Goshen’s Hot Spots for Cooler Weather Workouts
Fall’s crisp arrival in Goshen can be felt playing out on parks, fields and tracks all over town. But when summer’s heat fades and our shared outdoor spaces begin to crunch underfoot, thoughts of the more fitness-minded among us turn to where they might best carry on with their workouts whatever the weather.
A new climbing gym, two soccer training centers — one with indoor space that can be used for volleyball or other games, another with specialized training equipment — and an off-season destination for a pick-up game of pickleball are just a few of our suggestions for how to keep your workout momentum going once the weather drives you indoors.
Goshen’s first climbing gym is open and ready to serve your cooler weather workout needs.
Warehouse Climbing Co. focuses on bouldering – climbing without ropes or harnesses – so the expense of gearing up just to try the sport is minimal. Climbing shoes are required but are available for rent at a cost of $4 or $20 for the month. And coating your hands with some chalk may help you maintain your grip on the climbing surfaces on your way up, so you may want to consider a chalk bag rental for just $1.
Opened in May 2022, the space also offers a mix of yoga classes, usually scheduled for Tuesdays and Saturdays. Warehouse owner Ryan Borntrager said the gym is planning to add a number of other offerings as well – climbing classes for beginners, an evening climbing session dedicated to children, and retail sales – as the new venture becomes more established this year.
“I hope that it brings more dimension to the community – something to do during the winter, which I think a lot of people are looking for,” Borntrager said. “I’d like it to be a place the community can go to just support each other and build people up.
“I believe that through this gym we’re going to change people’s lives through climbing,” he said.
Visit Warehouse Climbing Co. on a day pass or explore the price of 10-visit punch passes and memberships (which also provide a $3 discount on yoga classes!) on their website.
Bouldering courses are available for every skill level at Warehouse Climbing Co.
Photo courtesy Warehouse Climbing Co.
Gym floor space at Goshen Soccer Academy can be converted for use for other sports including volleyball and pickleball.
Photo courtesy Goshen Soccer Academy
Goshen Soccer Academy’s (GSA) indoor playing space made the possibility of soccer as a year-round sport in Goshen a happy reality, but the facility actually supports a variety of colder weather fitness pursuits for members and drop-in visitors alike.
Beginning in September and running through April, GSA is open seven days a week. Tavi Mounsithiraj, facility co-owner and director of soccer, said pickleball, basketball, volleyball, racquetball, and table tennis are available, as well. And while the space doesn’t have a dedicated track, GSA welcomes visitors to walk the indoor courts if they’d like.
“The main objective for us is that this place is a service to our community,” Mounsithiraj said. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I’m a soccer person. I have a lot of former players and students who are still coaching in the area, so for all of us, this is a place for the kids to play.”
Mounsithiraj – along with partners Austin Bontrager, Jason Bontrager, Mitch Hawkin, and owner/manager Kyle Stiffeney – opened the space in 2019 shortly before the pandemic. Since then, Goshen Soccer Academy has played host to birthday parties (“We have a bounce house for people,” he said), and even the occasional wedding.
“The partners and I decided we also wanted to have this place for the community where these kids can improve themselves – for soccer, sure, but as a person, too,” he said.
“Outside of this place, we don’t know what kind of home life these kids have, but when they get here, it’s a positive environment. They can have fun and laugh.”
While Mounsithiraj concedes that GSA finds itself quite busy on winter weekends with as many as 2,000 people moving through the facility, but he says between 4 p.m. and midnight ample space is available at the facility for the community’s cold weather workouts. GSA also offers a $5 drop-in rate.
Visit Goshen Soccer Academy online for information about membership pricing.
Strengthen your skills and pick up some new ones before the fields re-open in the spring with sessions offered by Revolutionary Soccer Training.
Offering a range of packages – buy one session or ten – this facility provides strength, conditioning, and skill training to both individual players and groups. Specialized equipment designed to simulate the demands of 90 minutes of gameplay also allows improvement with up to 50 ‘touches’ per session.
And Revolutionary Soccer Training’s gym allows for strength and conditioning training along with the opportunity for players to address skill areas from dribbling and passing to acceleration and shooting. Goalie-specific training is also on the menu of options, and the facility itself is available for rental upon request.
Call Revolutionary Soccer at (574) 537-6488 or visit them online for to schedule a training session or to learn more.
Equipment at Revolutionary Soccer Training simulates 90 minutes of gameplay.
Photo courtesy of Revolutionary Soccer Training
Good of Goshen Editor • Wendy Wilson
Originally published August 2022
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