Competitive Edge Athletic Performance Center builds athletes

Speed. Strength. Agility. Skill development. Athletes need all four, along with endurance, perseverance, good sportsmanship and other attributes. Competitive Edge Athletic Performance Center in Woodbridge fosters it all.

Competitive Edge, a dynamic youth performance center offering 18,000 square feet of skill-building space, is arguably one of the most comprehensive sports centers in the area. With half of their space devoted to baseball, the other half devoted to speed, strength and agility training, there’s always a flurry of activity at the center.

Competitive Edge has indoor batting cages, pitching tunnels, a full weight room, running lanes and a multi-use sports court, all which enables athletes to practice and train for track and field, basketball, soccer, football, volleyball, lacrosse, tennis and more. This indoor facility caters to athletes no matter what sport they’re in.

Establishing a comfort level

“When people walk through the door, we want to make them feel comfortable,” said Director of Finance and Administration Shanel Evans. “We pride ourselves on our personal touch.”

This is no small feat. Some Competitive Edge athletes are new to sports, some travel and some compete in baseball and other sports. In spite of the range of Competitive Edge’s athletes, the center’s memberships give all athletes an opportunity to gain confidence by having a regular place to go to build skills and work in a supportive environment.

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Competitive Edge trainers encourage children to young adults by getting to know them personally, working with them no matter what level they are when they start and giving them guidance to build skills and self-esteem.

“When athletes come here, they know they are cared about. They are pushed to do things outside the box, but they start seeing the benefits of it,” Evans said.

 

The Backstory

Competitive Edge Athletic Performance Center is co-owned by Monte Evans and Maurice Briddell. Maurice Briddell, is manager of the Prince William Reds – a travel baseball team in eastern Prince William County. Maurice is an Ocean City, Md. native and has lived in Northern Virginia for the last 25 years. He has been an active Board Member of the Woodbridge Little League where his son has played for nine years, two of those years he was an assistant coach.

It is his love of the game of baseball that led him to want to open an indoor training facility where he could continue to see baseball athletes develop. Maurice and his wife, Dena Briddell would take their daughter and son all over the Northern Virginia area to train. Their vision of Competitive Edge Baseball sparked from traveling so much outside of the county and the thought of bringing this type of facility to Prince William County to train for baseball, softball and conditioning.

Evans and her husband, Monte Evans II, have a history of supporting athletes. The couple founded the Dale City Lightning Track Club in 2011 and run it to this day. Monte is the head coach of the Lightning which has 12 coaches and trains over 300 athletes per year.

About three years ago, the team evolved from cross-country to indoor strength and agility. Evans said they used to rent space from the county and schools, but realized their team was growing so fast, that solution wasn’t sustainable.

Monte teamed up with Darnell Washington, a well-known trainer in the area, who is now the Director of Athlete Performance and that’s how Competitive Edge Speed and Agility program was born. The two sat down with Maurice and began planning Competitive Edge’s structure for months before putting their vision into action.

Evans said when she and her husband discussed the idea of Competitive Edge, they wanted athletes in the area to have a place where they could train at all levels.

“Our goal wasn’t to just throw up four walls and turf. We focused on making this feel like home.”

 

Building a Community

Coach Magnus Ellerts is the general manager and works mostly on the baseball side of the business. Ellerts said Competitive Edge serves a wide range of baseball and softball players, from age 4 up through college-bound athletes. They work with local Little League and travel teams, helping them raise the level of their game and giving them tips and training they need to build skills.

In addition to trainers, Competitive Edge has junior coaches at high-school and college ages. They also have coaches who are semi-pro or college players, all of whom are willing to share their expertise with younger players.

According to Ellerts, adults in their 50s and 60s who are still on teams and play in tournaments also come to the facility. These adults find the benefit of using the tee station and pitching machines to work on timing and speed. Sometimes, Ellerts said, adults coming in might not formally request training, but they are just talking baseball, talking about their swings. “It’s a great group of people. Older guys playing at a higher level are always willing to lend a hand.

Every adult who comes in says ‘God I wish I had a place like this when I was growing up.”

Ellerts said one of the most satisfying aspects of working with the younger players is seeing individuals making changes, hitting stronger and better and seeing the smiles on their faces.

His absolute favorite moments?

“When I see the whole place rocking…athletes competing…when the place is rocking with the sound with balls being hit and caught,” said Ellerts, “I can’t stop from smiling.”

For more information on Competitive Edge, visit competitiveedgeva.com.

This promoted post is paid for by Competitive Edge Athletic Performance Center