Parks and recreation enhance quality community sports: Sportstowns USA.

Through its partnership with Sports Illustrated, the National Recreation and Park Association will over the next year recognize outstanding communities that are the epitome of what's good about sports in America. Starting with this issue, Parks & Recreation will profile four or five Sportstowns--that is, the top sports town from each state.

What makes a community a Sportstown? A common thread is providing education, training and facilities so that everyone can participate to the best of their abilities. Scholarships make sure that everyone can play. Codes of conduct make sure everyone behaves. And parks and recreation partnerships make sure there are places to play.

NEWPORT, R.I.

Unification Through Sports

Inclusion and opportunities are the trademarks of sports in this coastal town. If the parks and recreation department doesn't have the facilities, funding or staff to effectively manage a sports activity, it finds them and make it happen. Whether it's with the International Tennis Hall of Fame, YMCA, Major League Soccer, Sail Newport or the school down the street, sports happen in Newport because people care.

When the public middle school was cutting three-quarters of those who wanted to play for its basketball teams, the parks and recreation department instituted a "no-cut" middle school after-school league for the public students to play against private schools.

More than 20 percent or Newport's youth qualify for flee or reduced lunch. (Newport is the state's 4th-poorest community.) Many of the youth in the recreation sports programs are referrals from Family Court, Juvenile Hearing Board, and Social Service or Community Mental Health agencies. No child is refused an opportunity to play a recreational sport owing to financial hardship.

Opportunities are available for teens and young adults to participate as volunteer youth coaches, paid officials or scorekeepers. They can transition into an adult sports league such as softball (coed, men's or women's), men's baseball, co-ed volleyball, tennis lessons and tournaments, and over-30-basketball.

Newport's sports organizations are closely aligned. The fall baseball program is sponsored by the parks and recreation department, not a league, but most of the best coaches from Little league and Babe Ruth assist so that they can spend more time on learning and teaching skill-development drills organized by the stale Sail Newport provides an introductory level program through the parks and recreation department in the summer that augments the more expensive camp. The Tennis Hall for Fame has provided one-day clinics for the parks and recreation department's summer tennis students, and financial support for the city's youth lessons.

The Hall of Fame has also provided the site for the finals of a community tennis tournament that raises funds for the public program. The YMCA hosts the youth water polo program jointly run by the parks and recreation department.

More examples of cooperation: The private Tai Kwon Do studios has an introductory program field at the recreation center several times a year. The RI Surfriders Association holds a surfing clinic for girls called "Chicks on Sticks" at the municipal beach each summer that's co-sponsored by these parks and recreation department. The parks and recreation department sponsored Major League Soccer camp is widely attended by members of the neighboring communities' youth clubs. The Girl's Babe Ruth softball league is sponsored by the parks and recreation department and supported by Little League, which directs its players into it as they get older and graduate from the co-ed minor leagues. The summer cheerleading camp run by the parks and recreation department provides training for many of the Pop Warner teams.

Newport's public schools rely on the parks and recreation department to provide them with safe and correctly prepared athletic facilities. In return, the varsity teams often provide youth leagues officials, volunteer coaches and clinics. The middle school coaches the players who are cut from their programs to join the recreation leagues to improve their skills and to keep them active and interested. The high school provides its gym to help run the men's over-30 basketball league.

Salve Regina University is an important contributor to the community's sports. In addition to paying to use the municipal athletic fields, it has entered into a financial agreement to provide fertilization, weed control and seeding to a number of athletic fields throughout the community and not just ones used by the university. The university provides players and coaches for clinics in youth sports.

As the city's population has grown more diverse, so have the variety and scope athletic programs offered. New sports opportunities are being introduced each season, and support is available to make sure each child is able to become involved. Whether the assistance is financial, facility- or equipment-based, or simply a ride to the site, the community comes together to help out.

"The Sportstown recognition will not change the way Newport involves itself in the youth and families," says Sue Cooper, Newport's director of parks and recreation. "It will just show other towns and cities that it can be done if the real team is the community and all of its residents."

WESTERVILLE, OHIO 

Sports for All Ages

Westerville tipped the scales in its favor with its commitment to providing diverse recreation programs and high-quality leisure facilities. With a smorgasbord of sport opportunities for people all ages and abilities, Westerville is a vital city of 36,000 residents located in the northeast corner of Ohio's fastest-growing region. Recreational opportunities abound in Westerville, with. 38 different parks or recreation facilities, including the 96,600-square-foot community center that opened in November 2001.

Westerville has a wide offering of opportunities, from extreme sports and leisure pools, to "Lil' Sluggers" and "Sporties for Shorties," and senior billiards and tennis. Residents of all ages and abilities can find fun and rewarding sport activities in the city. In fact, Westerville's special-needs task force identifies programs for people with special needs and markets them directly to the populations they serve. In Westerville, there really is something for everyone.

Giving people an opportunity to participate is Westerville's mission, but helping them grow from these experiences is as vital, starting with the Start Smart program, which introduces sportsmanship to the youngest participants and their parents. The "Westerville Way" is all about character; community and commitment. It's a community-wide effort to support and nurture Westerville virtues in a formalized way, and it has been adopted by the city, schools, sports organizations, businesses and families.

"Through participation in youth sports programs, children learn the value of teamwork, responsibly and commitment," says NRPA member Jody Stowers, CPRP, director of the Westerville Parks and Recreation Department. "They experience the joy of winning and learn how to lose graciously and with dignity. Participants learn to work with and trust others. They also learn the importance of following directions and sharing by taking turns and being honest with themselves and their teammates. Participants learn to respect one another and their coaches. In Westerville, participating in sports programs instills in youth a healthy self-concept, which makes it possible for them to achieve success in both sports and life based on realizing positive self-esteem and confidence and the skills and desires needed for participation in a lifelong sport."

The community honors its sports heroes, too. Individual or teams that have earned state or national championships are acknowledged in a "Grove of Champions" located outside the entrance to the city's football stadium. Trees have been planted to honor outstanding performances in track, football, swimming, diving, national bass fishing, basketball and soccer.

But you can't be a Sportstown USA with just great programs and people--financial support is key. Not only does the city of Westerville support the facilities and programs; so does the community. For example, the Westerville Amateur Soccer Association donated $120,000 to the new Westerville Sports Complex. The Westerville youth baseball and softball leagues donate between $15,000 and $25,000 each year to support fields and amenity improvements. Now that's putting your money where your mouth is!

CASPER, WYO.

All Trails Lead To Casper

Sports in Casper are a focal point of the community. Although Casper is a community of less than 50,000, it has more than 60 sporting opportunities available to citizens, and much of the population is involved as a player coach, parent, spectator, sponsor, volunteer or official. Casper has something to offer all ages, from the baby learning to swim at one of Casper's local pools to the senior citizen taking a fitness class at the recreation center or strolling on a walking path.

Avenues are in place to ensure that everyone who wants to participate in a sport can do so despite their ability to pay or previous sport experience. The Community Recreation Foundation exists to provide funding for free or affordable recreation programs for people of all ages and abilities. Support is provided to fund swimming lessons and passes, sports league registrations, senior fitness and sports activities, classes, recreation center memberships, golf passes and downhill ski lift tickets. The foundation also helps to purchase adaptive equipment such as sit skis.

In all youth sports leagues, every attempt is made to form evenly matched teams. The community maintains rules that every child plays equally and has opportunities to play a variety of positions. So-called "travel" teams aren't permitted to register as a pre-exiting team in Casper's youth sports leagues because of the potential to create competitive imbalances. Players from traveling teams are welcomed and integrated into the program as individuals, and are then incorporated into teams.

Adult sports leagues attract a high percentage of the population compared to other communities of Casper's size. Leagues include numerous divisions so that everyone can find a place where they're comfortable. Leagues are governed by boards of directors, which are made up of players who align teams into appropriate divisions of competitiveness prior to scheduling. When necessary, board representatives realign teams into more appropriate divisions to keep things lair and competitive.

Because the city is centrally located In Wyoming, Casper hosts numerous state sporting events, training clinics and tournaments. Casper prides itself within the sports community for hosting major sporting events such as the College National Finals Rodeo through 2008. In addition, Mike Lansing Field is the home of the Casper Rockies of the Pioneer League. The Wyoming Cavalry, an affiliate team of the National Indoor Football League, is owned in part by the city of Casper.

City leaders realize the value of attracting major sporting events to the community to provide the support needed to manage high-quality facilities and programs. City administrators view recreation and sports as quality-of-life issues and believe they're an integral part of the Casper community.

In fact, the city provides financial help, and often in-kind management assistance, to independently operated sports programs and events, such as the Cowboy State Games, Wyoming Amateur Wrestling, Platte Bridge Station Stage Race, the Casper Figure Skating Association, the Eddie McPherson Ice Hockey Tournament, Casper Amateur Hockey, Special Olympics Safe Kids of Central Wyoming and Casper Youth Baseball.

With all that there is to do, it's easy to see why "all trails lead to Casper." The recipe for sinless in Springfield-Greene County is simple: Provide an abundance of opportunities to participate and focus on fun and sportsmanship. The outcome? A heart-healthy community that conies out to play and supports high-quality sports,

Springfield's rich and diverse sports heritage is nearly 135 years strong--from early programs that included sports fundamentals like tennis, swimming and softball, to the nationally recognized Hearts N' Parks program. And the community' sports attention isn't only on recreational participants. Springfield also has professional tennis with the World Team Tennis Springfield Lasers, and is now a training site for the U.S. Olympic Committee/Community Olympic Development program in weight lifting and tennis.

The vision for sports ill Springfield-Greene County began with its citizens. A citizen-based task force spent fix, e years creating Vision 20/20, a master plan that takes Springfield 25 years into the future. This plan includes a dedicated element outlining complete parks system, open space and green-way trails--all for the benefit of citizens.

To make sports happen, the community incorporates fun sports activities into many community programs. For example, when celebrating July is Parks and Recreation Month during the annual Firefall-Fourth of July event, the city hosts community events such as an obstacle course, basketball hoops, backboard tennis and softball throws, Just turn around in Springfield, and you have an opportunity to participate.

Oil any given day, anywhere in Springfield, people are talking about or playing sports. They talk about Jackie Stiles and which WNBA team picked up her contract; about Kickapoo High School's nationally rated stale championship basketball teams; about which girls' softball team has a shot at going to the state championships. And they talk about their favorite sports--family basketball at the Chesterfield Family Center; when the swimming pools open; when the Springfield Spirit's first home hockey game is. Sports happen in Springfield, home of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Springfield-Greene County Park Board and the Springfield sports industry partner with national governing bodies for sports to offer the public outstanding options for training and education through national clinics and workshops. The community is affiliated with the governing bodies for softball, tennis, basketball, soccer, bowling, racquetball, baseball, track and field, gymnastics, figure skating, ice hockey, swimming, table tennis and golf.

Community education and training strategies cover all the bases, from sport-specific parent code-conduct training and substance-abuse prevention to sport-specific skills training, nutrition clinics and safety classes to reduce injuries. Springfield's citizens are provided with the information they need to get the most out of their active lives.

Individuals can participate at whatever levels they desire. Proper skill development is encouraged through certified coaches who are continual fine-tuning their coaching skills. The caliber of coaches available to support community athletes is outstanding. For example, WNBA Player Jackie Stiles is a youth basketball coach, Olympic gold medallist Jennifer Fullener coaches swimming and Olympic bronze medallist Lori Endicott Vandersnick coaches volleyball.

Sporting events and activities are the common thread through the heart of the community with over 400 sporting facilities or green spaces to engage in physical activity. When the community hosts an event such as the FED Cup tennis, a PGA tournament or all Amateur Athletics Union event, the businesses, service groups, city officials and media all come together to make it happen successfully. Sports in Springfield have created healthy family unity through a diversity of sporting activities for all generations.