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May 25, 2011
Summer Adult Leagues Amping Up at Valley Sports Center
Big Time Fun for Big Kids! 
Valley Sports Center adult sports leagues offer opportunities for adults to stay in shape, socialize with friends and hone their athletic skills. Valley Sports Center is a new indoor multisport facility in Canton, CT. The sports complex houses the largest gymnasium in the Farmington Valley featuring regulation-sized basketball courts, volleyball courts, and state of the art baseball/softball/golf cages. A variety of adult leagues will be offered year round.
As the first season of adult leagues nears the end at Valley Sports Center, the competition is really heating up and the championship game is sure to be exciting. Many of the current teams have already committed to return for the summer season and are eager to take on new rivalries.
“The spring season has been a huge success, the competition is great and all the teams are enjoying themselves. I can’t wait for the summer season to start, we are going to have more leagues and more teams!” said Lauren Hood, Valley Sports Center’s Sports Director.
Adult leagues at Valley Sports Center provide a fun and healthy fitness option for adults eighteen years of age and older. Upcoming leagues are offered in basketball, futsal and volleyball, both competitively or recreationally. There’s something for everyone, from separate men’s and women’s leagues to co-ed leagues. The summer season starts in June and will consist of eight weeks of regular play with the ninth week being playoffs and a championship game. Games are played on week nights after 8:00 PM.
Teams receive jerseys from Valley Sports Center, and certified, professional referees officiate each game to ensure they are safe and controlled. Valley Sports Center and The Hub Bar & Grille, located one mile away, have partnered to offer VSC Adult League team members’ food and drink specials after the games.
Adult sports leagues are a great way to build camaraderie and boost morale amongst company employees. Why not rally your staff and create a company team and compete against other businesses throughout the Farmington Valley. If you are looking to join an adult league individually Valley Sports Center also has that option. Individuals can register to play in a league and will be placed on a house team consisting of other players who signed up independently.
Online registration is currently open for the summer season. Spaces are filling up quickly so sign up your team at www.valleysportscenter.com or call Valley Sports Center at 860-693-2378 now!
April 2, 2011
Officers Show Competitive Spirit
Farmington Valley Police Departments
'Get to the Rim’ at VSC Opening
By Sylvia Cancela
From Canton Patch
Valley Sports Center officially opened its doors with the first Rally in the Valley, a community event pitting Farmington Valley Police Departments against one another on the basketball court. The event was created by Operations and Marketing Manager Christine Carpenter, to celebrate the opening of VSC and the community it will serve.
The sports center donated $250 to each police department for participating in the basketball tournament. In addition, the winner of the event received a trophy and a 
gift certificate valued at $200, for five one-hour, batting-cage rentals.
It was a lovely evening, with catered hors d’oeuvres and lively music. First the dignitaries and press arrived to tour the completely renovated facility, the former Canton Racquet Club. Next was the official ribbon cutting, by owner Mark Lange and his family. Then, it was time to talk some smack.
About Town asked representatives of the Avon, Farmington, Simsbury and Canton Police Departments how they expected the evening to go. Specifically, they were asked about their practice regimen, their predictions for the games; any messages they had for their opponents, and how they planned to use the $250 donation from VSC.
They had, needless to say, divergent opinions:
Avon PD
Practice? “No, not at all.” To that end, their prediction/hope was to,
“get through the games without any injuries. That would be a 
good showing for our team.” In terms of a message to the others, “take it easy on us. We have no subs!” It was their intention to donate the $250 to a local charity.
Farmington PD
They’ve apparently been practicing by watching a lot of basketball during March Madness, which they hoped would translate positively into their performance tonight. Their prediction for the evening was, “a lot of huffing and puffing from people on the court, as well as a lot of fun.” If they were going to send a message to their opponents, it would be, “If other teams spend a little more time at practice, then maybe they’ll be able to beat Farmington next year!” They will be spending their $250 in a manner that will benefit all the officers on the force.
Simsbury PD
They have been practicing for a few weeks. They predicted that Farmington was going to surprise everyone -- “They’ve been very quiet.” And, they warned their opponents to, “watch out for our secret weapon; she’s small, but she’s quick!” They planned to invest VSC’s $250 donation in one of their community projects.
Canton PD
The Canton home team has practiced a couple of times. And, they had a bold prediction. “We’re going to roll over the others. It will be over before it begins!” With that kind of bravado, there could only be one message that follows, to opponents. “The others will learn who the real champions in the Valley are!” Upon their anticipated win, Canton will be reinvesting the $250 donation back into the community, either by better equipping its officers to serve or, as Chief Arciero advised, “in some other way that benefits the community.”
Canton Police Department team members included: Chief Chris Arciero; Joe Capaldo; Mark Selander; Matt Keepin; Sgt. Derek Messier; Jon Saucier; John Bement; Sgt. Tyson Deloy; and John Bahre.
Round I: The opening tip was at 6 p.m. Canton against Avon and Simsbury against Farmington; in two concurrent, 30-minute games. The victors of Round I would play each other in Round II: the championship game. The other two teams would play one another in a, still highly competitive, consolation game.
Canton won its first Round game against a very tenacious Avon team, by a score of 30-24. By the time the hard fought championship game was over, Canton had come from behind, against a very talented Simsbury team, to win the championship, 25-22.
As the Canton team hoisted their winning trophy embossed with, “Valley Police Charity Classic Bragging Rights Winner,” Chief Arciero commented, “it was so great to see all the other PDs out here having fun. Everyone was a winner tonight. And, we all had a good time.”
Well done everyone ... especially Canton!
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April 1, 2011
Valley Sports Center In Canton Opens For Business.
By Julie Stagis 
The Hartford Courant
Locals looking to practice their swing or play a game of kickball will no longer have to worry about the weather when the Valley Sports Center opens for business.
The 28,000-square-foot facility has an 18,000-square-foot gymnasium, which includes basketball and volleyball courts and baseball, softball and golf cages that are suspended from the ceiling. The space can be converted to a multitude of purposes, and programming is scheduled throughout the day and night.
Adults can join leagues for basketball, volleyball, kickball or futsal, which is the only form of indoor soccer recognized by the International Soccer Federation. For youths, there are several leagues and instruction programs available in basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, kickball and volleyball.
Former insurance executive Mark Lange, who coaches Little League and youth basketball in town and serves on the board of education, had dreamed of opening a family sports center for years. When the former Canton Racquet Club closed last year, Lange leased the property and realized his dream.
"Mark's whole thrust for everything is all about being your best," said Christine Carpenter, director of operations and marketing. "So if you're already an elite athlete, you can use the Velocity Sports Performance training," a conditioning program that improves speed, agility and flexibility.
If you're not, Carpenter said, there are programs like Li'l Kickers, a soccer program for children 18 months through 9 years old; QuickStart Tennis and the Bill Decker Baseball School to bring out the potential in even the most inexperienced athletes.
"There's a curriculum for every sport," she said. "It really is all educational."
The center also offers school break and summer camps; birthday parties; teen nights and corporate events.
"There are a lot of options [for children's birthday parties], but now there's another one," Carpenter said. "We're hoping the Farmington Valley and beyond will embrace us as a different thing to do."
Valley Sports Center will hold an open house Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A family night open house will be from 6 to 9 p.m. At both events, visitors may tour the facility, participate in organized games, jump in a bounce house, speak with coaches and register for membership. The family night event will feature music, refreshments and a visit from Rocky, the New Britain Rock Cats mascot.
Valley Sports Center, at 310 Albany Turnpike, will be open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., beginning Monday. Visit http://www.valleysportscenter.com for more information.
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March 31, 2011
Valley Sports Center on the Verge of Opening Its Doors
Grand Opening Events This Weekend. 
By John Fitts
From Canton Patch
After working at a feverish pace since January, staff at Valley Sports Center are ready to showcase the facility this weekend.
“It’s exciting to be right here and have this ready to happen,” owner Mark Lange said.
This weekend, Lange and the staff at the indoor,
multi-sports center will host free, grand-opening events. Those include a family night open house from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday evening with music, strength testing, goodie bags,
refreshments, a visit from a Rock Cats mascot and a
chance to try some of the sports offerings.
“It’s a community, family event,” said Christine Carpenter, director of operations and marketing for the facility.
Residents can also stop by from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and tour the 28,000-square-foot facility, learn about programs, view demonstrations, use a batting cage and join an organized basketball, volleyball, or other game.
On Sunday, April 3, families with young children can learn about the QuickStart Tennis program between 9:30 and 11 am.
Official programming will kick off Sunday afternoon with a Bill Decker baseball-hitting clinic.
Staff at the center said the facility is unique to the area with its versatility and breadth of offerings for kids and adults such as camps, leagues, clinics and specialty training.
“I’m thrilled to bring Valley Sports Center to the families in our area. Children and adults will be able to take advantage of our quality programs and excellent instructors,” said Lange, a Canton resident, coach, businessman and Board of Education member.
Offerings for kids include vacation and summer camps, clinics and leagues and training for sports such as basketball, soccer, kickball and volleyball.
Adult can participate in leagues as well as a few drop-in programs.
A Velocity Sports Training Program will offer strength, speed, flexibility and mobility training for athletes
Lange and his staff had the facility, the former home of the Canton Racquet Club, revamped with the multiple uses in mind.
The main court area features a nearly indestructible poured polyurethane surface large enough to use as four small basketball courts, two high-school regulation sized courts or four standard size volleyball courts.
Other features such as temporary barriers and netting that swings down from the ceiling allow games to continue on one side while batting practice commences on the other.
To the side of the court area is a long, narrow, turf-covered strip that can be used for smaller activities. One side also holds the weight machines, exercise balls and other equipment used for Velocity Sports Training.
The facility also features a kitchen that will offer healthy snacks, hot dogs and beverages. Upstairs there are also a few arcade machines and a small café where parents can sit, read, use one of the computers provided at the center or surf the Internet on their own laptops with free Wi-Fi.
Also upstairs are two multi-use rooms for birthday parties, meetings or corporate events.
More information on program offerings, times and prices are available at valleysportscenter.com. The center is located at 310 Albany Turnpike (Route 44) at the former Canton Racquet Club next to the Mobil station near the East Hill, Route 44 intersection.
January 29, 2011
Valley Sports Center to open on Albany Turnpike in March
By RYAN CASEY
For The Canton News
CANTON — Valley Sports Center, a new 28,000-square-foot sports center and training facility, will be opening in Canton in March. The center is under construction at 310 Albany Turnpike (Route 44), the site of the former Canton racquet club.
Valley Sports Center will offer league sports, training and fitness activities. The center will offer a franchised program known as “Velocity Sports Performance” (VSP). This program is part of a California-based franchisor of sports performance training centers throughout the US. The program teaches proper running mechanics, core-strength development, and flexibility, with packages for ages 7 to 11, 12 to 14 and ages 15 and older.
“We have the only franchise in the area that will offer this,” said Valley Sports Center Director of Operations and Marketing Chris Carpenter.
VSP will be offered to Hartford and Litchfield County residents and general gym membership will be offered to anyone regardless of residence. The coaches in the velocity sports program have degrees in exercise science or related fields and are all certified through the National Strength Conditioning Association.
Trinity College baseball coach Bill Decker will teach at the center’s baseball school, which will be known as the Bill Decker Baseball School.
The school will teach pitching, fielding, and throwing.
“The center has everything we will need to run a great baseball school, and the cages and equipment are top of the line,” Decker said. “I can’t wait to get moved in and start holding clinics.”
“We’re bringing sports programming to the community and we’ll have a lot for kids,” said Carpenter. The center will offer leagues in several sports including men and women’s volleyball.
Carpenter said that the gym will offer programs and activities for all ages.
Program Director Andrew Benoit will lead the programs focussed on young children through high school age.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to bring educational, healthy and fun youth-targeted programming to the area, and I am confident the programs will instantly become a major hit with families,” said Benoit.
“Our team is looking forward to opening our doors in March and we are excited to be offering the VSP training program at our center,” said Carpenter.
Valley Sports center will also offer instruction, sports clinics and leagues, birthday parties, after-school programs, summer camps, and group events.
“Our focus is on helping all of our guests to ... be your best!” said Carpenter.
For more information, visit www.valleysportscenter.com.
Ryan Casey can be reached at rcasey@foothillsmediagroup.com. Visit us a www.foothillsmediagroup.com/canton.
January 15, 2011
Board of Education Accepts Donations
Musical instruments, lockers among gifts to schools
Mark Lange of Valley Sports Center, donated nine sets of 3-foot wide lockers, which will be used in the girls locker room at Canton High School and will replace older ones.
December 30, 2010
Coming to a Gym Near You: A How To Primer for Peak Performance 
One Man’s Dream of Bringing Canton’s Fitness to the Next Level
When Mark Lange envisioned the type of gym he wanted his three boys to spend time in and grown up with, he discovered pieces of what he wanted, all over the Farmington Valley - in the school system, community programming and different health clubs.
So, after about a decade of wondering, "wouldn't it be nice if…." Lange, a CPA, former insurance executive, basketball and Little League coach, stopped dreaming and started writing a business plan. "The goal," says Lange, "was to offer the type of facility that would focus on training for athletes, of all abilities, who were looking to take their conditioning, skills and agility to the next level."
The result of his plan, Valley Sports Center, will open this spring, at the site of the former Canton Racquet Club. The completely reengineered space will offer a wide range of sports training, after-school programming, camps, leagues and one area called Velocity Sports Performance, which will be completely unique to Canton, the Farmington Valley and the state.
The Velocity Sports Performance center will be designed to meet the fitness needs of various customer audiences. There will be classes and clinics to improve conditioning, toning and balance for youth between the ages of 8 to 11 years old; sports training for peak performance targeted at boys and girls aged 11 years and older; and fitness classes for adults wanting to get more out of their workouts.
"We want people to leave the VSC knowing what it is to be the best they can be in terms of their fitness, study habits, life skills and confidence; the types of pay-offs that will help them in school and throughout their lives."
Lange wants nothing less than to change the way kids spend their free time. "As a parent, when we get home, we want our kids to have had something healthy to eat; to have done something active and have worked on their homework. Peak performance and working to be your best involves more than athletics. It's the culmination of the positive experience you get when it all comes together."
From Canton Patch, By Sylvia Cancela
Oct 5, 2010
Canton Businessman Hopes To Turn Closed Tennis Club Into Youth Sports Complex
CANTON — A local businessman hopes to turn the former Canton Racquet Club, the indoor tennis facility that closed over the summer, into a youth sports complex.
Mark Lange presented his plans to the zoning commission Sept. 15 and expects to have the plans approved by the zoning and wetlands commissions this month. He plans to convert the four indoor tennis courts into a gymnasium with basketball and volleyball courts, as well as batting cages and a track area, he said.
TRINITY COLLEGE BASEBALL
SUMMER CAMPS - REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
VSC IS CLOSED SUNDAY & MONDAY MAY 27 & 28
VELOCITY SPORTS PERFORMANCE
SUMMER LIL' KICKERS
AWESOME SPORTS PARTIES
WE ARE YOUR BIRTHDAY HEADQUARTERS! LET US PLAN YOUR EXTRA SPECIAL DAY. CALL TODAY 860-693-2378.
