Coach: A look at Northbrook's beautifully (and literally?) hidden gem

When I first walked in to Northbrook's still brand-spanking-new Techny Prairie Activity Center, there was a big school superintendents' meeting about to start, featuring some of the best and brightest in our Northbrook and Glenview community.

Apparently the staff assumed I was there for the meeting, so that's where they sent me, while I am sure they were quietly thinking "Wow, he may be the worst-dressed superintendent we have ever seen."

I even thought about heading into the meeting (would anyone notice?) and maybe making a quick presentation to our top-level educators on some of my theories on schooling and education ... but at the last moment thought maybe I better stick to writing about local sports, and instead found recreation division manager Angus Shields who kindly guided me away from causing any further trouble.

And that is how my tour of this amazing facility and the surrounding sports fields began.

First, let me rewind to my drive to the location: To say that the place is a little hard to find would be severely understated accuracy. Located officially at 180 Anets Drive in Northbrook, it is, as kindly as I can put it, tucked away in an area you wouldn't expect a big sports complex to be.

But when you do find it? Eureka! A sports lover's paradise. There is the wow factor and then some, offering something for just about any kind of sports, recreation, or fitness enthusiast.

The hardest part is figuring out where to start. You could look at the expansive outdoor sports fields, with state-of-the-art turf providing fields upon fields of perfectly conditioned play for lacrosse, soccer, football, and field hockey.

Or you could meander over to the baseball batting cages take a few swings to get out some pent up frustration, and then calm your nerves a bit with a nice venture through the nature hike trail that is called "The Trail Through Time," - which I was short on so didn't take - but it sure looked cool!

You could also check out the four top-level softball and baseball fields on location and even take a peek at the sled hill and skating park that are part of the sprawling campus. And just for kicks, did I mention that, right behind it, is the Anetsberger Par Three Golf Course?

All of this, mind you, is before you have even walked into the brand new "piece de resistance" of the whole complex, the new Techny Prairie Activity Center.

Opened in January of this year, the place really puts the "state-of-the-art" into state-of-the-art. If that makes any sense.

The lobby is gorgeous and really you could just hang around there for a bit without even seeing the facilities and enjoy yourself. The folks behind the front desk were as friendly as could be, even treating an unannounced strangely dressed intruder such as myself with a warm welcome and a privately guided tour, courtesy of the aforementioned Mr. Shields.

Immediately to your right as you walk in you have a bright new fitness center complete with all the bells and whistles, as fitness technology continues to take off to new levels. Everything you could ever want from free weights, to resistance machines, to functional fitness equipment all the way to multiple cardio machines including treadmills, ellipticals, stair climbers and a few machines I didn't recognize, but they looked like either some kind of motorized torture device or something you might need a specialized Class D license to operate.

In all, over 75 pieces of strength and cardio equipment, most with their own personal viewing devices attached to help keep you distracted as you fight through the blood, sweat and tears of a good hard workout.

Up above? Plenty of action. A circular running track surrounding the below fitness machines provides the walkers, joggers and sprinters an opportunity to get an indoor cardio kick even on the coldest of winter days, while there are also multiple rooms of specially designed yoga, dance and movement programs each designed with specific needs in mind.

A cool new technology is featured here is called "Fitness On Demand." This means the classes are livestreamed, so if you can't make a particular class or prefer to do it at home, you can just dial it up on you're computer or television and via tape delay or in real time - you can do the workout with the class.

Moving back to the lower level, with a slight turn to the left is a beautiful brand new 10,000 square foot gymnasium, where you can have two full-court basketball games going on at the same time, or the courts can be turned into volleyball and the ever growing game of pickleball.

All of what is being described here, by the way, both inside and out, are part of the Northbrook Park District, with memberships available to residents and others (different rates apply).

Extra credit should be given to the board members and committee members on the construction team for this facility, in that they went full scale environmentally conscious when planning and designing the building. Thanks in part from a grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Fund, everything they do here is built with energy savings in mind.

"Net Zero Certified" is the term to be used, featuring among other things 833 solar panels to help heat and cool.

Recreation Division Manager Shields says, "It was part of the mission when we planned this facility," then adding, "Environmental stewardship was a constant consideration throughout the entire process."

The facility took 18 months to build, with even more time spent planning, scheduling, drawing, discussing and even getting the referendum to pass.

And that does not even include the significant road blocks and obstacles thrown in midstream, courtesy of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But trust this wandering, lost, and sadly misplaced nonschool superintendent, who got his first look at the entire complex.

It, most certainly, was well worth the wait!

• Jon Cohn of Glenview is a coach, retired PE teacher, sports official and prep sports fan. To contact him with comments or story ideas, email jcsportsandtees@aol.com.