I was watching a handful of boys playing basketball at the as I took lap after lap on the running track last week. Their game was interrupted continuously. Several interruptions were to retrieve a ball from another pick up game using a different hoop but then there was the mom who had to chase down her stray toddler that ran after a bright green basketball on the way to the indoor playground. The young players didn't seem to mind too much. However, the game would have had more momentum without the constant interruptions. While these courts are a great place for a low-key pick up game, it is not a place to get in serious practice.
This made me think of how awesome it would be to have a personal indoor sport court at home...especially in a Minnesota winter. It is not just a dream idea either. Builders are starting to put them into homes throughout the Twin Cities metro. Wouldn't an indoor court at home be a great place to for kids to blow off steam after school? Or for aspiring athletes to train on a daily basis for team tryouts?
Scientific research shows that it takes 3 hours of practice daily over the course of a decade to raise a talented athlete to the elite status. Most aspiring players end up spending countless hours away from home training for their sport but what if those hours could be spent at home instead? This is one of the big appeals of an indoor sport court.
When my son was in baseball years ago, we installed a batting cage in our backyard. We live on acreage and had the space. It was great in the spring, summer and most of the fall, but it didn't provide any advantage in the winter. Spring baseball tryouts are usually well before all the snow has melted. There are few options for playing catch or practicing pitching in January and February. We had to pay for camps and drive our son all over the metro several times a week to get in a few hours of training. It would have been a dream come true to have a court with padded walls and a net for practicing pitching and hitting off a tee in the winter.
A few miles away our friends had two daughters in gymnastics and dance. This family repurposed their huge polebarn into a mini gymnastics practice facility complete with a beam and trampoline indoors. because it wasn't heated, it lost it's appeal during the winter months. It's hard to warm up and perform when the temps are below zero in the barn.
This is a common issue for Minnesota moms and dads of young athletes. Where does a parent bring a child to get in that very important daily practice without jeopardizing time spent on schoolwork and other activities. Having a gym at home is would be very valuable to many sports minded families.
As parents, we would have loved the luxury of an indoor sport court whether for our teens to enjoy a friendly afternoon of basketball or to practice and train for baseball tryouts. Indoor courts are can be designed to be very versatile spaces with something for every member of the household. They are fast becoming a very attractive selling point in the luxury market but can be incorporated into mainstream homes too.
Is a indoor sport court worth the investment cost? That depends. Like any other home feature, it will only be worth it if it is used. But if you have an active family and it's winter in Minnesota, the odds are good that an indoor court could be the favorite room in the house.
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