DULUTH — A new indoor sports complex is expected to open soon in the Oneota neighborhood, enabling athletes to train, play and compete year-round on its courts, cages and turf space.
Elite Sports Complex will feature five pickleball courts, six batting cages, pitching mounds, a basketball court and two lanes of turf for lacrosse, soccer and football. The facility also hosts concessions and a retail center on its upper level.
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In December, co-owners Herb Gibson and Aaron Larson signed the lease for the building at 4510 W. First St., most recently occupied by Essentia Health’s warehouse until it moved to the Esko Industrial Park last year. It also housed the Lighthouse Center for Vital Living, is now downtown.
The newfound partnership combined Gibson’s love of baseball with Larson’s passion for lacrosse to provide the community a place to host dedicated and competitive sports associations regionwide and to practice athletics, especially in the winter months.
Larson will oversee the building as manager, while Gibson will lead sales and logistics.
Gibson is the general manager of the Duluth Huskies. Gibson’s P5 business recently moved from Minneapolis to the Northland to sell uniforms.
Larson is a retired military veteran and owner of Dr. Juice USA, a Duluth-based hunting and fishing product manufacturer. Dr. Juice was founded by Duluthian Greg Bambenek in 1980 with a focus on wildlife scent research and development. Its products are sold in Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s.
“Me and his son, who deployed to Iraq together, took over the company," Larson said. "It's been about 15 years, and now I'm the sole owner. Greg is still on the board. Now it's phased into more of a management company. It runs Dr. Juice, which is its own brand and trademark, but we manage other things, like a sports card store and this facility. With that, we hire veterans.”
As former president of the Arrowhead Titans lacrosse club in Hermantown, Larson had also started the Northern Vortex team.
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“That’s kind of what fueled me to do this,” Larson said. “We couldn’t find indoor turf time anywhere. We got a total of three hours last year.”
According to Elite’s owners, the complex fills a void for athletes and sports enthusiasts throughout the region.
“Once we started, we immediately started seeing the snowball effect of people wanting to be involved, and the community coming together to get this thing up and running,” Larson said.
The new indoor sports facility is a $1 million personal investment. The first phase includes a 40,000-square-foot sports area and 10,000 square feet of retail space.
Integrity Builders was hired as the contractor for the project. So far, the pickleball courts are complete, a restaurant build-out is underway, and nets will soon be dropped in place before the final step of laying turf is completed.
The Elite Pro Shop offers brand-name athletic equipment and apparel. Elite Sports also contracts with Big Frog of Duluth for fan gear for area high schools, associations and clubs.
Elite Sports and Collectibles carries sports and fantasy trading cards, as well as autographed sports memorabilia.
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Concessions such as beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, hot dogs and nachos will be available at The Kitchen, a restaurant named after a pickleball term for center court. It is located on an upper-level balcony overlooking the facility.
“This is kind of our viewing area where you can hang out and come watch your kids play sports,” said Larson.
A soft opening is slated for Feb. 1, pending approval of a certificate of occupancy from the city. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with pickleball courts opening at 6 a.m.
Individual and association memberships are available, in addition to open court times. Expert coaches will offer lessons to athletes of all levels.
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