Empower Sports takes over former Kingston Indoor Tennis Club

KINGSTON — For many years, Kingston Indoor Tennis Club, with its five hard courts thrived during the tennis boom of the 1980s. There were plenty of tennis leagues to sustain the large facility for many years. In more recent times, indoor tennis has been declining and the facility has gone under a few different owners.

Two months ago, the building was sold to a new owner with a different approach to how the facility will be utilized that will stretch the life of the structure well into the future.

48-year-old Nicole Wentz has been involved in the sport of volleyball for most of her life starting off as a player in high school, then playing in college followed by assistant coaching and then head coaching in the collegiate ranks.

She’s always dreamed of owning an indoor volleyball facility ever since she could remember and that dream came true when the tennis facility was sold to Wentz creating Empower Sports Academy.

Over the last two-months of Wentz’s ownership, she’s relied on Frank Klimovitz as her facilities manager in getting the building in shape.

According to Klimovitz, the building had been neglected in recent years and was in desperate need of repair. Many of the issues have been addressed to get the doors open, but much more is needed.

Wentz, the mother for four children, will spend over $300,000 to improve the roof and properly insulate the building making the facility cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Two tennis courts have been converted over to three volleyball courts, there will be two tennis/pickleball courts and one court for tennis and possibly a basketball court making Empower Sports Academy a true multipurpose sports facility.

Even though the doors are open for business, there is much more to do including a refresh of the office, front desk and lounge area.

There is a second floor that overlooks all the courts and that will go under a transformation as well.

Wentz has an idea of what she would like to put at the second floor, but will put further thought into a project in the next few months.

“We are looking into bringing in sport performance trainers to offer training for either teams or individuals,” Wentz said. “We can also put a gym up there as well.”

Even though Wentz had plans for making the entire facility for volleyball, she’s had a change of heart.

“Initially, I was looking for a home for volleyball, but we’ve had such an interest in tennis and I’ve had so many reach out to me regarding tennis that we are going to continue with tennis,” Wentz said. “Both (tennis and volleyball) sports are seemingly living together quite well.”

Wentz said with pickleball moving into the mainstream, two of the tennis courts will house two pickleball courts each making four courts altogether.

“Endless Momentum VBC, a non-profit volleyball club, is renting out the volleyball courts here,” Wentz added. “Empower Sport Academy is where we are going to offer volleyball, tennis, pickleball, maybe at some point basketball, as well as leagues of all sorts. We will have camps, clinics, lessons, that could be done here under one roof for all sports we offer.”

There will be yearly memberships available and court time with rates for volleyball, tennis and pickleball.

Wentz said in addition to all the sports offered, a concession stand would be available.

“We will rent out the facility for birthday parties and private parties,” Wentz said. “We will rent out our volleyball courts to high schools as well.”

Wentz said Empower Sports is the area’s only official USA Volleyball Club in the area whereas all the others are AAU.

The transformation of the club will be slow and steady and Wentz believes by late summer, all the changes, corrections, and transformations will be finished.

Hours of operation for the facility located at 705 Rutter Ave., Kingston, are Mondays through Saturdays: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For information on Empower Sports Academy, call 570-589-0516.