SWING BATTER, BATTER, SWING! The Eau Claire Sports Warehouse, 2983 11th St., offers indoor space to practice softball, volleyball, basketball, and many other sports.

In a time where obesity is a major national issue, it’s more important than ever to stay active. With a strong youth athletics presence currently in Eau Claire, it seems the city has a positive future ahead. But what happens if the presence is so strong, the city doesn’t have enough supply to meet the community’s demand?

That’s the problem Jodi Thesing-Ritter and Leslie Huntington posed to each other earlier this year. Their solution was to create the newest addition to the local recreational scene, the Eau Claire Sport Warehouse. Thesing-Ritter, the UW-Eau Claire associate dean of students, and Huntington, the university’s softball coach, are co-owners.

“The thing I love about it is all my kids can workout doing different sports, and my husband and I can enjoy watching them or we can workout and do our own thing.”
– Jodi Thesing-Ritter, co-owner, Eau Claire Sports Warehouse

Thesing-Ritter said the space is an environment for anyone interested in staying active, regardless of age. “It was born out of a common relationship related to softball, but then also my desire to be able to have an affordable facility in Eau Claire for kids to play multiple sports and for families to have the opportunity to play together,” she said. “We have wonderful facilities in Eau Claire,wut they’re all full and very busy. So to have the opportunity to add to the array of opportunities for folks is our goal.”

While the facility’s grand opening was Sept. 19, it has been open and operational since mid-June. The space features basketball and volleyball courts, batting cages, and space for fitness and yoga classes. There is a multi-purpose area for sports such as golf, football, and archery as well.

The Eau Claire Sport Warehouse, 2983 11th St., also offers a number of programs for community members to join. There are currently a number of workshops in progress, including an archery league and some basketball, baseball, and softball clinics. “We try really hard to keep prices affordable,” Thesing-Ritter said. “They range from $10 to $30, depending on what the lesson is and the duration. Our courts are also available for rental. So if a basketball team wants to rent a court or if a volleyball team wants to rent a court, everything is available for rental.”

While she refers to the business as “still a baby,” Thesing-Ritter said the response thus far from the community has been wonderful. While it hasn’t necessarily translated to business yet, she said the warehouse plans on getting more publicity in the coming months. Among other TV and radio promotions, they plan on offering Black Friday, Kids’ Night Out and School’s Out deal as the year progresses.

“Everybody that comes in the space loves it, so we just need more people in the space,” she said. “The thing I love about it is all my kids can workout doing different sports, and my husband and I can enjoy watching them or we can workout and do our own thing.”

As a mother of four, Thesing-Ritter said she built the facility she would want for a busy family. She said fun is the first priority when working out there, but if people are interested in bettering their athletic skills, the Eau Claire Sport Warehouse is the place to be.

Eau Claire Sport Warehouse • Fall/winter hours: Mon.-Fri., 3-9pm, Sat. 10am-4pm, Sun. 12-5pm • 2983 11th St., Eau Claire • 715-514-5944 • info@
ecsportwarehouse.com • www.ecsportwarehouse.com