On Saturday, April 26, Colorado Springs Youth Sports, Inc. hosted a Grand Opening event to unveil the addition of the Kent Olin Field Plaza at the El Pomar Youth Sports Park. Designed to improve the youth athlete and visitor experience at the Park, the Plaza includes a 10,000 sq. ft. practice field with a rebound wall, pavilion with seating, playground, concession stand, restroom trailer, and area for food trucks, along with enhanced landscaping. On a typical Colorado spring day, surrounded by several hundred young athletes playing soccer, softball, and lacrosse, attendees celebrated the additions under the new pavilion.
“The El Pomar Youth Sports Park hosts thousands of area youth athletes and is also home to more than a dozen tourism-based tournaments that contribute to the robust sports-tourism economy of Olympic City USA,” said Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade. “The City is pleased to have supported this project through a Lodging and Rental Car Tax (LART) grant through which tourism dollars are reinvested in community initiatives that drive additional tourism expenditures.”
“We are excited to improve the athlete and spectator experience at El Pomar Youth Sports Park,” noted Davis Tutt, Colorado Springs Youth Sports, Inc. Board President. “These enhancements improve the Park for everyday play and greatly enhance our capacity to host large tournaments.”
The addition was made possible by the generous support of El Pomar Foundation, The H.A. & Mary K. Chapman Foundation, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Daniels Fund, the City of Colorado Springs, Colarelli Construction, Creative Fabrications, the Joseph Henry Edmondson Foundation, Sturgeon Electric, Taylor Fence-Security-Automation, and many others.
“El Pomar Foundation is proud to have had its name associated with El Pomar Youth Sports Park for the past 25 years,” shared Kyle Hybl, President and CEO of El Pomar Foundation. “This beautiful new Kent Olin Field Plaza will help carry on the legacy of Kent and Marilyn Olin and bolster their investment in developing strong citizens through youth sports.”
With nine baseball/softball fields, as many as 15 multipurpose fields, and an inline rink, El Pomar Youth Sports Park is among the largest outdoor sports complexes in the State. The Park hosts more than 130,000 opportunities for youth to participate in sports each year and welcomes more than 400,000 visitors annually. While serving local youth is the primary mission of the Park, the facility also hosts upwards of 15 travel-based tournaments annually that contribute significantly to the economy of the Pikes Peak Region through sports tourism expenditures. The City of Colorado Springs provides valuable maintenance support toward the upkeep of the high-quality, affordable facility.
Attendees enjoyed lunch from the newly added concession stand as well as local food trucks, including Mateo’s Cheesesteaks and Crepes-N-Go.
