Baseball, softball academy scores in Mundelein
Two men passionate about baseball expanded their sports academy from Buffalo Grove to Mundelein.
Joy of the Game Baseball & Softball Academy opened Wednesday at 1160 Allanson Road. Business partners Dave Mandel and Craig Katz, residents of Deerfield, are using their four years of experience in operating their original facility at 1455 Busch Parkway in launching the larger academy designed to cater to Libertyville, Vernon Hills and Mundelein athletes.
"We're hoping we can build upon our success in Buffalo Grove," Mandel said.
The 20,000-square-foot Mundelein academy is nearly twice as large as the original location and offers the newest technology, Mandel said. The men also designed the new facility with a more flexible footprint. For example, batting tunnels can be turned into larger areas for infield practice.
The facility offers instructional clinics, private lessons, a place for teams to practice, memberships for families and batting practice for the public.
Another aspect that has been vital in the growth of the business has been the quality of the coaches, the owners say. About a dozen instructors provide baseball instruction while four focus on softball. It's required that instructors have minimally played at the college level, Katz said.
Eddie Holbrook of Round Lake serves as the director of baseball at Joy of the Game. He played and coached baseball at Trinity College.
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Mecir, who played for five teams in an 11-year career retiring from the Florida Marlins in 2005, offers pitching instruction. The Kildeer resident mainly focuses on working with the high school and college level athlete.
Many instructors grew up in the area. Drew Simonis, a 2000 Mundelein High School graduate, played baseball at Cornell College in Iowa and offers hitting and fielding instruction.
Also working as a physical education teacher in Antioch, Simonis says he wishes that academies like this were available when he was growing up.
Kent Szarabajka of Vernon Hills serves as the director of softball. Coaching for two decades, he also serves as the president of the Vernon Hills Stingers travel softball program. "This is good for the girls. It will put softball on the map out here," said Szarabajka, who has been with Joy of the Game for four years.
The owners of the business stress that "the love of the game is the emphasis." Teamwork and sportsmanship are important. Classes begin for five year odds as well as the most advanced players.
"We help the kids learn more, enjoy the game more and then they'll play longer," Mandel said.
The owners, who met at the University of Illinois, reconnected while coaching their children through the Deerfield Youth Baseball Association.
"We both love baseball and love being around the game," said Mandel, 49, who majored in electrical engineering and worked in the technology industry before launching the business.
Katz, 52, is winding down his career as an attorney to devote all his time to the business.
For more information, check out www.joyofthegamebaseball.com.
Happy birthday: The Des Plaines Family Pet Clinic at 965 Rand Road in Des Plaines is celebrating its 5th anniversary.
The clinic has gained 2,500 clients since it opened.
To show customer appreciation, the clinic will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 7.
Dr. Rajinder Kumar, owner and veterinarian of the clinic, offers a variety of services for pets including performing soft tissue surgeries including spays and neuters, declaws, bladder and intestinal surgeries. During the open house, a raffle will take place giving away a DVD player and gift cards to restaurants. Games for children and food will be provided. For more, call (847) 299-3800.
Command of Spanish: Would it help to know a little Spanish at work? This fall, the Continuing Professional Development Department at the College of Lake County is offering Command Spanish courses designed to help students quickly learn the essential Spanish commands, questions and key phrases used in daily interaction in a workplace setting.
Command Spanish for Dental Professionals, offered Thursdays, Sept. 11 to Oct. 30 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., helps dental professionals communicate with patients. Command Spanish for Laboratory Professionals, offered Tuesdays, Sept. 9 to Oct. 28 from 9 to 11 a.m., is appropriate for respiratory technicians, X-ray technicians and phlebotomists. Both courses are offered at the CLC Southlake Campus, 1120 Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills. The cost for each course is $225 and includes course materials. No prior Spanish language skills are necessary. New this semester is Command Spanish online, offered for persons working in business, industry, medicine, education, law enforcement and public safety. For more information or to register for a Command Spanish course, visit wpdi.clcillinois.edu/professional.