Our history is rooted in the establishment of Bernick’s Arena on Pinecone Regional Park in the city of Sartell, Minnesota. Following years of fundraising and 7 months of construction, including nearly 3,000 volunteer hours, Bernick’s Arena was opened in November 2003.  The grand opening on Monday, November 10, 2003, drew 500 people into the arena and featured then Governor Tim Pawlenty. The Governor praised the efforts of the Sartell Youth Recreation Center (SYRC) and the Sartell Youth Hockey Association in building the facility and commended the community’s support.

Since 2003, SYRC has continued to invest in arena improvements including such as a new Zamboni, concession upgrades, new (federally mandated) refrigerant, dehumidification, environmentally responsible rubberized locker room flooring, a water treatment system, and an elevator to meet current ADA Standards. In 2017, support from the City of Sartell afforded the ability to invest in an expanded paved parking lot, which was a pivotal first step in the expansion of Bernick’s Arena.  The facility expansion, completed in May 2021, included the new RDR Arena and the facility was renamed: SCHEELS Athletic Complex. The expansion also included new dasher boards and 8’ glass in Bernick’s Arena, 120’ of new dryland space, a 40’ batting cage, new meeting/conference room, four new general use locker rooms, two new high school locker rooms in RDR, new artificial turf, and a new Zamboni. 

As a nonprofit 501(c)(3), SYRC owns and operate SCHEELS Athletic Complex, and is comprised of a five member board including:

• Brian Zimny, President
• Matt Dankers, VP
• Elizabeth (Boo) Statsick, Secretary
• Jeff Rislov, Treasurer
• Ryan Fitzthum, Mayor – City of Sartell 

The purpose of SYRC is to assist in the growth and development of young persons into responsible adulthood, by promoting and encouraging the participation of young persons, parents and other interested adults in amateur ice-related and other sports, amateur athletic contests, and educational or recreational programs.  To fulfill its purpose and remain fiscally responsible, SYRC maintains the numerous partnerships as listed below:

• Sartell Youth Hockey Association (SYHA)
• City of Sartell
• Sartell-St. Stephen ISD 748
• Sartell Boys High School Hockey
• Sartell/Sauk Rapids Girls High School Hockey
• Sartell Girls and Boys High School Track
• Sartell Boys High School Lacrosse
• Sartell High School Football
• AAA Hockey programs
• Sartell Figure Skating Club
• Minnesota Warriors
• Hockey development programs and camps
• SCSU Hockey
• St. John’s University Hockey
• Sartell/Sauk Rapids Youth Lacrosse Association
• Sartell Area Youth Football Association
• Sartell Youth Baseball Association
• Sartell Sapphires Gymnastics Association