Masonville resident Steve Cafasso is giving his love of baseball, and a building, new life.
Cafasso, a retired law enforcement officer, launched Bainbridge Athletics, an indoor sports center at 51 North Main St. in Bainbridge in early December. The fully turfed, climate-controlled, self-service facility is housed in the former Great American grocery store building.
Cafasso said he has long wanted to establish a place like Bainbridge Athletics, which will operate year-round.
“I’ve been involved in baseball my entire life and we have a family history of baseball,” he said. “It’s deeply rooted … and I’m not originally from the area, but after I moved to this area and my kids got involved in sports, I realized there was a lack of access to a training place. I thought it would be a really good opportunity to provide something to the community that they’d never had before.”
Launching Bainbridge Athletics in the renovated grocery store, Cafasso said, was about investing not just in his dream, but his adopted home.
“I had been working on the plans for at least three years, and it was a matter of finding the right location and a building that suited my needs,” he said. “The Great American was auctioned off a year ago and then, when I got in touch with the landlord (Bainbridge businessman Armando Petrucelli), that’s when the wheels were really in motion. He was excited about the plan, and I had the vision. I had been planning this before I even retired.
“I’m very fortunate to have a landlord that has invested so much in this community, not just financially, but time and effort that he’s put into Bainbridge and other buildings to help develop the village,” Cafasso continued. “The Great American was vacant for almost 10 years and needed so much work that nobody else was willing to take that risk and put the money into it. I’ve been very lucky to be a part of that.”
Bainbridge Athletics’ offerings, Cafasso said, are “multi-purpose.”
“It’s unique,” he said. “It’s mainly geared toward baseball, softball and soccer, but the way I have it built out, the cages can be retracted so you can transform the space into so many different uses. I’ve had interest in wrestling and field hockey, so it’s not just baseball and softball; it’s whatever someone wants to rent the space for, if done safely, but it’s also self-service. (Clients) get access to the building with a smartphone, as members, and you help yourself to the equipment.”
Members, he said, are all vetted and must sign a waiver and establish an online account before using the facility. and Bainbridge Athletics, Cafasso said, offers private and group lessons, team usage and features local instructors and coaches for baseball, softball and soccer.
Cafasso said usership has been widespread, and he hopes patronage will boost Bainbridge.
“We’re pulling players and families from the other side of Oneonta to Binghamton and everywhere in between,” he said. “I’ve had people from out of state visiting for the holidays looking for a place to train, and Norwich and Delhi. I’ve had people come in just for lessons and I’ve had families come in and play catch and they don’t take it too seriously, but it’s something to do in January. I have individuals that come here and just work on some skills. I’ve done camps and two-day clinics and I have teams that practice here every week — local high school and travel baseball and softball teams — so it’s serving a wide spectrum.
“The (building) is right on Main Street and it’s right off the interstate, which makes it easily accessible for people coming from outside of Bainbridge,” Cafasso continued. “One of my hopes is that people come here from Oneonta or Binghamton, and they’ll train for an hour, then maybe have dinner in Bainbridge, which they never would’ve done before. Then that helps support other businesses and it’s getting people off the highway and doing things in Bainbridge.”
Locals, Cafasso said, are “excited.”
“The feedback leading up to the opening and ever since I opened has been nothing but overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “There’s a lot of excitement about being able to do something sports-related in the middle of winter, in a safe space, with all new equipment. People walk in and their eyes get really wide, like, ‘This is the Great American?’”
Cafasso said he is “planning on expanding” within the facility. and though Bainbridge Athletics does not carry inventory, Cafasso said he is a retailer “of over 30 manufacturers of baseball and softball equipment,” at discounted prices.
For more information on becoming a member, visit bainbridgeathletics.com. Also, find “Bainbridge Athletics” on Facebook or follow @bainbridgeathletics on Instagram.