Inside Iowa State

June 29, 2006

Iowa Games Celebrates 20 Years

by Erin Rosacker

The Iowa Games celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with 55 sports staged over two weekends in Ames. The bulk of the competition takes place July 13-16, followed by the final 12 sport competitions July 21-23.

Friday night's opening ceremony at Jack Trice Stadium features keynote speaker Ken Carter, the individual depicted in the film "Coach Carter." The event, which is free to the public, will be aired live on WHO Radio.

Other events open to the public include Finals Fest on July 14 in the Iowa State Center parking lot (5-7:30 p.m.), Family Fun Night on July 15 in the Scheman Building (7-11 p.m.) and an adult celebration on July 22 in downtown Ames (6-11 p.m.). The Finals Fest, which includes live entertainment and inflatable games, and Family Night, which features a game area, movie and family dance, are free of charge. The downtown celebration will sport live entertainment and a beer garden. Admission is free for participants and $3 for the general public.

Entry fees for the 40 individual sports range from $15 to 20 and some sports accept walk-up entries the day of the event. Entries for the 15 team sports should be made in advance with fees varying by sport. To sign up online, go to http://www.iowagames.org prior to July 3 (some deadlines may have already passed). To volunteer, apply online at http://www.visitames.com/ISFRegistration/volunteerForm.asp prior to July 7.

The 20th edition of the Iowa Games spans two weekends of July in Ames.