TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

New Sports Complex Is Becoming A Big Draw

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

Reid Whitehouse, 4, keeps the bats lined up in the dugout while Sebring's Class E men's softball slow pitch team 27 Electric, including his father, play at the Highlands County Sports Complex recently in Sebring.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: May 9, 2008

SEBRING — Of the 32 weekends left in this year, 25 already have softball tournaments scheduled at the Highlands County Sports Complex.

And Rocky Ellingsworth, manager of complex, says there's a good chance that all or most of those seven open weekends will be filled with tournaments.

So far, the tournaments, which draw mostly out-of-town teams that fill up local hotel rooms, have been the big success story at the sports complex, which opened eight months ago and was built at a cost of $4.3 million.

Local league play, though, also is popular and growing at the five softball fields, set in a star pattern around the distinctive two-story, eight-sided blue building that houses concessions, restrooms and offices.

Thirty-five teams are playing in the three leagues now at the Sports Complex on Tuesday (recreational league), Wednesday (competitive league) and Thursday (church league) evenings.

Ellingsworth said the Sports Complex, off Highlands Avenue near Sebring High School, has been growing in both weekend tournament and local weekday league play quicker than he expected for a facility still in its first year of operation.

Why?

"We're a new site, we've got good fields, and we've got a great location in the center of the state," answered Ellingswoth, sitting in front of the most dominant feature of his second-floor office at the Sports Complex, a large poster of his hero "The Duke," the late movie legend John Wayne.
Dan Jameson gives another reason.

The 32-year-old, former college and possibly pro baseball prospect has played softball since a torn rotator cuff, late in his high school baseball career, ended his dream of pitching in the Major Leagues. He's played on hundreds of fields, in Canada, throughout at least 10 states and, he says, "in dozens of places all over Florida, from Miami up to Jacksonville."

"These fields," he said, "are definitely in the top 10 of all the fields I've ever played on, and I'd put them in the top three of all the places I've played in in Florida."

He's a bit prejudiced in favor of the county Sports Complex, since he's one of the two full-time groundskeepers there. But Jameson also plays there twice a week, in the Tuesday and Thursday night leagues, while he continues playing in a travel league for a Fort Lauderdale team.

"These fields are in such good shape because when they're playing a tournament, we keep maintaining them throughout the tournament," Jameson said. That's not so at many other softball complexes, he said.

Amy Torres, who plays with husband Rob for the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Avon Park's team in the Thursday church league, says she loves not only the quality fields but also the laid-back, friendly atmosphere of the Sport Complex.

She and Rob also play together on a team in the Tuesday night recreational league, while Rob also plays with a third team, in the Wednesday evening competitive league.

"The whole atmosphere overall there is very pleasant," she said. "People go there after work to play ball but also to relax and socialize and have a good time."

The Sports Complex has taken some of the pressure off the Max Long Recreational Complex, which was over crowded with both youth and adult teams.

"At Max Long, we had a women's (softball league) night, but that slowly faded away," Torres said. "Right now, I want to push to get women's teams at the new Sports Complex, because it's so nice and such a well run operation."

Tony Cruz and wife Pritselie play in the Tuesday and Thursday evening leagues. He's been coaching both teams and plans to start playing also in a few weeks. She plays in the Thursday league and keeps score for their Tuesday league team.

"We love the Sports Complex," Tony Cruz said. "We love the fields, we love the concession stand in the middle, and my wife and I really like the way Rocky (Ellingsworth) is running it.

"Rocky is very approachable," Cruz added. "He's always only a phone call away. He isn't somebody you have to hunt down, he's reachable to answer any question."

Tony said he and Pritselie have made a lot of friends since they started playing league softball about a year ago and are thankful for the county's new, first-class softball complex.

"Before that we were what you might call a 'regular couple,' just going home after work, eating dinner and watching the TV shows," he said. "Now we go out and play ball and we've made a lot of friends, and after the games we sometimes go out to Dairy Queen."

Ellingsworth said there's room for growth in the local leagues with the five softball fields. League play now fills up four of the fields on Tuesdays, three on Wednesdays and two on Thursdays.

A similar five-field complex in Seminole County had about the same rate of play in its first year, he said. "Now, they're full to capacity and there's a waiting list for teams to get into a league," he said.

With 55 acres, the county Sports Complex also has other activities, including a new soccer league which should spring into action in a few weeks, a recently launched flag football league, and facilities that will become the new home, for games and practices, of Sebring's Pop Warner youth football teams.

"I get ideas all the time from people" for new activities at the Sports Complex, Ellingsworth said. Lately, he's gotten requests to launch adult leagues for kick ball and for whiffle ball. He's looking into both possibilities.

"Kick ball and whiffle ball for adults?" he was asked.

"They've worked very well," Ellingsworth said, "in other places."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT