Colorado Springs Continues To Build Reputation as a Sports Mecca
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With its rustic beauty and soaring mountain peaks, Colorado Springs has long been known as a recreational paradise. But with a growing number of sports organizations calling the city home, Colorado Springs also has earned a blue-ribbon reputation for staging world-class athletic events.
In fact, the city has hosted everything from the McDonald’s All-American High School Basketball Games and U.S. Women’s Open golf competition to the World Cycling Championships and 14 different World or U.S. Figure Skating Championships. And in July, the city will host the 2008 U.S. Senior Open, welcoming golfers age 50 and older for a weeklong tournament.
So what makes Colorado Springs such a natural place for these high-profile sporting events?
According to Tom Osborne, president and CEO of Colorado Springs Sports Corp., the answer is anchored by the presence of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Olympic Training Center.
The Sports Corp. works closely with the USOC to create and attract major sporting events while promoting the region as a prime sports destination.
“When the U.S. Olympic Committee relocated its headquarters to Colorado Springs in 1978, that was huge,” Osborne says. “Many of the national governing bodies and other sports organizations followed, creating a strong network for amateur athletics. It just made sense to conduct some of the regional and national events here. We have the venues, the staff, the resources. Our primary role is to assist and support the Olympic Committee and the national governing bodies.”
In addition, the Sports Corp. has established a Youth Sports Scholarship Program that targets promising, economically disadvantaged children throughout the region. The program has helped more than 2,500 kids attend various sport programs and camps since it was created in 1998.
“We work with various youth organizations such as the YMCA and the Boys & Girls Club, identifying unique programs that need funding,” Osborne says. “It’s a great program – it’s very exciting to see these kids participate who might not otherwise have the opportunity.”
Osborne also is excited about the upcoming State Games of the West, which will take place July 24-27, 2008. The event will feature more than 30 sports and will serve as a qualifier for the 2009 State Games of America.
“The State Games of America is really our signature event,” Osborne says. “It’s the largest multisport festival in the United States. We had more than 10,800 athletes from 47 states participate in 2007, generating an economic impact of $11 million.”
As chairman of the Sports Corp.’s Board of Directors and senior vice president of operations for the El Pomar Foundation, a private charitable organization, Dave Palenchar is well versed in the region’s athletic resources.
“Colorado Springs is unique in its role as an amateur sports center,” Palenchar says. “The civic leadership has been instrumental in creating the right climate to support these major events. It would be hard to duplicate this network of support anywhere else.”
Palenchar also points to the region’s outstanding venues as a key draw.
“The amenities are incredible,” he says. “You have the U.S. Olympic Training Center, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the World Arena and countless other venues. This is where the athletes come to train and compete.”
Story by Amy Stumpfl
Photo by Brian McCord
