By Emily Younker
eyounker@joplinglobe.com
New name, new look, new owners.
That’s the catchphrase for the Sports Park of Southwest Missouri, 1107 N. Prosperity Ave. The operation, formerly the Four Seasons Sports Complex, has been owned by Floyd and Jane Wiss, of Duenweg, since October.
Jane Wiss said most plans for the complex involve renovations and upgrades.
“We’re redoing everything,” she said. “It’s all been spruced up and cleaned up. We’re not adding anything at this point. We’re not going to rule out that in the future, but right now we’re going to go with the status quo.”
Areas scheduled for renovation include the concession area, which will receive new paint, countertops and equipment. The six outdoor fields, which Wiss said are in “tiptop shape,” will see new scoreboards.
Wiss said the renovations are continuing.
“It will be ongoing until everything is back into shape again,” she said. “It just all takes time.”
Wiss said the complex will continue to have tournaments and other activities for sports teams. About 800 people are expected over the weekend for a baseball tournament involving 30 youth teams and their parents, she said. The previous weekend, the complex was host to 37 teams for a tournament, she said.
The baseball season at the complex started March 1. The site also is available to teams for softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball and kickball, Wiss said.
“We just call it a complete complex because you can do practically every sport here,” she said. “We have the availability for all sports, indoor and out.”
Wiss said the complex has “a lot of amenities,” including covered bleachers and dugouts at the outdoor fields, a 21,000-square-foot dome that covers two basketball courts, and seating for roughly 200 in the clubhouse and concession area.
She said the outdoor baseball fields are perfectly suited to the changing March weather; two weekends ago, it was so chilly that staff members handed out 225 cups of hot chocolate at a baseball tournament.
“Within 30 minutes after a rain shower, you can play ball because they’re well-designed and they drain quickly,” she said.
Details: Sports Park of Southwest Missouri, 417-781-2533.
