CLEVELAND — Charles Kellogg said opening a youth sports center has been one of his lifelong dreams.
“Since childhood. I never had anything like this when I was growing up,” he said.
Kellogg is one of the three owners of a new athletic training facility in Amherst called Legends Athletics.
Brian Wood and their buddy, Calvin Knowlton, also run the place.
The friends are all full-time firefighters in different communities around Cleveland who also bonded over a shared passion for baseball and softball.
“We decided to start this in our neighborhood and keep all of the youth sports in Amherst. Keep them in Amherst and stop driving out to other cities,” Kellogg said.
They met while serving as volunteer firefighters in Amherst. Now the trio is closer than ever as they tackle this venture together.
“Learning more about each other for sure now as business partners, not just friends. But so far, it’s been a great experience and we’re still learning as we go and trying to make the best, not only for ourselves but for everybody else that’s involved with us,” Wood said.
The goal is for their new business to fill a current void in the area.
“There’s not any facility like this around. We really want to focus on baseball, softball. Obviously, in Ohio, we have some bad months in the winter and kids want to obviously get out of the house (and) still practice, improve,” Wood said.
Despite the delays and hurdles 2020 presented, the gym opened around Christmas.
The guys said they put in a lot of work to renovate the space.
“Ten to 12 hour days for two months,” Kellogg said.
It was something they had to do while juggling their families, full-time jobs and volunteer firefighting.
“It’s definitely a grind, but it’s totally worth it,” Kellogg said.
Long-term, the hope is for this center to become a pillar in the Amherst community they love.
“It’s a lot of time invested in this place along with our other jobs but it’s great. It’s been an enjoyable experience so far and we’re all really happy with it,” Wood said.
Legends Athletics also offers adult group fitness classes.
