Monster sports facility coming to Mt. Vernon

By: 
Steve Chapman

An artist’s rendering shows the interior of the future 417 Athletics facility in Mt. Vernon.
The sports complex will be larger than Fieldhouse Sportscenter, a similar business in Springfield.
(Graphic submitted)

When Sydni Alexander was graduating from Mt. Vernon High School in 2009, she envisioned a sports facility where athletes at all levels of competition could go to train and hone their skills. By the end of this year, that vision may become a reality.
Alexander is the director of operations for 417 Athletics, a future 50,000 square foot-plus sports facility which will be located in Mt. Vernon, just southwest of the Missouri Veteran’s Home. She said the facility will be able to provide all kinds of training opportunities for athletes.
“417 Athletics will eventually be an all-encompassing facility for the athletes,” she said. “We’re starting out with the competition side of things, so we’re going to have 10 volleyball courts, four basketball courts and a multi-purpose room for exercise classes. That way, we’re going to be able to host leagues, camps, clinics, instructional classes, sports-specific training and large tournaments throughout the year.”
The facility, Alexander said, will provide training for athletes at all levels, from the novice to college-level athletes and beyond.
“It’s for athletes and their families,” she said. “We’re going to start classes for kids aged 4 years and up. If you’re just beginning, and you have no idea what you’re doing, we’re going to bring you in and teach you how to move.”
Alexander herself grew up playing sports. She was on the volleyball team at Mt. Vernon High School, and continued to play volleyball for Central Methodist University, where she majored in sports management while minoring in business and sports education. After graduating from college, she became a personal trainer, and now she has returned to Mt. Vernon to complete the vision she started a decade ago.
“I started this project 10 years ago when I was in high school,” she said. “I started drawing up floor plans, and my dad kind of took over to create it then. Due to unfortunate circumstances, it fell through. But it gave me the chance to go through school and get real-life experience and come back, so I could build it and bring it to our community.”
Alexander estimates the facility will open either by the end of the year or early in 2020.
 

Category:

Lawrence County Record

312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
www.lawrencecountyrecord.com

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