The Athletic Factory continues momentum with a new volleyball program

Cliff Thomason flashed a bright smile as he quickly passed a basketball to his latest protege.

Thomason, executive director of The Athletic Factory, was in the process of giving a personal workout to the athlete, who is yet another adolescent who has helped fulfill the vision of The Athletic Factory to make athletic training and sports leagues affordable throughout the Blue Water Area.
Cliff Thomason (middle) playing basketball.
Next month, The Athletic Factory will add a new volleyball program called Hitters Elite. Since 2017, Thomason’s goal has continued to pick up steam with the addition of several sports. This year that has continued as sports such as golf, tennis, and soon-to-be a new volleyball program have come up on the radar.

“It’s definitely been a vision come to fruition,” Thomason says. “I’ve done this only because of the grace of God. We have a vision going further than what we had initially. Five years from now we want to have even more components. We are at the very early stage of developing a tennis program. We are gathering people and will have meetings coming soon. For a lot of people of color that’s been a roadblock and we want to give them more exposure to sports like golf and tennis.” 

Tryouts will be hosted for the volleyball travel program on October 26-27. At the tryouts, three travel teams for 14-to-17-year-olds will be selected. 

“We want to take volleyball to the next level locally,” Program Director Andrea Huizar says. “We want to continue to make it stronger in Port Huron and beyond. I had a meeting with Cliff and told him what I wanted to do and he has been right there helping me get this program started. We want to be competitive and also affordable. We want to get girls in our area more touches on the ball but at an affordable price. I’m really excited to be able to offer training at a lower price.
Andrea Huizar, Director of The Athletic Factory's new Volleyball Program.
“We are starting very small with three teams to dip our toes into it with girls who have played before," Huizar continues. "Next year we hope to feature a wider range of age groups and start basic training for younger girls. Our tryouts in October are going to introduce our expectations to the athletes. We are going to use the first day to ease into things and see who can take direction and have the spunk that volleyball brings out in girls. The first day will be teaching them and the second day will be game-type situations. Then the coaches and I will have a sit-down and pick our teams.”

The travel season is expected to last from December to April for $600 per athlete and will feature the teams traveling to eight tournaments. The coaching staff will also host three skills camps for the athletes. 

“One of the most important things about volleyball is getting more touches on the ball.,” Huizar says. “That makes it easier and that leads to more progression in the game itself. Practice makes perfect. The more you touch the ball and learn and experience volleyball the more successful the girls are going to be going forward in the upper leagues.”

Assisting Huizar will be Jana Cheney. The former athlete grew up playing travel volleyball in the area and hopes to build on that legacy by coaching the next generation of athletes. 

Andrea Huizar (middle in blue) coaching a volleyball team.

“What Cliff is doing is amazing,” Cheney says. “I love that he’s bringing different sports to the area that are competitive but also that everyone can afford. I’m super excited. This area has needed a travel volleyball team such as this since Blue Water Volleyball left."  

Cheney adds, “Andrea and I are very big on developing projects like this and we look forward to helping train and develop the girls. I grew up with travel volleyball and it’s a great experience to enjoy the game.” 

After what originally started as a focus on travel basketball teams and personal workouts, The Athletic Factory is now becoming a haven for all residents. The hope is that everyone can find a program that suits their interests.

That includes Andrea Edwards, who has continued to bring her son for training since the early days of The Athletic Factory.

“We have been coming since it’s been open,” Edwards says. “I think it’s good that we have a gym that the kids can go to. We didn’t have that since the Leonard Center. It’s good to have something in the area like this." 

Edwards adds, “When I found out they had added volleyball for the girls I was glad. Just growing up around here, volleyball didn’t have black girls. But to see our girls in the community coming out and for them to see they can do something besides basketball and still get scholarships to go to college, I was impressed by that.” 

Volleyball Camp through The Athletic Factory.

Even with the new programs being added, basketball will remain an area of emphasis for the organization. Over the years it has developed from travel teams to local leagues and athletic training. 

“Basketball is still a staple for us,” Assistant Executive Director Marion Stewart says. “We have great trainers. It’s a one-stop shop. We are looking at specific sports and reaching out and branching out to get as many different sports as possible.

“Just like we are doing to encourage the kids to play golf on the south end (of Port Huron) and other ideas like tennis and things like that. We hope they put the video games down a little bit and be as active as they can,” Stewart says. 

With the fall sports season ahead, The Athletic Factory is also preparing for its upcoming banquet. The annual fundraiser will be held on October 28 from 6 to 8 pm at the Blue Water Convention Center. It will feature keynote speaker and former Port Huron High School athlete Dominic Schultz. 

“It doesn’t cost anything to get in, but we hope the people there will donate,” Thomason says. “We want them to dress up and represent their favorite team.”