Athens Rec Center unites people of all ages through sport | Community

The Athens Recreational Center has become a beacon of friendship and sport, uniting people of all ages in a common interest.

This could be through tennis, basketball, pickleball, general exercise or much more that the Rec Center offers.

It’s a place where our city’s elders become friends with our city’s youth. People who may not have crossed paths before end up becoming partners on the court. This is what sport and the Athens Rec Center can provide to the city and county.

It is not exclusive to any particular person, either, as local growth in popularity of sports such as pickleball has led to even Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks attending activities at the Rec Center.

There are multiple ways for people to get involved at “the rec,” allowing, for example, Marks and local Rec Center enthusiast Chase Spitzer the opportunity to connect on the court.

Spitzer has befriended Marks and may other participants, young and old, at the Rec Center. This includes June Holt, Anthony Green, Greg Skipworth, Rhonda Weatherford and Sherry Sampson.

While some of these new friendships between Rec Center members are simply for sporting purposes on the courts, others go beyond that to help with other things as well. For example, Holt helps with participation in sports such as pickleball, while also helping out at the club level with documentation.

“The important part of connecting with people is finding common ground,” Spitzer said. “It just so happens that when you are playing a sport or involved in any hobby that is an overwhelming, positive atmosphere, it makes finding that common ground easy. We all have something to learn from each other and I have been extremely blessed to gain a lot of friends, especially older friends, that are full of wisdom and advice.”

While he is not alone in his praise of the Rec Center for the opportunities they provide to connect, Spitzer also says that the Rec Center provides an opportunity to help stay in shape, helping people stay young regardless of age.

“Personally playing and bonding with these people at the Rec Center also gives me hope to live a healthy life myself for decades to come,” Spitzer said. “Getting old doesn’t mean you cannot still be active and be healthy.”

Much of what has been accomplished for the Athens Recreational Center to grow into what it is today is due to the efforts of people as high up as Chad Vining, who serves as recreation supervisor for the City of Athens, all the way down to people who help out at the Rec Center out of the kindness of their own heart.

The facility has been willing to adapt along the way to listen to the demands of the people of Limestone.

With pickleball growing every day in Limestone County and North Alabama, the Athens Rec Center is now serving as a hub for the sport. The facility recently increased the number of courts allowed for pickleball participation, from one court to three courts.

This significantly drops the wait time for getting a spot on the court, even with a rising number of people interested in the game.

In July of 2020, they opened up new tennis courts and sand volleyball courts for the residents of Athens-Limestone as well, near the beginning of the new Rec Center’s inception.

Ricky Green, of Limestone County, told The News Courier in a previous article that the courts are “state of the art.” The tennis courts allowed Green to connect on the courts with Limestone County resident, Cline Jones, and further build on their friendship though the game of tennis.

This is another example of the friendships budding at the Rec Center for all who are involved.

For all these efforts to provide sport and activity to the people of Limestone, Spitzer is grateful. He said he is happy to see the elders of the community have a place to participate alongside the youth of Limestone.

“I thank the Athens Rec Center, and the fact that it even exists shows the commitment of this city to impacting the people of Athens in a positive way,” Spitzer said. “Not only do we have a recreational center, we have a top-notch staff that goes above and beyond to accommodate everyone from the youth to the elderly and dozens of different interests. The physical aspect of what is provided is just a small portion of how these facilities and programs better people’s lives, especially when it comes to mental health, and not just physical health.”