By Amanda Theisen

For many years, people living in North Minneapolis have had to go outside of their community to find access to quality health and wellness resources. There were no workout facilities in the neighborhood. Plymouth Avenue – one of the area’s main thoroughfares – had no sit-down restaurants or grocery stores. Families struggled to find childcare and other youth programs for their kids. And community leaders grappled with a lack of places for both children and adults to learn how to swim.

Today, V3 Sports is addressing all those opportunity gaps – and more – for the North Minneapolis community under one roof. In June, the nonprofit opened Phase One of the brand new V3 Sports Center at Plymouth and Lyndale Avenues North. The community-inspired health and wellness facility brings back many vital features and services to the area. At $126 million, it is one of the largest private investments ever for North Minneapolis.

“Ultimately, there’s a lack of infrastructure in North Minneapolis,” says Malik Rucker, executive director of V3 Sports. “We wanted to create a space and it really grew into a hub of things that our community really needs.”

Sunrise Banks allocated $6 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) financing for Phase One of V3 Sports. Phase Two of the center is expected to open in 2027.

“This is an incredibly important project for Sunrise Banks to be part of,” says Caitlin McMahon, Assistant Vice President and NMTC loan officer. “The team at V3 Sports has been working tirelessly to bring many vital resources back to North Minneapolis and provide equitable access to health and wellness resources to its residents. We’re excited to see their vision not only come to life but grow into a cornerstone for the community.”

History of V3

V3 Sports launched in 2007 as a swim and triathlon team. Malik says the team initially practiced at a local YMCA facility. But then, the Y closed the pool and converted the center into a “youth only” childcare space.

“That not only left our team without a pool to train at, but it also left families without a place to be active together,” Malik explains.

The V3 Sports teams trained outside at Minneapolis lakes and at the University of Minnesota, which Malik says was not sustainable. Despite not having a permanent home for training, the teams competed – and placed – at several national tournaments.

The vision for the V3 Sports Center came to life out of those challenges and a desire to bring essential health and wellness services back to the North side.

Features of both phases

Phase One of V3 Sports includes a top-tier fitness center, family-friendly locker rooms and private changing rooms, a drop-in childcare facility, a Boys and Girls Club center, and spaces for community programming and events. The highlight of this phase is a 25-yard pool for teaching both children and adults how to swim.

V3 Sports also created its own swimming curriculum, led by “swim guides” who are specifically trained to teach people who have experienced trauma around water.

“Everybody has a water story,” says Malik. “So, we always ask how people feel about the water before they get in. It’s very reflective. It’s specifically for the North Side community. We know there’s a lot of adults that don’t know how to swim.”

Another aquatic feature now being used at V3 Sports is a public hydrotherapy pool – believed to be the only one of its kind in Minnesota. It includes a treadmill, underwater cameras, swim jets and support rails. Malik says V3 hopes to partner with an orthopedic clinic or therapists to offer physical therapy sessions in the pool.

For Phase Two, crews will install the 50-meter competition pool that was used for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska. Right now, sections of the Italian-engineered pool are sitting in giant storage crates, waiting to be reassembled.

Other features planned for Phase Two include four multi-purpose courts, a spiral walking track, and a lobby/atrium for events, and additional event and education spaces.

Food returns to Plymouth Avenue

“What I’m really excited about is we’re bringing food back to Plymouth Avenue,” says Malik. “There hasn’t been food around here in about 20 years, and that’s terrible. There’s a lot of businesses around here, but there was no food. That’s unacceptable.”

Now, V3 Sports will be home to a new sit-down restaurant and café operated by Gerard and Brittney Klass, the current owners of Soul Bowl. The restaurant will feature breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, along with grab-and-go options, smoothies and other beverages.

A new catering kitchen will also have the capacity to feed hundreds of athletes and spectators at future sporting events.

“When we have a tournament that has 10,000 people here over a weekend, we got to be able to feed that many people,” says Malik. “We have to do it in bulk and be efficient.”

Youth-inspired art and design

Malik says the team at V3 sports relied heavily on kids, teens and young adults from North Minneapolis to share what features they wanted to see in the new center. They helped pick out furniture for the lobby and learning spaces and designed an outdoor plaza with an award ceremony podium, plants and lane lines engraved into the concrete.

Local artists Aleya Berry and Jendayi Berry collaborated on the lobby’s centerpiece — an inspiring mural that shows athletes in action, centered around a quote from Olympic gold medal swimmer Simone Manuel.

Near-immediate impact on community

Since its grand opening in June, Malik says V3 Sports has welcomed hundreds of new members and families into the community. The center offers individual, family and group membership rates.

“V3 Sports is going to be a game-changer for North Minneapolis and the entire Twin Cities,” says Caitlin. “Sunrise Banks is committed to supporting projects like this one that help people and communities thrive. We’re already seeing that with the opening of Phase One. We can’t wait to see how people enjoy Phase Two of the project.”

“I am beyond excited for the future of V3 Sports,” says Malik. “As a native of North Minneapolis, I know that having access to places like this can positively impact a person’s quality of life. Now, we’re able to share these resources and reach so many more North side residents. I am hopeful it will have a transformational effect on our community.”

The V3 Sports Center is located in a neighborhood that benefits from Impact Deposits at Sunrise Banks. As a Certified Community Development Institution (CDFI), 60% of our lending benefits customers, businesses and projects in low to moderate-income communities. Member FDIC.

Amanda Theisen is the communications manager at Sunrise Banks.