When people think of Texas sports, they think of football. From youth leagues to college to pro teams, Texas is certainly a football hotbed. However, Texas has a diverse and expansive portfolio of up-and-coming sports. Prime examples of rapidly growing sports include water polo and sport Dallasclimbing.hosted the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics Session III earlier this year. This event marked the second year in a row that the region hosted the event. The competition is the largest age group water polo tournament in the United States, attracting athletes and teams from all over the Overnation.5,000
Additionally, this year is the first year water polo is an official University Interscholastic League (UIL) sport. The UIL, created by the University of Texas at
EmergingTEXAS:THBEHINDEBANNERAPrimeMarketforAnySportsportsandtheirsuccessinthestateofTexasaug EDITIO
athletes aged 10-18 traveled to Dallas for the 2022 event. While the competition requires teams to qualify for their divisions in various ways, the success of the event held in North Texas speaks volumes about the venues, market, and community Dallas offers for all sporting events.
Austin in 1910, is the largest inter-school organization in the world of its kind. The purpose of the UIL is to provide educational academic, athletic, and music contests for Texas students.
Another rapidly growing sport in Texas is sport climbing. Sport climbing took the world by a storm at the 2020 Olympics; the first time climbing was included as an official Olympic sport. However, even before the Olympics, climbers were taking over BusinessesTexas.
like Summit Gyms have found success in Texas for years. That success led the 2022 IFSC –Climbing Youth World Championships to Dallas. The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) was created on January 27, 2007, to continue the work of the International Council for Competition Climbing. The IFSC works closely with USA Climbing, one of the coordinators behind the 2022 Dallas event. The Climbing Youth World Championships finals wrap up on August 31, and competition has been fierce. Athletes had the opportunity to compete in bouldering, speed, or lead competitions.
Texas schools have been divided into four regions to compete in the inaugural state UIL water polo tournament. Over 150 schools will have their water polo teams compete in the 2022-2023 season.
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The variety of skills that sport climbing challenges is just one reason Texans flock to the sport. Water polo and sport climbing are just two examples of the success sports of any shape or size can find in Texas. In addition, the variety of venues in North Texas alone allows for any form of sport currently practiced. Texas is known for football, a pride point for its citizens. However, if you explore other sports, you’ll find passionate fans and athletes for anything of which you can dream.
Learn more about the US Water Polo Junior Olympics Session III or the IFSC Climbing Youth World Championships Photo credit: USA Water Polo and IFSC
Bouldering tests athletes’ power and technique, setting four different problems (routes) to be solved. The speed competitions are timed and challenge the athletes to climb 15 meters as quickly as possible. Lead competitors must have lengthy endurance, and their goal is to climb as high as possible over six minutes.
Now coached by the legendary Vickie Johnson, the 2022 season kicked off with a bang. In their first season win, the Wings returned from their largest point deficit since 2016. The rest of the season had ups and downs, seeing several multi-win streaks. The team clinched a playoff spot by closing down the New York Liberty in early August. At the end of the regular season, the WNBA chose
THE DALLAS WINGS TAKE FLIGHT
In 1998, a team called the Detroit Shock emerged on the scene as one of the very first WNBA expansion teams. The team existed under that name for almost a decade, seeing several coaches during that time. Eventually, the team moved to Tulsa, becoming the Tulsa Shock. Nolan Richardson came on board as the head coach during their time there between 2010-2015. However, the majority owner, Bill Cameron, decided to move on from Tulsa in 2015, landing the team in Dallas-Fort Worth. That move has brought even more changes to the team, including a rebrand to the Dallas Wings. The community in North Texas has embraced the Wings with open arms since their opening season in 2016.
2022 Season Highlights & What’s next
The 2022 season may be over for the Wings, but the future is bright. The team’s roster is solid moving into the off-season.
Most notable, Arike Ogunbowale returned for the last playoff game and has just signed a contract extension for three more years.
Other veterans, Isabelle Harrison, Marina Mabrey and Teaira McCowan are now free agents, but the Wings front office is expected to keep the group together through the next season. Olympic gold medalist, Allisha Gray, had an incredible year, showing leadership on and off the Anothercourt. 2022 standout was rookie Veronica Burton, playoffs two years in a row speaks volumes about the team under Vickie Johnson’s leadership. All signs point to another big season for the Wings in Purchase2023. 2023 season tickets.
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Vickie Johnson as the August Coach of the month, and it's no wonder why. August was a booming success for the Wings in regular season play. The team went 5-2, averaging 87.1 points/game.
Dallas came up short in game three, missing out on moving to the semifinals.
Another massive win in August was center Teaira McCowan getting named the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month. This award is the first time a Wings player has been named Player of the Month since before the 2016 season. The Wings then turned their attention to the playoffs, where they battled the Connecticut Sun and had made it to their first home playoff game in franchise history. Over 5,000 fans showed up in support, filling up College Park Center.
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