Sports Bubbles Bursting At The Seams

Two massive sports bubbles are dominating the athletic landscapes in the local area, providing athletes an area to practice, play and train year round. 

The sports complexes in the Tolland Business Park and East Windsor are huge and widely popular with a variety of athletic offerings, and seem to be rather permanent. 

Drive north on Route 30 from Vernon into Tolland and hang a right into the Business Park. Turn left at Gerber Drive and head up to the top of the hill ... way up the hill. There stands the massive Star Hill Family Athletic Center. Head to Main Street in East Windsor, find the 200 block and there sits the big white Sports World bubble alongside Interstate-91. 

Star Hill is the creation of Stafford's Mike Smida, Glastonbury's Bill MacLean and Manchester's Jack Maloney. Smida said he always knew there was a need for a top-notch swimming facility in town, but he and his partners decided to do one better. Standing next to the aquatics center is a 105,000-square-foot white bubble (the more sophisticated name for it is a ''dome'') that can accommodate soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, flag football, softball, volleyball, baseball, gymnastics, cheerleading and basketball on either artificial turf or rubberized surfaces. A three-lane synthetic running track spans the perimeter of the facility and a permanent batting and pitching cage is set up.

The dome, which is 70-feet high, is held up by forced air and is reinforced with steel beams and cables.

The main building measures 45,000-square-feet and houses a reception area, locker facilities, workout and weight rooms, conference/birthday party rooms a pro shop and a snack bar. The building is fully wired for parents who have to work during long tournaments and private office space is made available to members. 

The pool measures 25 yards, is 4-feet deep at one end and 12-feet deep at the other. The pool is fully matted with timers for meets and features a 1-meter springboard. It has adaptive equipment.

''We knew Tolland needed a pool, especially when it was not included in the new high school building. We also always wanted to see a full-service, multi-sport facility around here," Smida says. "Our purpose in building this was to have a family oriented center that brought all amenities together.''

Area construction firm Orlando Annulli & Sons built the facility. The domed opened in November of 2009 and the main building opened this past September. It also houses the orthopedic practice of Dr. Daniel Veltre and Select Physical Therapy.  

Recently, because of a recommendation from its insurance consultant that it no longer allow students to run in the school's hallway, the Manchester High School Indoor Track Team has explored the option of utilizing Star Hill as a practice facility this winter season. 

Sports World in East Windsor has an area of 72,000 square feet and can accommodate three artificial turf fields measuring 200-feet long and 100-feet wide. It is packed with soccer players on Saturdays and lacrosse players on Sundays. 

Michael Fioretti, who operates Sports World with a wide range of ownership partners, opened the facility in 2005 after visiting a bubble in Greenfield, MA. It is also visible from I-91.

''I was at Greenfield for a tournament and I was talking to a team from West Hartford,'' Fioretti says. ''We realized there was nothing in this area. Four of us, who had about 12 kids in about every sport, asked one question, 'How much?' We then did it.''

When asked to describe a sports bubble, Fioretti says it is ''unique.'' Sports World can be inflated or deflated in about 90 minutes, Fioretti says, but that would only happen in the case of a repair or emergency weather situation. So Sports World stands ready for baseball, softball, field hockey and Ultimate Frisbee. It has even hosted a pro wrestling event and a group of model airplane enthusiasts regularly visits the bubble. It features a pro shop. 

Star Hill and Sports World cater to leagues and general facility rental. Fioretti allowed the Star Hill principals to tour Sports World before they began construction. Now, the two bubbles are the only ones between Greenfield and North Branford north-and-south and Greenfield and Winsted east-and-west. 

''We can keep a lot of teams happy, and we are far enough away from each other to both be happy as businesses," Fioretti said. "When the weather dictates being indoors, people will look for a place indoors.''

Adds Smida, ''It's great to be able to offer this.''

And crowded fields put smiles on the faces of both the owners and athletes.