New athletic center opens in Kasson
Kratos Athletic Center (KAC) had a “soft opening” starting Jan. 1, 2023. It is located in the former Images on Metal building, which now also houses the Dodge County Food Shelf, at 105 Mantorville Ave S in Kasson. Albert Brand is the owner of Kratos Athletic Center and Travis Wiuff is a coach at the KAC.
Albert grew up in Florida and started lifting and playing sports while in school. Throughout his youth and college years he competed in weightlifting, CrossFit and Olympic lifting. When his family moved to Indiana, he started to train for the sport of Strongman. He has since competed in many strongman competitions, and also at the pro/am “Official Strongman Games” held in Daytona Beach, Fla. Albert also holds the United States Strongman Axle Clean and Press Record at 410lbs.
As a teenager, Albert experienced a devastating shoulder injury while playing football, which led to a complete shoulder reconstruction at the young age of 16. Doctors warned him that he would likely never be able to lift weights or participate in contact and lifting sports again.
However, this only served to ignite a fire within Albert, motivating him to push his body to its limits and become stronger. The adversity he faced inspired Albert to give back to his community by helping to build strong athletes who can lift with proper form, ultimately reducing the risk of injuries similar to the one he endured. His dedication and expertise now shine through his work at the KAC, where he creates a supportive environment for others to safely pursue their fitness and athletic goals.
Travis grew up in Owatonna, and had a successful wrestling career in high school and college. He has taken part in over 100 mixed martial arts (MMA) contests across the U.S. and Europe besides having a professional wrestling career. Travis has been on the Kasson-Mantorville School staff as a paraprofessional for 10 years, and is part of the K-M wrestling coaching staff, plus he is the strength coordinator at the school fitness center.
KAC is involved with strength training for men and women and is continuing to add additional training equipment to the center. They have all the equipment necessary for powerlifting, strongman, and any other strength sports. They are also introducing combat sports into the athletic center as well with Cardio Kickboxing and Jujitsu classes. The center has a separate wrestling mat section room as part of their facility that members can use for training.
Albert and his family moved to Kasson in 2020, and have five children ranging in ages from 10 years old to two months. The older children attend K-M schools.
Kratos Athletic Center first started in the garage of Kasson local Andrew Pappas, who is the owner of Kratos Strength Equipment. Pappas is a strong supporter of the strongman/strength community and has helped countless number of athletes around the world grow in the sport.
The KAC logo on the wall was painted by Karlee Wynia, a K-M student. She was recommended by K-M Art instructor Marilyn Fredrickson to do the painting. Karlee’s brother, Kail, was a member of the K-M wrestling team, and is now on the South Dakota State University wrestling team.
The center is available 24/7 to members who will receive a code to access the gym area. Various types of memberships are available such as 24/7 access, personal training, online programing and more. Memberships are on a month-to-month basis as you do not need to sign a long time contract like some gym centers require. The Center is looking at an official opening this spring. For more info, their website is kratosac.com or contact Albert at contact@kratosac.com.