SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. — What used to be a practice field and two old basketball courts for the Schuylkill Haven Area School District is now a college-level sports center, the first of its kind in Schuylkill County.
Athletes, including high school quarterback Brayden Fasnacht, participated in one of the first practices at the facility.
"It's a big difference down at Rotary Field compared to here. It's a lot softer, and a lot of the players and our teammates say it's a lot more slippy when we're running our certain plays on the field. But I think after a while, we're going to get used to it," Fasnacht said.
The $5.5 million sports center aims to help athletes in high school and beyond.
"I think this is going to be a great jumpstart for me, and not only for myself but for teammates and players from other sports as well from here – just a great spot to be in whether you're a freshman or a senior. Anyway, it's going to give you a great start," Fasnacht added.
By partnering with the Lehigh Valley Health Network, health professionals will be on hand to help treat injuries and teach athletes how to prevent them.
"We have a full-time trainer here, a sports performance coach, a physician that manages their help, athletic trainers. We have physical therapists, and so we are really going to be involved on a day-to-day basis to make sure our athletes are healthy as they can be," said William Reppy, president of Lehigh Valley Health Schuylkill.
The investment in this sports facility isn't just for athletes.
"This is for more than student-athletes. Our staff is going to be able to use it. People in our community are going to be able to use it. Our marching band can have its practices inside here on a rainy day. So this is going to be used by so many kids and staff members. We're just really excited," said Schuylkill Haven Superintendent Shawn Fitzpatrick.
The Lehigh Valley Sports Performance Center is now open, and athletes are already using it to get ready for next season in the coming school year.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel.