HAYESVILLE — On a dry Thursday afternoon in June, a few parents were seen conversing while their children each hit their own set of sanitized baseballs in batting cages at Hayesville’s new indoor sports training center.
It’s been “relatively quiet” since reopening, said the general manager of Home Turf Training Center, Bryan Hall. The newly-renovated space was designed ideally for winter months when Ohio children can’t practice sports outdoors, but the center’s inaugural season was cut short earlier this year when gyms were ordered closed by Gov. Mike DeWine.
“For us, we were just getting that momentum going, but everyone in Ashland was affected like that,” Hall said. “So I think probably it’s affected the kids here more than anything. They were putting the work in in January and February, so it was hard to see their seasons cut short like that.”
The 15,000 square-foot athletic facility opened in January 2020 after an extensive renovation led by local businessman Ben Ferguson.
According to Hall, the space was a former rodeo barn that had sat vacant for nearly two decades. Ferguson had been looking for an indoor training facility for his two youngest children, who often travel for sports.
“Then, he wound up purchasing this, and it became a place for the youth of the area,” Hall said. “He saw this location as perfect, between Wooster, Mansfield, Ashland and Loudonville.
“I think it’ll be a packed house come next winter.”
Home Turf remains open for the summer, too, as alternative space to practice sports like baseball, softball and soccer. Classes are led by local trainers in the space. A few have rented a section or two for birthday parties.
On this particular Thursday, Hall predicted the center would be busy by evening, as rain began to pour mid-afternoon.
“It’s nice to see the kids coming back in, using the space, knowing there’s something out there for them to do in bad weather,” Hall said.
He emphasized the space is safe, and equipment is sanitized between every lesson or session.
“It’s clean in here. We’re taking all the precautions,” Hall said.
For more information about Home Turf, visit the business’s Facebook page.
