Youth Sports Training Facility Opens Near Oakdale

With numerous training facilities on the south and west sides of the Twin Cities, parents, coaches and athletes have been wondering for years why an indoor, multi-sport training facility like this hasn’t been opened up in the Oakdale area.  

“I have two boys that participate in sports and I’ve never been able to find a place where the kids and I can just go and practice without buying a big ticket training package,” said Costa Hasapopoulos, owner of Skills Sports Training, which recently opened in Lake Elmo.

“Our goal at Skills is to have an affordable, indoor athletic space where athletes can bring in their own trainer if they want, use one of ours, or just come in and practice on their own," Hasapopoulos said.

The front part of the 15,000-square-feet facility includes the “dry-land” hockey training area and in the back part of the building is the baseball/softball/soccer/lacrosse area.
 
The dry-land hockey area features a flexible training space with plyometrics (balance boards, boxes, ladder and slide boards); computerized RapidShot and RapidHands training systems (a cage that measures puck reception, reaction time, puck speed and accuracy); a stick handling, shooting and a goalie practice area on KwikRink skateable synthetic ice; and a skating acceleration lane. 

The baseball and softball part of the facility offers training areas for specific skills such as hitting, pitching and fielding. A token-operated cage offers fours speeds for baseball, three speeds for fast-pitch softball and a lob for slow-pitch softball.

With two practice net areas, pitching machines, screens and tees, six pitcher and catcher lanes with raised or level mounds, it’s an ideal facility for youth baseball and high school teams to rent out during the offseason or bad weather days, Hasapopoulos said.

“My goal each week is to offer open practice times for specific age groups, so that parents can drop off their kids and high school athletes can come in and practice, hang out in our lounge area, work on homework as they wait, and of course, just have some fun while they practice,” he said.

“The best part is for the athletes who live in the area, we are conveniently located five to six minutes from anywhere in Woodbury, Oakdale and Lake Elmo, and 10 to 15 minutes from anywhere in Cottage Grove and Stillwater. We’re on the north side of I-94 between Radio and Woodbury Drive,” said Hasapopoulos.

For more information on clinics, training and facility hours call 651-621-2487 or visit www.skillssportstraining.com. Skills Sports Training is located at 9242 Hudson Blvd N. in Lake Elmo.