New Ramsey Training Facility Combines Technology, Student Athletic Ambition

The staff of new Ramsey sports training facility says it is using technology to help student athletes be better prepared for future sports careers.

NJ Sports Advantage, which opened on Spring Street in Ramsey this August, offers young athletes not only the ability to train under the direction of professional sports trainers, but also offers new technologies able to track and record achievement data and statistics for each athlete.

According to NJSA Director of Fitness and Sports Performance Mike Hoban, technologies available at the new facility create life-like sports situations, and teach young athletes how to respond to them.

“It’s almost like sports science,” he said. “Our home plate pitching machine can throw a series of different pitches, and athletes in the batting cage need to react to all of them.”

What sets NJSA apart, Hoban said, is its use of technologies like the “SmartKage” not only to train athletes, but also to test their athletic ability, and monitor their progress.

Trainers at the new facility use technology to measure a students’ arm speed, bat exit velocity, and hit angle, for example.

NJSA also records student performance, creating a database of student-specific sports statistics.

“That is [increasingly becoming] something that’s really important for athletes to get to the next level,” Hoban said. “You can apply to college presenting your stats. It’s like the SATs, but for sports.”

And, the facility is constantly being videotaped, so students can buy videos of their athletic performances to send to college scouts, as well.

NJSA has already started training individual athletes, small groups and local teams at its facility.

“Ramsey is a hot bed for athletics, both in town and in surrounding towns,” Hoban said. And, as the only facility within 50 miles with the “SmartKage,” he said the training facility has been attracting athletes from across the region.

At first focusing on baseball and softball, trainers say the company is planning to expand to include other sports as well.

And, the sports authority is not just for students. It was designed, trainers say, with their families in mind, as well.

NJSA offers other forms of personal training, and small group “boot camp” and Pilates classes.

“Fitness is part of the family dynamic,” Sara Brooks, who teaches the boot camp classes, said. “We want to help promote a healthy lifestyle for all members of the family.”

And, to make the facility a well-rounded experience for students and parents alike, NJSA plans to add a birthday party room, youth psychologist, decompression room, a study room for academics and SAT prep, and a small health-food café.

Since its soft opening in August, trainers say they have been successful in their initial goal – helping student athletes have a professional future.

“Really, this whole thing started because of an interest in helping kids,” Hogan, who said the facility has been five years in the making, said. “We wanted to use technology to limit the cost of kids being seen [by scouts, colleges, etc.], and that’s what our clients are coming here for.”

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