Iowa Games evolve with people’s interest
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By Steve Batterson | Sunday, June 29, 2008 |
He’s been on the job as the executive director of the Iowa Games for 14 years, but Jim Hallihan finds himself heading an ever-evolving organization.
Nearly 120,000 Iowans participated in events organized by the Iowa Sports Foundation in 2007, a number that includes a record number of participants in the Winter Iowa Games and Lighten Up Iowa, a statewide initiative that encourages healthy physical activity and eating habits.
The Summer Iowa Games annually attracts around 19,000 entries to a sports festival that this year will host competition in 58 different events.
Individual competition in par-3 golf — an event scheduled for June 30 in Des Moines — and handball have been added to the list of competitive opportunities available to Iowa residents.
Team competition is available in everything from adult and youth baseball, softball and soccer to volleyball, team golf, flag football, dodgeball and sand volleyball.
Tournaments are offered for four types of basketball —3-on-3, 5-on-5, 6-on-6 and adult men — and 28 sports ranging from bowling and cycling to swimming and water skiing crown individual champions.
“The growth has been fairly constant and as the interest of people change, we’ve changed,’’ Hallihan said.
One thing that hasn’t changed lately is the cost.
The entry fee for an individual in track and field is $15, the same as it was in 1990.
“We’ve tried to keep things affordable and the growth of our corporate sponsorship program has helped us do that,’’ Hallihan said.
The majority of competition in this year’s Summer Iowa Games is scheduled for the weekends of July 18 and July 25 in and around the campus of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Diana Reed, Miss Iowa of 2007, will be the featured speaker at opening ceremonies that are part of a Finals Fest event at ISU’s Jack Trice Stadium on July 18.
Deadlines for entering most team events are between Monday and July 7. Many individual events have entry deadlines between Monday and early July as well.
Entry details can be obtained at Hy-Vee, Casey’s General Stores, Subway and Iowa Health Systems facilities throughout Iowa or online at www.iowagames.org
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