| Area
sports enthusiasts will have a new facility in which to play
soon, as the Colonial Sports and Courts club is expected to open
this month at 1101 Fairy Falls Drive. The club will feature six
racquetball courts, a new sport called "Wallyball,"
dance classes, a pro shop, snack bar, a staffed child-care room
and men’s and women’s locker rooms complete with a whirlpool
and sauna, according to Coshocton native Tony Adams, who will
serve as manager and racquetball pro at the new club. The club
is being built by Steve and Denley Schlegel, who are continuing
a project started by their late father, Dr. Edward R. Schlegel.
Adams, who comes back to his hometown after managing a sports
complex in Newark, said Tuesday the club should be open for
public play "soon." He said workers are trying to
finish work on the courts and locker rooms so they can be opened
to the public while work on the rest of the interior is
completed. Adams said the club is intended to serve as a fitness
facility, not just a racquetball club. "Our number one goal
is fitness and our number two goal is social," he said.
"You can get into shape and have fun doing it," he
added.
The six official-size courts will
be available for members to participate in a number of
racquetball activities, including private lessons, clinics and a
variety of leagues at all levels of play, Adams said. The courts
also can be used by members for handball or wallyball, new sport
that resembles volleyball with the use of walls incorporated. A
net is put up across the middle of the court, and teams can play
the ball back and forth, like volleyball, or off the walls.
"I think this is going to be a real hot sport around
here," Adams said, adding it got its start on the West
Coast but now is more popular in the East.
Dance classes that will be
offered at the facility are still being arranged, Adams said,
but they will include the popular aerobic dancing. One of the
more unique features at the club will be the child-care room
provided for members. Adams explained the staffed center will be
available so members can come to the club during the day and not
have to worry about arranging for a babysitter.
The pro shop will be completely
stocked, Adams said, with all racquetball equipment clothing
shoes and eyewear, and it also will offer restringing
racquetball and tennis racquets. The two-story building also
will house a large lounge area upstairs, with a snack bar and
viewing spaces for watching the action in the courts below. In
addition to the upstairs viewing areas, the two front courts
also will offer glass back walls, for court-level viewing, Adams
said. Adams, a certified pro who is sponsored by racquetball
equipment maker Ektelon, will teach the racquetball lessons. He
said lessons will be available for beginners as well as advanced
players. Adams said an announcement concerning the club’s
grand opening and an open house would be made soon. |
