“The environment to exercise is ‘S-class’.”
The SSG Landers team held a spring camp in Florida, USA after 3 years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, only domestic training has been conducted, but overseas camps have resumed. This year, many of the KBO League clubs are conducting a second camp in Okinawa, Japan, after the first camp in Arizona, USA. However, after the first camp at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida, SSG moved to Okinawa at the end of February for a real-life schedule.
Although I have visited several times in the past, in fact, the only downside of Vero Beach Camp is the travel time. There are no direct flights from Korea to airports in Florida. There are no direct flights to Orlando Airport, which is a large airport, or Miami Airport, a famous resort, so you have to make a stopover unconditionally. The SSG team also arrives at West Palm Beach or Orlando Airport via Atlanta Airport, and even after arriving, they have to take a bus for more than an hour to reach Vero Beach. It takes more than 15 hours for the flight alone and 20 hours for the transit time and bus travel. Manager Kim Won-hyeong and most of the players unanimously say, “It’s hard to take too long to move.”
However, there is a special스포츠토토, irrefutable reason why SSG selected Vero Beach as a spring camp location. It is true that it has the best environment for training. The Jackie Robinson Training Complex was used by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the past and is now managed by the Major League Baseball (MLB) Secretariat. The ground management is top-notch, and it has several outdoor and indoor training grounds. SSG can use all these facilities freely. Pitchers, fielders, and catchers can train in multiple fields at the same time. There is no time for the players to delay.
Coach Won-hyeong Kim said, “It feels good because we feel like we are using the entire stadium. If you go to a stadium used by major league clubs, it is not easy to use the facilities after the major leaguers gather. Athletes use facilities such as gyms, but they notice it, and it is inconvenient because there are times when the time overlaps.
Even the players’ quarters are right next to the training ground. Here too, management is the same. For this reason, the advantage is clear that players can freely use accommodation, playgrounds, and personal training facilities at any time, and that they can use their time efficiently individually without traveling as a group by bus. Because of this, SSG’s spring camp training does not increase the time, the waiting time is short, and you can exercise compactly. There are some inconveniences due to the long travel time and the large time difference, but the environment is enough to offset the inconvenience. Also compared to Arizona, rental facilities are 30% cheaper.
Of course, some players who are sensitive to jet lag say, “It takes too long to adapt,” but on the contrary, there are many voices in favor, saying, “There is no place like this environment.” This is the reason why SSG did not give up the Florida camp easily.