Located in Hamilton, Ohio, Spooky Nook Champion Mill is the largest indoor sports complex in North America with nearly 700,000 square feet of space for fitness and personal training, youth programs and summer camps, recreational sports leagues and other athletic events. Given the diverse activities hosted, selecting the right surfacing was paramount to enable individuals to achieve and exceed their athletic and personal fitness goals. Ecore’s high-performance flooring emerged as the ideal solution, aligning with the complex’s multifaceted needs.
Following the success of the original Spooky Nook complex, owners Sam and Melody Beiler envisioned a larger second location in Hamilton that would cater to the growing popularity of functional training, youth programs and adult sports leagues in the area. The new Spooky Nook Champion Mill was designed to host dozens of games and sporting events simultaneously, featuring a sports complex with a full-size outdoor turf field, 14 hardwood courts and 14 sport courts that span more than 200,000 square feet, and an athletic center equipped with additional workout space.
“Our decision to specify Ecore flooring into our Hamilton facility was influenced by the positive feedback received from our Pennsylvania location,” says Alicia Cook, director of membership and operations at Spooky Nook Champion Mill. “Members there consistently praised the floors for their exceptional performance, safety features and the added advantages of comfort and durability.”
At the sports complex, also known as Mill 1, the multipurpose sport courts feature Bounce 2 Motivate Class I flooring in a faux graphite color that provides the look and feel of real wood visuals but with more durability. With superior energy restitution, Bounce 2 Motivate offers next generation results for residual indentation recovery and rolling loads, while returning energy to the athlete.
The outdoor turf field at Spooky Nook, which hosts soccer, football, flag football, field hockey and lacrosse competitions, was installed by ATurf, a subsidiary of Ecore. The field is a full infill outdoor turf system that meets requirements for athletic competitions.
The Fitness Center at Spooky Nook features wall-to-wall Ecore products specially designed to eliminate transitions between surface areas and types. The indoor turf areas include two surfaces – FlexTurf Monster in black and green and RageTurf Rally with a green sled run against the sideline – that enable athletes to gain traction and maintain stability without using cleats. These surfaces do not require infill, which eliminates the mess of cleaning up loose rubber beads that would become displaced throughout the facility.
“Athletes using the turf consistently express how much they enjoy playing on it,” says Cook. “Whether engaging in speed and agility drills, pushing sleds or honing their skills, our guests appreciate the surfaces for delivering optimal traction, grip and versatility.”
The Fitness Center is focused on sports performance and athletic training, offering group exercise studios, a 200-meter track, member-only courts for basketball and pickleball, and a fitness area equipped with platforms, competition bars and weight racks. Tucked into the Fitness Center is a high-performance space where Performance Monster and FlexTurf Monster from Ecore provide incredible slip resistance, support and stability, and are designed to withstand the extreme wear and tear created by functional training and strength equipment. This area also boasts five custom inlaid platforms with the Ecore company logo.
“Safety, ergonomics and acoustics are all qualities we look for in flooring for our facility,” says Cook. “In the gym, I do not have rules about dropping weights from specific heights because I know the Ecore floors can handle the impact. Plus, they absorb noise quite well, which is another key benefit when managing a space as large as ours.”
In addition to the main performance spaces, Ecore’s flooring was specified in the following locations:
Beyond seeking functional, durable and visually appealing floors, Spooky Nook Champion Mill prioritized the importance of a collaborative relationship.
Spooky Nook has plans for expansion, including the addition of a dedicated rock-climbing area connected to the fitness center. Recognizing the substantial community that follows and plays baseball in Hamilton, the facility also intends to accommodate their needs by adding a turf field. Both spaces will require additional flooring, and the facility plans to install Ecore’s rubber and turf surfaces, respectively.
