417 Athletics shows off facility during last week’s soft opening

55,000 sq. ft., 4 basketball court or 8 volleyball court monster gym now open, booked up through April
 
417 Athletics held a soft opening of their new facility on Monday, Dec. 7. About 200 people attended the event.
For Sydni Alexander, director of operations, the opening of the facility is the result of nearly two years of hard work. She said the facility’s soft-opening was originally supposed to take place in May, but several unforeseen obstacles got in the way.
“A lot of the things that we have overcome are outside forces,” she said. “The weather aspect of it was the big thing that held us back at the beginning. COVID-19 hasn’t necessarily had a huge impact, it just affected the number of people we are allowed to have here during construction, so that slowed it down, a lot.”
On a scale of one to 10, Alexander described the difficulty level in opening the facility as a “25.” However, she said, seeing people being able to use the facility has made all the effort worthwhile.
“We had 12 men’s teams for the men’s leagues in here last night,” she said during the soft opening. “Just seeing them all in here competing and their families in here watching them play, that’s what made it worth it. It’s just seeing them happy and excited that we have a place like this in Mt. Vernon (that) made it all worth it.”
Alexander said she never had any doubt that Mt. Vernon and the surrounding communities needed the facility.
“I grew up playing sports here, and throughout the decade there have been so many people that have played sports in this area,” she said. “Mt. Vernon and the surrounding area are very small-towns, but they are centered around sports, and they have always had to drive as far as … Joplin for practices, and as far as Kansas City, Arkansas and Oklahoma for any large tournaments. So, just back from my childhood it’s been in demand, and even more so now because sports have grown so much. Where we’re at, centrally located between Springfield and Joplin, all the teams, sports-wise, in Joplin drive right by us to go to Springfield, so it’s definitely a sports facility that is needed.”
 The 417 Athletics building is 55,000 square feet in size and boasts some impressive features, including four basketball courts or eight volleyball courts, a large hospitality area for coaches and officials, a 1,600-foot multipurpose room and a large concession area.
“One of my favorite amenities is the mezzanine that goes down the center of the facility,” Alexander said. “It has extra-big seating that offers a 360-degree view to all of our courts.”
Future plans
Looking to the future, Alexander has big plans for the facility, including several training opportunities. Yoga and boot camp fitness classes are available, and the facility also held a volleyball training clinic led by professional volleyball players on the weekend of Dec. 12, which was attended by almost 100 people.
“We plan on having seasonal camps, clinics and leagues throughout the entire year,” Alexander said. “Currently, we are booked up through the end of April for volleyball tournaments and basketball tournaments, and we are working on a lot of clinics and stuff to have during this summer as well, so we are going full-tilt trying to fill this place up as quickly as possible.”
A number of people who attended the soft opening said they were impressed with the facility.
“I think it’s pretty nice,” said Chad Short. “I think it’s going to attract a lot of teams.”
Kinsey Palmquist said she liked the facility because it was close to where she lives.
“We were having to travel back and forth to the Field House in Springfield, and then we were playing premiere leagues in Republic,” she said. “I think it’s going to bring a lot of business here. I think it’s beautiful. I think this town really needed something like this.”
Social site
While she intended for the building to be a major sports facility, Alexander said she also wants it to be a place where kids can meet up with friends and have some fun.
“Although we are building this for a sports facility that will attract teams from as far as Kansas City, Arkansas and Oklahoma,” she said, “this is also our home base, so we want to be able to provide a space for the community for them to come in, to walk the facility, drop in for a dollar just to shoot hoops or play some volleyball or pickleball or just hang out with a friend, whether it’s before school or after school.”