Raiders.
Todd Parsons has also been hired on as the basketball director, Kacy Stallman as fitness director, Ricardo Anderson soccer director and Willie Villareal volleyball director.
After breaking ground on the 15-acre site in May 2006, the complex had initially been slated to open in early 2007. But weather delays and other setbacks had pushed the opening into 2008. €The wet spring alone set us back 90 days,€ Ferguson said. €We're looking forward to opening.€
The Legends Sports Complex, at 602 Pruitt Road, is set to open early January and offer a wide-ranging center for enthusiasts of just about any sport.
€We pretty much have it all,€ said assistant manager Adam Ferguson. €If you want to lift weights or hit a couple of baseballs, shoot some hoops or drive some golf balls, we've got it.€
The sprawling complex is set to be one of the largest multi-sports training centers in southeast Texas, with two roughly 45,000 square foot buildings situated on the 15-acre site.
All in oneThe idea for the complex initially hatched as an all-inclusive baseball training facility by owners Rick Mora and Chad Fox, a former professional baseball player.
It was to include the traditional pitching and hitting training centers, as well as spots for ancillary areas like weights, fitness equipment and sports medicine professionals.
€It started off as batting cages, but as they started to look at other areas, they realized that nobody really had all the sports venues covered,€ Ferguson said.
€You may find one or a couple of sports (in one facility), but nothing that incorporates all in one.€
So the foundation of the center was expanded to add basketball courts, volleyball courts, a golf driving range and an indoor turf field for soccer, lacrosse or other sports.
€You can find about anything you need no matter what sport you're interested in,€ Ferguson said.
The first 45,000 square foot building houses four tournament size basketball courts, as well as eight junior courts that can be used as volleyball courts.
The second 42,000 square foot building includes a 12,000 square foot indoor turf field that can be used for soccer, football, lacrosse or other training.
Also featured there are six batting cages and three instructional pitching lanes for baseball and two simulators for golf.
Building two also has an 8,000 square foot fitness facility for weightlifting, with a specialized cardio room for Pilates, yoga and wellness programs.
High-tech edgeFor those trying to work out the kink in their golf swing, the Legends complex has a pair of new computer simulation systems to help golfers iron out those awkward strokes.
Through a series of cameras and a high-tech computer model, the simulator tracks the projection of the ball as a user swings through the shot.
It can also help to fix trouble spots with aim and distance.
Ferguson said the new systems can give instructions like that of a seasoned golf pro, but with a little more fun.
€It's kind of like (Nintendo's video game system) Wii for adults,€ he said.
Tips from the prosWith the upcoming opening, Ferguson said the management has just finished hiring on the instructors and staff that will be teaching in the various sports.
That roster includes several former athletes that had once played in the professional ranks in their respective sports.
Co-owner Chad Fox, who also serves as the director of baseball, had pitched for nine years in the major leagues, including a stint for the 2003 Florida Marlins that won the World Series.
Football director Jermaine Williams had similarly served as a running back on several National Football League teams, including the 2001 AFC Western Division champion Oakland Raiders.
Todd Parsons has also been hired on as the basketball director, Kacy Stallman as fitness director, Ricardo Anderson soccer director and Willie Villareal volleyball director.
After breaking ground on the 15-acre site in May 2006, the complex had initially been slated to open in early 2007. But weather delays and other setbacks had pushed the opening into 2008. €The wet spring alone set us back 90 days,€ Ferguson said. €We're looking forward to opening.€