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South Metro offers venue for a variety of sports
The arena boasts an NHL-sized ice rink as well as facilities for volleyball and basketball.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
WASHINGTON TWP. Montgomery County — You can count on a game going on every day at South Metro Sports, from ice hockey to volleyball to broomball to basketball.
The 68,000- square-foot facility is located on 10561 Success Lane. The address has been a misnomer, according to co-owner Al Iwasko.
Extras
"Unfortunately, the previous places have not been successful," Iwasko said. "Honestly, we struggle financially and depend on word of mouth for people to find out about us."
The building was originally built 25 years ago as the Austin Road Tennis Barn. It has been through several owners in that span. Iwasko, the president, and co-owner vice president Tim Haven will celebrate their third year in June.
They envision more in 2010 when the nearby Austin Pike interchange will open with the potential to take the multi-sports complex to a whole new level.
"We're very excited about the future," Iwasko said. "Putting the exit ramp nearby will only increase traffic. We're kind of cumbersome to get to now. The property will become more valuable. Good Lord willing, we will still be here."
Added Tim Haven: "We're perfectly positioned and it will help us dramatically We're already drawing teams from the Cincinnati amateur hockey and the hockey teams from Lakota East and West (high schools)."
The facility offers enough ice time, court time and gym time to satiate the appetite for participation. With it's NHL-sized ice rink on one side of the center, hockey remains the foundation of the arena. It is home to several hockey high school programs — Springboro, Centerville, Alter, Bellbrook, plus the Dayton Travel Club.
Iwasko's involvement with the Springboro hockey team catapulted him and got him interested in purchasing the center. It helped remedy the severe shortage and the great need for ice time for the young people of the Miami Valley.
But it isn't for hockey alone. Broomball is currently sweeping the area and South Metro offers Monday night leagues for novice and experienced players. Nearby LexisNexis even has a broomball league at lunch at the facility.
"Al does the little extra things that are customer- friendly, like providing two hours of ice time for an intro to broomball session at the start of each season," said Jeff Downs, who runs the broomball league. "Those who can't ice skate tend to enjoy broomball."
The sport is drawing more and more attention at South Metro. The rules and strategies are similar to those of ice hockey. It is a combination of ice hockey and floor hockey with players wearing tennis shoes and carrying brooms.
The Dayton Juniors volleyball program also calls South Metro home as well as the Dayton Christian High School volleyball team and the Ohio Valley Force AAU basketball program.
"It's getting harder and harder to get gym time in high schools throughout the area and we lose out to other high school activities that take precedence over us," said Phil Anders, a director of Dayton Juniors Volleyball Club. "Once you book with Al, you can count on a high-quality venue, with a high-end sport court surface."
Added Air City Volleyball coach and Centerville boys and girls volleyball coach Monte Moser: "We don't have to travel to Chicago or Cleveland or any other out-of-state cities now. This beautiful facility is able to host good-size tournaments. Al makes you feel welcome there."
Dayton Juniors hosted the President's Cup volleyball tournament that attracted teams from 12 different states and Canada and South Metro was one of the venues.
"Seeing the smiles on the faces of people leaving here makes it worthwhile," Iwasko said. "Youngsters to adults are enjoying themselves here, having fun with the day-to-day activities we have to offer."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2478 or rjackson@DaytonDailyNews.com.
