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PROGRAMMING AND
CROSS-PROMOTING
V
V
alley Sports Center is a state-of-the-art,
28,000 square foot facility with the largest
gymnasium (18,000 sq. ft.) in the Farmington Valley.
The facility features basketball, volleyball and batting
cages, as well as a variety of camps, clinics and after-
school programs.
Since the facility has no turf, its soccer and lacrosse
offerings are limited. However, because of its size,
Valley Sports Center can be configured for several
sports and activities. Its primary sport is basketball.
"We can have either four parks-and-rec-style size
courts, or we can convert into two high school courts,"
says General Manager Kris Viner.
The space is large enough for batting cages as well
as for birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, and other
special events. 5,000 square feet are dedicated
to speed and agility training at Velocity Sports
Performance.
According to Danielle Spiro, who coaches as well as
organizes special events, young athletes in the area
are very competitive. Kids are playing sports and are
under pressure to perform well. As they get older,
competition increases. The goal of sports performance
training for middle schoolers (who make up the
majority of those who train at Velocity at VSC) is not
simply to help kids excel–to increase the likelihood
of their making the A team or getting onto their high
school team–but to teach them proper form and
technique–how to warm up or how to stretch. After
all, if they're starting earlier and playing more sports,