Grassroots Initiative!
Knox Sports Complex is a non-profit organization and our mission is to improve the health & economic vitality of our community through an indoor athletic facility in Knox County. While our long term goal is still to have a facility that will include swimming, tennis, pickleball, rock-climbing and more, which will cost ~$35 Million to build, we are starting a little smaller with some courts and a turf that rolls out over them, so we can get some youth and adult programming started much sooner! Click on the link above for more details.
Donor Recognition: We’re excited to share we received a $2000 Spark Good local grant from our local Vincennes Walmart Supercenter. This grant will help with KSC’s Grassroots Initiative to put 2+ indoor dual lined tennis/pickleball courts, stand alone pickleball courts, roll-out turf and restrooms on the KSC property to get its youth and adult programming started. We are proud to spark good in our community! #SparkGood
Other businesses that have contributed products and gift cards: Ewing Printing, Costco, Charlie’s Candy Shop, Procopio’s, Memering Autoplex, Miracle Clean, Marmie’s Table, Texas Roadhouse, Advance Auto Parts, Shirt Print Avenue.
Special thanks to Good Samaritan Hospital for sponsoring our Youth Pickleball Leage! Click on tab above to see more about that.
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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"This facility will provide access to typical outdoor sports inside to enjoy year round for all age groups. We hope to retain professionals working in our area to live here after they finish training and provide a place for community and physical fitness. "
-Rebecca 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
29.3% of KC 10-17 YO obese, almost double the state rate of 15.2%
44% KC Adults are Obese, Indiana’s average is 37% & 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 athletic 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 and active. 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 and Pickleball 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, turf field 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
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This would promote better health and activity for our entire community. At the same time this would alow us to host various tournaments, bring in tourism and money to our community.
Vincennes Common Council
We need your help.
We need your help.
Yeah but…
This sounds like the same thing as the YMCA?
We see it differently. YMCA’s are great for learning sports and general fitness. The types of facilities similar to what KSC envisions are for more advanced training in those and other athletics, to be able to host tournaments and competitions. Yes, our initial build will have multi-purpose courts, but the full facility will have dedicated areas for the individual athletics. Many aging adults have trouble with the hard floor courts that the YMCA has for pickleball and travel to outside counties for indoor courts that use regular pickleball court materials.
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. Many parents who would like to work but can’t afford to pay for child care, may be able to utilize in-house child care for employees. As Knox County draws more young doctors to train, work, and live here, after their training is completed (or during it) their partners will also be an excellent resource for employees. As the need grows, KSC 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 the facility grows, in-house "pros" can also be incorporated.
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, Knox County hosts several tournaments over the summers drawing participants from all over the region.
The rapidly growing pickleball community has an estimated 100+ players with more trying the sport each day. Locally, pickleball pulls in people of all ages and skill levels from retired adults and high schoolers, and now, with our youth pickleball league, younger children. Knox County also has several Pickleball tournaments throughout the year. 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 schools have swim teams plus the WV Swim Team Club. The limited lanes at the YMCA makes it difficult to host swim meets that can generate a lot of tourism dollars.
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 /President and Treasurer
CMO and Family Doc at GSH Family Health Center, Rivet MS Tennis Coach, Youth Soccer Coach
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Roy Ingles
Vice President
Vincennes Youth Soccer Founder, (retired)VU Facilities Director and Soccer Coach
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Rebecca Cunningham
Secretary
CG REal Estate Properties, LLC, SK HS Swim Coach and Assistant MS Tennis Coach
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Jake Alexander
Board Member
Insurance representative, Wabash Valley Swim Team Head Coach
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Vanessa Purdom
Board Member
FC Tucker Realtor, VU Associate Professor, Law School Graduate
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Dean Tolbert
Board Member
Gemtron Production Scheduler, Rivet/Lincoln Basketball Coach
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Laura Curry
Board Member
Independent Accountant