Fun & games

La Crosse Tribune, Jan 17, 2000 by Cahalan, Steve

Soccer, baseball, softball, basketball and golf are always in season at Gametime Sportz, an indoor sports complex that opened last month in the former Elite Uniform Co. building at 1721 Miller St., south of the City Brewery.

Owners David Lee and Bob Guggenbuehl, both of La Crosse, have three batting cages for baseball and softball, an indoor soccer arena that also has a pair of slam-dunk basketball hoops, and two "cubes" where golfers can drive balls into a net. Two more golf cubes will be added this week.

Also this week, a multi-purpose area on the second floor should be ready for golf, baseball and softball instruction. It also can be used by people who want to hit a baseball or softball off a tee, or to hit balls lobbed to them by a friend.

The business also has a retail sporting goods store whose inventory will build in the next several weeks, a concessions area and a room for parties. The party room - which so far has hosted 15 birthday parties - has video games and table soccer.

An indoor Wiffleball league begins this week on the soccer field. Indoor soccer league play is expected to begin in February or March. Four youth soccer tournaments have been held so far.

Hitting leagues for high school baseball and softball players began two weeks ago in the batting cages, and teams can still enter. "They come in once a week individually or in groups of four," Lee said. "The first week they practiced hitting line drives." Players also will practice such things as bunting, pulling the ball, hitting to the opposite field and hitting up the middle. Hitting leagues for younger people will start in late February, and hitting leagues for slow-pitch softball players will start the first week in March.

"We'll have a number of camps in February and March for baseball, softball and soccer" instruction, Lee said. Baseball instruction for individuals will start in February. "It will be more one-on-one, for baseball," Lee said.

Lee also plans to establish fund-raising programs, in which teams or other groups can rent Gametime facilities and have part of the fee go to a designated school.

"Our long-range goals are to add a little more in the soccer end of things (possibly by enlarging the soccer area or adding a second one) and to start aerobic classes," Lee said. Aerobic classes might begin next fall , and a virtual reality game - such as one simulating hitting against Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson - might be in place later this year. Lee hopes to add more virtual reality games in the next few years and hopes eventually to have a full-sized baseball infield individuals, teams, companies and other groups.

Today, the Milwaukee Brewers Caravan will be at Gametime from 2 to 4 p.m. Geoff Jenkins, Kyle Peterson, Jason Bere and Jamey Wright of the Brewers will work out there from 2 to 3 p.m., and sign autographs and talk to fans from 3 to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Gametime owners Lee and Guggenbuehl have been friends since the 1980s, when both played on the La Crosse Angels baseball team.

Lee was Western Wisconsin Technical College baseball coach from 1994 to 1998 and managed Champs sporting goods stores in Phoenix, San Francisco and Spokane, Wash., for five years before that. He managed the Pro Image store in Valley View Mall from 1996 until he left to start Gametime. He manages the business.

Guggenbuehl also is an independent contractor who picks up and delivers small packages for RPS Inc., a delivery service company. He works at Gametime as much as he can.

Lee said he and Guggenbuehl have nine parttime employees, all of whom are high school or college athletes. The employees referee games and assist people using the center.

"I've been working on this (idea) for five years," Lee said of starting an indoor sports com plex. "These type of places are all over the West Coast." He began talking to Guggenbuehl about the idea last February. "We finally found a building in October and spent the months of October and November setting it up," Lee said.

"Our No. 1 concern is providing entertainment for the whole family," Lee said. "The whole family' can do something here."

Lee also said he enjoys owning a business and interacting with people. "I enjoy seeing a kid smile after they've succeeded," he said , -That's the No. 1 reason why I got into coaching."

"This was an opportunity for me to help bring something to the Coulee Region that wasn't here," Guggenbuehl said of his decision to become a partner in the business. "Baseball is very dear to my heart. And there haven't been a lot of things for baseball, softball and soccer players in the area to do in the off season."

GAMETIME SPORTZ

* What: An indoor sports complex at 1721 Miller St.

* Who: Owned by David Lee and Bob Guggenbuehl, both of La Crosse.

* Employees: Nine part-timers.

* Hours: Through Jan. 30, hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.

to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. SUnday. Hours will be shortened after Super Bowl Sunday.

* Details: For more information, call 784-3007.