Looking for a place for your child to learn volleyball while you chill out in a vinyasa class? Or perhaps you’d love a spot to strength-train while your teen does SAT prep? Prodigy Athletic Center on Route 100 in Somers is a newly opened, one-stop fitness mecca (and more) for kids and adults.
Founded by coaching veterans Bill and Diane Swertfager, who are based in Katonah, ans Daniel Papes of Chappaqua, Prodigy opened in December with an impressive 25,000 square feet of space. This includes four pickleball courts, four volleyball courts, and a fully equipped fitness center, as well as a yoga and dance studio, a dedicated area for martial arts and kickboxing, and even a classroom for tutoring. There are also physical therapy services, volleyball clinics and camps, and a space for M2 speed and agility training.
According to Papes, the center, which primarily focuses on volleyball and pickleball, fulfilled a pressing need in the community. “[Bill, Diane, and I] care about youth sports as well as the development of young people through them and have witnessed a lot of incorrect prioritizations in the kids’ sports world, such as too much emphasis on winning while not worrying about character development,” says Papes. “The three of us got together and said, ‘Maybe we should do something ourselves.’”
Fitness center memberships are $65 a month, with family rates at $190 per month. Pickleball open play costs $15 per session or $99 per month, and volleyball open play is $10 per session. The Prodigy Volleyball Academy also provides club and travel programs for middle and high school athletes starting at approximately $2,500.
Papes says the center will be adding basketball and fencing classes and perhaps additional Prodigy locations in the future. For now, the center is all about making a real difference. “Bill and I were watching all these kids playing volleyball, and I thought, what else would they be doing if they weren’t here?” recalls Papes. “They’re not on their phones, they aren’t somewhere that might not be as good for them. It’s not just Somers—we draw people from 45 minutes away. This is lightning in a bottle.”
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