A Look at the Wake Competition Center
Morrisville, NC – The Wake Competition Center opened three of its facilities in 2019, with plans to open the ice rink in mid-2020, as a site for not only local sports development but also statewide and even national events.
Map of Wake Competition Center
New Sports Center
The Wake Competition Center, located in Morrisville off of McCrimmon Parkway, opened its 48,185 square foot volleyball facility at the start of 2019, followed by two outdoor soccer fields in the Summer of 2019. In addition to soccer and volleyball, a gymnastics facility, fitness training center and an orthopedics group opened in November 2019.
Volleyball courts at the Wake Competition Center
Currently, their 113,665 square foot ice facility is under construction, with plans to open in Summer 2020, and the Carolina Hurricanes will use the two-rink facility as their practice space. American Sports Entertainment Company (ASEC) manages the ice rink and soccer fields and ASEC Vice President Michael Baxter said the hope is for this new ice facility to host statewide and national competitions.
“Right now, we have state championships and national tournaments at our other facilities,” Baxter said, referring to both ice hockey and figure skating. “The hope is that with the Wake Competition Center facility, we will bid on those events here.”
The soccer fields are contracted through North Carolina FC, Baxter said, and they have been used for tournaments, though he said they are also bidding for more state and national competitions.
At the volleyball facility, run by Triangle Volleyball Club, there are eight pro-grade courts and three outdoor sand courts, as well as a pro shop, office, classroom space, and a physical training section.
Diagram of the ice facility, currently under construction
Synergy Between Facilities
The gymnastics facility, run by Superior Gymnastics, contains not only a large area for gymnastics and spectators but the building is also connected to Athletics Lab (a fitness training company) and a facility for Triangle Orthopedics, which has an existing relationship with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The gymnastics facility at the Wake Competition Center
Athletics Lab includes a 5,000 square foot open track for exercise, a 60-meter four-lane track for running, 10 platforms for Olympic weightlifting, two 24-foot rigs for group and team training, as well as locker rooms and conference rooms.
“Everything is close by, which is exactly what we had in mind. We wanted synergy between these different facility uses,” Baxter said. “A lot of these groups do a lot of land training as well, so hooking up with something like the Athletics Lab is great for them.”
Baxter said the ice facility will also house a pro shop, a restaurant from the owners of Gonza Tacos y Tequila and two junior hockey teams will be moving to the Wake Competition Center. Additionally, there may be an accelerator school for students involved in athletics at a high level included, though that is not finalized yet.
Story by Michael Papich. Photos by the Wake Competition Center and Michael Papich.
