As Mike Karr made his trek across the United States last spring from where he had played professional soccer in San Francisco, he decided to sit down with a couple of his brothers and pose an idea.
That idea will soon come to fruition: the Blue Tornado Sports Arena.
“It just seemed logical at the time,’’ he explains now. “We’re the only air-conditioned indoor sports field at the moment offering soccer and lacrosse.’’
The boom was quick. Construction is continuing and things won’t hit full go for a few more weeks, but the sweat labor is serious and ongoing. Karr started a Facebook site (playbluetornado.com) that has drawn over 50,000 visitors.
The opening offer for use of Blue Tornado Sports Arena is for area kids and adult leagues and teams to sign contracts now, and get the first use of the facility free for the opening month.
Interest in the deal for use of the facility off Wickham Road in Melbourne has exploded.
“My dream is to see if take off the first three years and then build a large facility after that,’’ said Shawn Karr, an assistant lacrosse coach at Satellite High School.
Karr, who played the sport collegiately at Stony Brook in the 1980s, felt the summer heat and weather screamed for an indoor site. He also noted that booster programs for younger players are begging to be built.
“Not just in Satellite but beachside is in definite need of feeder leagues where kids can get involved early and progress along,’’ Karr said. “We get along well and I think when the idea came up we saw it could create overwhelming interest.’’
Brian Karr, who runs the adult league in Brevard, is the chief operating officer and sees the early interest as proof how it could grow.
“We have facility rental as well so they can do what they wish,’’ Mike Karr noted. “We’re still in construction until the end of the month.”
Two new entryways are being built, two sets of stairs were moved and a new lobby built. The air-conditioning system is also new.
Asked if the undertaking was gamble, Mike Karr said, “I don’t think so, personally.’’ He sent a daughter to soccer camp and she had heat issues.
Mike Karr plays lacrosse and soccer and notes the heat it unpleasant for most adults as well.
“Everybody seemed super-excited,’’ Mike Karr said. “Our Facebook blew up right away. I think operationally it’s not a risk.’’
Brian Karr has run the adult league for lacrosse for a while. “It’s pretty brutal during the summer,’’ he said. “When Mike first moved here we were all interested because it would just be so nice to play indoor in the AC. It’s hard enough to stay in shape as it is, but to get out in the heat with the gear on and running it’s pretty tough for us. So we’re excited not just for the kids but for the adults to get out and do some running.’’
“It’s going very, very well,’’ Brian Karr said. “Mike has run sports leagues for many, many years and been involved in marketing. I run as much of the business side as I can to free him up to enjoy the sports side. And Shawn is taking care of the other part, so it’s worked really well to cover all the bases.
“So far, in the marketing that Mike has done, the interest has been pretty phenomenal. Word is spreading quite a bit; I think that once people actually get in there and start posting pictures, I think it’s going to spread pretty quickly.’’
Brian Karr adds it’s a lot of fun but also a “neat project’’ they’ve all enjoyed, by spending so much energy on a project they all love.
“(Kids) can come in and play and just have fun,’’ Mike Karr said. “That’s something I’m very excited about. I think some of the play can get overly competitive and I think there’s a lot of times that kids just want to go and have a good time and I feel that’s good.’’
Article by: David Jones, correspondent