BLE says Goodbye to an Old Era Starting “BLE had to accomplish a lot internally for this move to happen. We have brought on new coaches and are increasing the college and professional baseball presence within our facility that includes close ties to UW, WSU, and the professional scouting arena of the BLE began the moving process back in October 2009. Finding a new facility that met the pole configuration and square footage requirements of BLE took longer than expected but BLE settled on a massive space located on the corner of “We tried to expand the current facility, but that did not work out due to the constraints the old facility placed upon our training and business plan. We also had to find the right financial fit wherein we could still provide the amount of quality training our players have grown accustomed to.” Stated Parque. There are some one-of-a-kind offerings that BLE will be providing to the baseball community in 2010. Players will be able to hit live on the infields and hone their offensive skills in the batting cages that feature Iron Mike pitching machines. “Instead of creating a flat and unrealistic pitching plane that pitching machines produce, we are placing our machines on platforms to mimic the downhill plane that live pitchers create. This is also effective with the arm style of pitching delivery the Iron Mike provides with each pitch” stated BLE general manager Dave Konkel. Another great addition is the “My focus is building from the ground up and fast twitch muscle response. We want to build an athlete that is balanced and defines his athletic prowess through quick and powerful bursts of speed. That is why we are incorporating some amazing strength training equipment not seen before in this area.” Stated Wirtalla. Parents can get a full workout while their sons train with their free athletic fitness memberships that are included in all BLE training fees. This also includes access to the pitching machines for extra hitting. Training programs have been revamped and have addressed ability, age, and logistical issues parents wanted rectified. With ample space and training resources, BLE was able to improve on all fronts that includes more training time, more room, and year round access to BLE. BLE has already sold most of its training spots for the upcoming year and is still offering the remaining slots up to area teams. Pricing is highly competitive and will provide players with the largest indoor training complex filled with some of the best instructors our area has to offer. Currently, BLE has started its moving process that includes the take down of our current facility and equipment. “It is a bittersweet sight to see our current location being taken down, but is a sign of greater things to come. We spent an awful lot of time and energy getting that place to where it was and it is a tough pill to swallow to watch it all come down. However, BLE has always looked towards the future and this is just another stepping stone towards that vision.” Stated Jim Parque.
