Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 30

"Being at the foothills of the North Georgia mountains creates a setting that sports vacationers will find to
be the best of all worlds," Freeman says.
Local teams enjoy calling it home, too. The Georgia
Highlands College baseball team decided to make LakePoint its home field for practices and games a few years
ago. Because the college in Rome doesn't have its own
home field, the sporting community just a few miles
down the road seemed like a "no-brainer," says Coach
Dash O'Neill.
LakePoint has become a recruiting hub for both college and professional baseball, and the weather causes
minimal concerns because the synthetic turf doesn't require dirt and grass repairs after a rain, O'Neill explains.
"I'm a baseball traditionalist, and playing on an
artificial surface was a new experience for me," he says.
"But after playing on it for one weekend, I was sold."
Most college teams spend hours before home games
preparing the field for play, so calling LakePoint home
has allowed Georgia Highlands to focus on the game
and not worry about funky patches in the field that
could mean the difference between a win or a loss.
"It's hard not to get excited to go to the ballpark
when you know you can show up and play your best
game," O'Neill says. "We call it the baseball hub of the
South."
High school and college teams play at LakePoint
frequently, and scouts are often catching tournaments
and looking at talent. Plus, it's a good spot for folks who
love to watch the game. For $10, spectators can show
up to see pitches from players ranging from 14-year-olds
to Division 1 college baseball players.
"Go out there any weekend of the year, and you'll
see great baseball," O'Neill says. "It's a great option if
you want to get the family out but don't want to afford
higher-priced tickets to see the [Atlanta] Braves."

Building a community
In 2016, the Champions Center became the latest massive addition to the LakePoint complex. The
170,000-square-foot facility can house more than 15
indoor sports, including basketball, volleyball, wrestling
and dance. The center has attracted huge productions,
including the famed Harlem Globetrotters, which has
made LakePoint its official home for its annual training
camp. The camp pulls together 160 people each year to
prepare for the team's 450-game, 30-country world tour.
"That organized chaos is dependent on finding the
right facility and right people to create the best possible
show," says Jeff Munn, chief operations officer of Harlem
Globetrotters International. "When we need something
at LakePoint, our needs are met immediately. What's
Competitors engage in a variety of sports at the Champions Center,
including wheelchair basketball (top left), volleyball (bottom left) and
futsal (right), which is a variation of soccer that is played on a hard
court indoors.
30

GEORGIA MAGAZINE



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - May 2018

Contents
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - Intro
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - Cover1
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - Cover2
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 3
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - Contents
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 5
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 6
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 7
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 8
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 9
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 10
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 11
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 12
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 13
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 14
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 15
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 16
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 17
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 18
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 19
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 20
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 21
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 22
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 23
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 24
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 25
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 26
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 27
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 28
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 29
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 30
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 31
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 32
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 33
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 34
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 35
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 36
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 37
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 38
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 39
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 40
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 41
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 42
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 43
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 44
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 45
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - 46
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - Cover3
Georgia Magazine - May 2018 - Cover4
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