April 16, 2024

A new west-side sports center has started to host its first practices and events.

Impact Sports Center at 500 N. Ebenezer Ave. is owned by Jason Wolthuizen and Chad Yde, who met when their kids played baseball together.

The 40,000-square-foot building includes three high school-sized gyms on the north side of the building that can accommodate basketball, including smaller courts for middle school students and basketball shooting machines, and up to five full-size volleyball courts if the space were set up for it. In another configuration, it can hold about 15 pickleball courts. There’s also an upper mezzanine level.

The south side offers 10,000 square feet of open field turf, along with 4,000 square feet of batting cages and hitting equipment.

“It’s been picking up,” Wolthuizen said. “We’re probably not 100 percent open yet, but we’ve just been going by word of mouth and getting people in the door, and we’ve been picking up that way.”

The building hosted its first basketball tournament a few weeks ago.

“They rented court space and had a lot of people through, and that went really well,” Wolthuizen said. “Everybody has been surprised when they walk in because they never expected it to be this big and nice.”

Impact Sports Center will host its own basketball tournament for boys in fifth through eighth grades during the last weekend in April, which also will provide a chance to continue to build its concessions, Wolthuizen said.

Visitors can find packaged snacks, plus hot dogs, chicken strips and pizza.

“We’re hoping to add a few things and run it during our own tournament and build it slowly and see what people want and don’t want,” he said.

So far, the building has been used for team practices and for programs coaches have run for Impact. There also will be open-gym opportunities, Wolthuizen said.

“It’s probably going to be more of that when school is out and on school breaks to get kids in during the day,” he said. “We’ll see what works and doesn’t work and make adjustments as we go.”

The golf simulator and batting cages are up and running, he said. Reservations for courts and other activities can be made through the center’s app. Click here to download it from Apple and here to download it on Google Play.

Impact Sports Center isn’t hiring for now — largely because Wolthuizen and Yde’s families have stepped in to help.

“Chad has three kids, and I have two, so they’re helping out with concessions and things like that,” Wolthuizen said. “They love it right now. It’s a lot of fun, and that’s one comment we’ve had a few times is people can’t believe it’s just family ownership.”

At this point, there aren’t set hours at Impact Sports Center, so visitors should use the apps to reserve time.