Olympian efforts

Salt Lake County honored as SI Sportstown for Utah

By Andrew Schulman

For 17 days in February 2002, top athletes from around the globe came to Salt Lake City to compete at the highest level. And while hosting an Olympic Games is a once-in-a-lifetime event, the area's residents are accustomed to displays of athletic prowess.

The Taylorsville Recreation Center is one of 12 such facilities operated by the Salt Lake County Parks and Rec. Courtesy of Desiree Ingle, Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation

For over 50 years, the Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation Division has been working for, and with, the community to provide a world-class athletic experience. The Division's hard work -- along with its ability to adapt to the changing needs of the county's 900,000 residents -- has earned Salt Lake County the title of Sports Illustrated Sportstown for the state of Utah.

Established in 1946 to organize baseball games between neighboring communities and provide naturalization classes for immigrants trying to become U.S. citizens, the Parks & Recreation Division has grown with the area, and now offers a wider range of programming.

"In an area like Salt Lake County, which includes 40 percent of Utah's population, there are a lot of different preferences, a lot of needs to meet," said Bruce Henderson, Recreation Section Manager of the county’s Parks & Recreation Division. "But our mission is to provide year-round sports opportunities for all segments of the population."

One of the keys to the Division's success is the variety and high quality of the activities it offers to both youth and adults. In addition to the standard sports –- baseball, basketball, softball, soccer and tennis –- the Division owns and operates 19 swimming pools, six golf courses, four Olympic-sized ice sheets, an equestrian park and a BMX park, so local residents can take ice skating lessons, go horseback riding, or ride motocross. Schoolchildren can also take reduced-rate ski and snowboard lessons at several of the area's top ski slopes thanks to a program developed by the Division, local school districts and ski resort operators.

While quality and variety would be enough to guarantee participation in these myriad programs, residents have another reason to take part: they help make them happen. In addition to the Division's 241 full-time staffers and 920 full-time equivalent seasonal employees, two other groups are integral to its operation -– the 8,000 annual volunteers and more than 100 local citizens who sit on the Division’s Advisory Boards. Without the volunteers (who primarily coach youth sports and organize special events) or the citizen advisory boards (which provide counsel on Division programming, land acquisition and facility development) many of the Division's activities would not be possible.

"Community involvement is a key ingredient of the success of this organization and its programs," said Henderson. "And we all know we're doing something right when you watch a bunch kids come off the field with big smiles on their faces. In the end, that's how we judge success."