GREAT FALLS — Just off Highway 87, a dirt lot covered in weeds is set to become the new home for the Electric City Volleyball Academy.
ECVA plans to break ground in less than a year for its own dedicated facility, a milestone for owner and program director Alax Grundy, who says the move will benefit families across the area.
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"I think we each offer something unique, and families need that," Grundy said. "Being able to have our own facilities really frees up gym space in town, and it also gives girls more opportunities."
Grundy's day job is in construction, but his passion for volleyball comes from his older sister, who played club volleyball growing up in a place where the sport wasn't offered.
"My sister grew up playing club volleyball. It wasn't offered where I grew up. I loved the sport," Grundy said.
Finding land for the new facility was the easy part — funding it took the spirit of a businessman. Grundy started a business right behind the lot, specifically to help pay for the gym without passing costs on to players and their families.
"I'm a business owner, so I'm kind of a risk taker," Grundy said. "I decided to start this RV and trailer storage to help fund a gym, so we're not raising costs for the families and for the girls."
The building itself carries a price tag of around $600,000 and will include two courts, a weight room, bathrooms, storage for gear, and places for parents to watch. For Grundy, the project is about more than square footage, it's about giving his program some much-needed stability.
"Right now we're at the mercy of everyone else's schedule, and it will be a wonderful thing to have some stability for our teams and for our families," he said.
Though ECVA is only two years old, Grundy’s been struck by the mentality of the athletes who've come through the program.
"Each and every one of those girls on each of those teams really impressed me," Grundy said. "They carried themselves well, they push themselves hard. And, you know, we found success."
Not every athlete who joins ECVA will go on to play in college, but Grundy says that was never the point of starting the club.
"We really started the club to better our community," he said. "Not everyone will go on to play college volleyball, but every one of our athletes will be an adult, and I want good adults in my community."
