They looked at places from Tysons Corner to Fredericksburg and didn’t quite find what they were looking for.
Monte Evans and Magnus Ellerts were looking for a place that would be able to train the entire athlete, from teaching agility and speed, to weight lifting, to developing skills on the field. That’s what Competitive Edge is all about — a new 18,000 square feet indoor sports training facility off Featherstone Road in Woodbridge.
It is the life dream of Evans, who founded a track club in Dale City six years ago. He’s been renting park facilities in Prince William County to hold meets and special events, but he always wanted a place of his own.
“Everybody’s is trying to use the county track or the fields, so we got bounced around a lot,” said Evans, “Sometimes, there just weren’t any fields available to use.”
Evans’ track club attracted more than 300 members, and it eventually outgrew the use of parks and recreation facilities. At Competitive Edge, athletes have the use of an indoor field, weight room, and a soon-to-be-added track.
There’s also a major focus on baseball. Pitching and batting cages take nearly half of the floor space in the facility. The owners hope these elements will attract athletes of all kinds, especially young ones, who will want to train here.
Ellerts worked for himself and operated a home improvement business for 25 years before co-founding Competitive Edge. He coached youth baseball at night.
“It was time for a change because I found myself hurrying up at job sites so I could finish the day and come home and coach,” said Ellerts.
He says part of the success of the business will be determined by his ability to work his connections to the local baseball scene, and his ability to reach parents and student athletes who use nearby Veterans Memorial Park, which is a weekend sports destination.
The business is located inside the Farm Creek industrial park. Obtaining the facility took two years of work. Before Competitive Edge, this space was used a hockey rink and a print shop where student loan bills were printed during the 1990s.
“We had to wash a lot of ink dust off of the walls when we took over,” said Evans.
The new facility represents a $400,000 investment in the Woodbridge community – most of the money came from Evans’ personal finances.
On Monday morning, a group of homeschoolers was on the indoor field taking part in a physical fitness class. Their parents’ dropped them off for the one-hour session.
“I want you to jog out like this, do a couple of laps…on my clap, go!” said Darnell Washington, who was coaching the children.
About 20 children, ages 5 to 12, ran down to the opposite side of the indoor field and stopped. Washington clapped again, and they all ran back to where they started.
“We’re big on agility here,” explained Evans. I was working with a kid, and I said ‘let’s play tag’ and they were like “OK, what are the rules?”
“Common, it’s tag. After that, I saw there was a clear need for this program because so many children are staying inside all day and not learning to be agile by playing the simple games we used to when I was a kid,” said Evans.
The center held its ribbon cutting on Feb. 6, 2016. A large crowed came to welcome them to the neighborhood, added Evans. Competitive Edge is located at 14849 Persistence Drive, inside Featherstone Industrial Park in Woodbridge.
