Let’s bring an indoor sports complex to Knox County.
Knox Sports Complex is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the health & economic vitality of the community through an indoor sports complex in Knox County. Facilities will include, swimming, tennis, pickle-ball, rock-climbing and more.
End the Traffic Jam
Good luck if you want to swim. Six teams battle for a tiny pool. Tennis or Pickleball in the winter? You better be ready to drive. Let’s end the traffic jam. A new facility means more court & pool space for all.
Create Community.
Keep People.
Help people thrive in Knox County. Where people belong, people stay. Provide the backdrop for meaningful connections, healthy individuals, and personal growth.
Less Travel, More Practice.
End the two-hour roundtrips. Use that time for practice while keeping money in the community. Not to mention the indirect community impact of swim meets, and pickle-ball / tennis tournaments.
Some Perspective.
Some Perspective.
Maps
Where the county swims
in the winter
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Most of the county schools and clubs fight for time at the, undersized and over utilized, YMCA pool.
Two lanes are reserved for the public. Practices begin at 3:30 and end at 7:30 if you're lucky enough to have a time not to mention other programming.
South Knox splits time between North Daviess’ YMCA, Pike Central’s pool and the Vincennes YMCA. A normal day of practice requires and hour of travel. -
With the addition of the KSC swimming pool the YMCA would have more pool availability for locals or clubs; therefore, ending the log jam.
Another option would be to scrap the costly pool and focus on other areas of need that would be complimentary to the community; volleyball, basketball, daycare or maybe even gymnastics.
KSC is happy to make sure we have complimentary services with the YMCA.
With the additional pool space schools like North Knox and Lawrenceville might be able to provide swimming as a school sport. Additional programming for the youth and underserved could lower drowning rates.
Swim meet locations
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Swimming is not a cheap endeavor. Traveling far and far’er is not a sustainable plan for local clubs. Travel costs include gas, food and entry fees per team and player. Not to mention, the time spent traveling.
**The Vincennes YMCA is not listed as a location because it hosts 1 or 2 small meet’s per year. -
The addition of a 10 lane competition size swimming pool would be a big win for the high schools, residents and local economy.
The easy wins are the saved time and money by the clubs and parents.
But the big win is the economic impact - sports tourism is big money. Restaurants, retail and lodging should expect a boost from these events. The added media attention is another plus.
Nearest indoor tennis facilties
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Despite a growing demand tennis shuts down from mid-November to March. The nearest indoor facilities are Evansville and Terre Haute. If you commit to the weekly two hour roundtrip expect to fork out $500+ per winter for group play.
Tennis is a sport for all ages, unfortunately there are zero public courts in Knox County. The high school courts are only open after the high-schoolers finish.
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KSC’s 5 indoor tennis courts will open the door for our growing tennis and pickle-ball community. Having indoor courts allows local players to skip the drive and stay in shape during the winter months. It would also allow a place for locals to play during the day.
The ability to host tournament in the winter would also be a win for the local restaurant, retail and hotel economy.
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"Retaining talent is always an issue. Having an indoor sports facility for medical residents would be a big win."
-Brian Cunningham
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"The Pickleball scene with our highschoolers is so encouraging! It's a shame they have nowhere to go in the winter."
-Vanessa Purdom
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"I drive a zillion hours to Evansville each week for practices."
-Shannon Turpin
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"The swimming schedule is insane. My son begins practice at 7pm."
-Lindsey Beumer
Knox by the Numbers
22% more likely to die prematurely (≤75 YO) in Knox County than the IN rate.
22% higher rate of heart disease death for our residents
Heart Disease is leading cause of death in Knox County
28% of KC 10-17 YO obese, double the state rate of 14%
44% KC Adults are Obese, Indiana’s average is 37% and the National average is 32%
76% more likely to die of a stroke in KC
Knox and Surrounding Counties
Population Trends
Hi, I’m Sally Bodensteiner, M.D
You may have known me from my medical practice at the Medical Center of Vincennes and now at Vincennes Family Health Center.
I am the mom of two active boys, constantly bouncing around the house. As a mom, who grew up in a community similar to Vincennes, and a physician in this community, the problem is not enough opportunities to learn and hone many sports skills and a general lack of availability to do many sports year round. So they turn to video games, other screen time activities, and worse things, like drugs. Then the lack of physical activity contributes to obesity. Without "things to do" in Vincennes and Knox County, young professionals don't want to move here, and our youth, when they finish school, don't want to stay.
Our facility will offer an excellent resource for activities for all ages, helping them all get and stay healthy. It will help reduce drowning accidents in our area by providing Learn to Swim programs for Kindergarteners and First Graders through all the local schools. Our facility will offer a place for local parties and employee retreats/workshops. It can be a tourist attraction in itself but will draw tourism to the community through tournaments and meets. My family will use it for the Golf Simulation, Batting Cages, but especially the Tennis Courts, and Rock wall climbing. We would love not to drive an hour away to a birthday party when we can have it on a Ninja course over the pool or in the rock wall climbing area.
I want to see our community grow instead of shrink. I want my children to want to come back here when they finish school. I want our community to be healthier. This is my home, and I want it to be the best it can be!
An Opportunity.
An Opportunity.
Our Goals
Indoor Batting Cages & Golf Simulators
Batting and golf cages for those who have no access to one.
8+ Swim Lanes
A competition size swimming pool containing ten 50m long lanes with adjustable bulkhead that can convert pool to twenty 25 m lanes.
5-7 Indoor Tennis Courts
5-7 indoor tennis courts that partner with local coaches for tennis lessons and skill improvement workshops.
Rock Climbing Wall
The only rock climbing wall in a 60 mile radius.
4-8 Indoor Pickleball Courts
4-8 dedicated Pickleball courts for our thriving pickle-ball community
After-school Programming
After-school programming geared towards teens and adolescents.
Indoor Turf Field
Indoor turf field for our soccer players and countless other activities i.e plyometrics, nerf wars, etc.
Facility Cost
Key allocations include a $16 million membrane, a competitive and therapeutic pool setup totaling $1.5 million, $500,000 for premier tennis courts, and comprehensive facilities like locker rooms and a rock wall, each reflecting our commitment to excellence. This project is more than a facility; it's an opportunity to ignite community engagement, wellness, and sportsmanship. Your support can bring this transformative vision to life, fostering a healthier, more vibrant community.
Letters of Support
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“I view the construction of an indoor sports complex as a win-win project for the Knox County Community as a whole."
Dr. Darrel Bobe, Superintendent NK
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It would help attract young professionals and their families to work and live here, something that our community is lacking."
Joe Yochum, Mayor
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I am particularly excited about the potential positive impact on mental health that a sports complex could bring."
Gregg Parsley, Superintendent VCSC
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"The potential revenue for the local business through the use of a sports complex like this would be tremendous."
Jeff Cochran, Superintendent SK
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I truly believe that this facility will benefit our youth and community.”
Janice Jones, Principal Rivet High School
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"A sports complex will help our community to move forward to being more active, safe and healthy."
Karla Smith & Alan D. Stewart, M.D
We need your help.
We need your help.
Ways to help
We would like assistance from County Commission in funding for Economic Impact Study performed by Sports Facility Advisory, LLC and Aquatics For Life, LLC
Innkeepers Tax money Capital Investment Operational Costs
Sewer Access. Prioritizing access to updated sewer for the project, READY Grant funds to assist with this infrastructure update.
Yeah but…
This sounds like the same thing as the YMCA?
We see it differently. The goal is to specialize in sports that differ from the YMCA to improve the health and economic vitality of the community. The YMCA specializes in youth basketball whereas KSC would specialize in tennis, & pickle-ball. The only major sport that would overlap is swimming which is a major logjam at the moment. Think three schools, youth programs plus adults in one undersized pool. Helping alleviate that logjam may help the YMCA serve the community better.
Are there coaches and managers that can run this? How will this be run?
There is potential for managers and programming staff for the facility, already in our community. As we draw more young doctors to train, work, and live here after training, their partners will also be an excellent resource for employees. As the need grows, we will develop our staff into different roles. Locally we have many coaches related to the sports we will offer, and to begin with, they can use the facility to give lessons, etc.; then, as we grow, we can then have the potential to hire in-house "pros."
Do many people even swim, play tennis or pickle ball in Knox County??
Knox County has around 280 tennis players of those tennis players 230 are students, 50 are adults. Currently Knox County has a growing tennis league with 120 players in it. The league also pulls in players from other communities. In addition the community hosted four tournaments this summer drawing participants from all over the region.
The rapidly growing pickle-ball community has an estimated 100+ players with more trying the sport each day. Locally, pickle-ball pulls in people of all ages and skill levels from retired adults and high schoolers. The community hosted two tournaments this year and would likely host many more if there were indoor facilities. One of Pickleball’s brightest spots is seeing a growing number of high school kids going to the courts to socialize and play while meeting older members of the community. What a rarity these days!
Three of the high school teams and …. [Jake answer question]
Is it sized correctly for the community??
The designs have undergone several revisions, mainly to accommodate what was brought to our attention as needing to be improved in our community. Many have asked for it to have even more sports available. So, it may not be big enough, but for what we have currently planned, it will support having large swim meets, tennis and pickleball tournaments, hosting parties (birthday and otherwise), health classes, etc.
Ready to pledge your support?
2024 Board
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Sally Bodensteiner
Founder / Chair
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Rebecca Cunningham
Board Member
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Vanessa Purdom
Board Member
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Jake Alexander
Board Member
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Tiffany Muranaka
Board Member
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Aaron Pea
Board Member