HUB Sports Center has become a powerful extension of local schools, creating spaces and programs where kids can learn, play, and build life skills far beyond the classroom. Executive Director Phil Champlin is clear that HUB Sports Center’s role is to complement, not compete with, schools, filling gaps in facilities and programming so more students can thrive.
“Our purpose is to provide events that have a positive impact on youth and community,” he explains, “and you’ll notice that statement doesn’t have the words sports or the facility in it.” That wording is intentional, giving HUB Sports Center the flexibility to respond wherever kids and families need support most. “Ninety percent of what we do is sports, and most of it happens here [at HUB],” he says, “but if we find an opportunity that isn’t sport-related and still has a positive impact on youth or community, that fits our mission.”
For Champlin, this work is personal. “I really have a heart for kids, and I really believe in the life lessons kids learn through play and participation,” he says. Those lessons may not show up on a transcript, but they matter in the long term. As he puts it, “Kids are learning the life skills they need to be successful long before the résumé ever gets written.”
Partnering So More Kids Can Play
Partnership is at the core of how HUB serves local schools. “Two-thirds of the activities that happen here are through collaborations,” Champlin says. “We partner with the YMCA, Hooptown, Evergreen Region Volleyball, Special Olympics, school districts, private schools, and community groups.” The philosophy is straightforward: an empty gym doesn’t help kids.
“We’ve got this amazing facility, and it doesn’t do us any good to not have people in here.” Champlin sees HUB Sports Center as a natural complement to K–12 schools, especially as districts stretch to meet growing needs. “Schools are geared to educate and support our kids,” he says. “They’re not necessarily geared to do every single program families might need.”
One of the earliest examples is HUB 360, an after-school program for middle schoolers that grew from a direct conversation with the Central Valley School District. “We sat down with Central Valley and asked, ‘Where is the need, and how can we come alongside?'” Champlin recalls. District leaders pointed to middle school as a critical turning point. “Middle school is really your last chance to get a kid connected,” he says. “When they connect in middle school, they’re more likely to get connected in high school, and then they’re more likely to graduate.”
When Valley districts adopted a balanced calendar with a new midwinter break, HUB Sports Center created Multiverse Week, a themed day camp blending games, movement, and movie time. “We’ve been very intentional about asking where we can provide supplemental or complementary programming,” Champlin says, “because schools can’t do everything as much as they’d love to.”
Sometimes support looks as simple and vital as offering a temporary home. When East Valley’s parent partnership couldn’t use its building last fall, HUB Sports Center opened its doors. “They had about 60 kids, and their teachers came in every day and turned our mezzanine into six classrooms,” Champlin explains. “PE was on the courts. By opening our space, we allowed them to host school in person instead of being fully virtual for almost a semester.”
This school year, Central Valley’s Aspire to Life program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities also moved into HUB Sports Center. “The district wanted to help some of their students transition out of a school building into life and work,” Champlin says. “We turned one of our studios into a classroom Monday through Friday.” Teachers use the space to practice real-world skills like riding the bus, ordering at a restaurant, making change, and planning a work schedule. “We’re super excited to be a small part of that program by housing them here,” he says.
Unlocking Students’ Futures
As Champlin heard business leaders describe labor shortages in trades and construction, and heard schools worry that students saw a four-year degree as the only path to success, he recognized another opportunity. “College is a one tool you can use to be successful, but it does not equal success,” he said. “There are lots of pathways to success.”
HUB’s response? Unlock Your Future, a career-focused event originally aimed at middle schoolers. “We thought, what if we hosted a speed-dating-type career fair?” Champlin says. “We invited businesses from manufacturing, construction, trades, medical, and first responders. We brought in middle schoolers so they could hear directly from employers.”
Students rotate among employers, taking notes in a handbook they later review with counselors to develop their high-school-and-beyond plans. “If it’s all just in their head, it’s gone,” Champlin explains. “But if they wrote it down that day, you can say, ‘Okay, you circled construction. You mentioned this company. What did you like about that conversation?'” At school leaders’ request, HUB Sports Center has since added a hiring-focused version for juniors and seniors, including résumé and interview workshops.
“We Can Do More Together Than on Our Own”
Underlying all of this is a deep belief in collaboration. “We really believe we can do more together than we can on our own,” Champlin says. That shows up in close relationships with East Valley, West Valley, Central Valley, and Freeman, as well as support for smaller private and faith-based schools. “We’ve become kind of the default gym for them,” he says. “One week they’re here as the visiting team, the next week they’re here as the home team.”
HUB Sports Center’s open-door posture is intentional. “In a way, we’re kind of Switzerland,” Champlin says with a smile. “It doesn’t matter what sport you are, what club you’re with, what city you’re in. If you’ve got an organization that needs space or a place to host your program, let’s find a way to do that here.”