EMPOWERING THE HEART OF TEXAS THROUGH SPORT

The importance of accessible sports for a healthy community cannot be understated. The Greater Waco Sports Commission (GWSC) is dedicated to recruiting sporting events to the community, finding unique ways to utilize the assets in Waco and bringing people together to participate in sports.

In this Q&A, we visited with Mike Vogelaar, GWSC’s executive director. In his three years leading the Commission, he’s seen its offerings and the community grow. Read on to learn more about the GWSC, its work and the importance of sports in the Greater Waco economy.

What is the Greater Waco Sports Commission?

The Greater Waco Sports Commission exists to empower the heart of Central Texas through sport. We do this by developing healthy youth, communities and families; supporting impactful events; and advocating for first-class facilities.

The Greater Waco Sports Commission was founded in 2015. We’ve had tremendous community leaders serve on our board and we’ve had incredible support from the City of Waco, the City of Robinson, McLennan County and the Greater Waco Chamber to enable us to do the work we do.

How do you achieve your goals?

We’re committed to encouraging the community to support impactful events in Greater Waco. We’ve created events that activate not only the youth, but also adults. Ideally, we want to present opportunities for people to be able to take the first (or next) step in their health journey and help them see the benefits of an active lifestyle.

We help attract, recruit and enhance different events to the Waco community. We want to be a liaison and a resource for local community members who have an idea for a sporting event they’d like to see here as well as organizations outside the community who think Waco would be a good fit for their events. We want to see these events succeed, so we help with anything from helping recruit volunteers for events like Ironman and the Greater Waco Chamber’s TriWaco to connecting people to the right resources for their event to be successful.

The Greater Waco community is primed to be able to take the next steps as far as creating new sporting facilities and we want to help shape those ideas. We want to help align and facilitate conversations that lead to successful public-private partnerships for the community. In fact, McLennan County and the City of Waco have conducted studies to better understand the current utilization of sporting facilities and potential future needs. We want to help bring the right people together and continue to be a resource for consultants and the community.

Our TEAM Waco initiative is a critical part of meeting our goal to develop healthy youth, communities and families. TEAM Waco is an initiative created in hopes to knock down physical, mental, or financial barriers for eight local athletes wishing to complete an Ironman 70.3. With support from GWSC partners, each athlete is provided with equipment, training and support valued at more the $6,000.

What are the impacts of sports in communities?

There are incredible economic impacts of sporting events. Ironman, for example, brings between $6 and $8 million to the community. We’re actively trying to recruit other different signature events to the area that also highlight our natural resources.

The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Championships are also huge for our community. Waco is a preferred destination for championships because of its central location and top-notch facilities. We have visionary leaders in the City of Waco and Tourism Public Improvement District (TPID) who see the value in supporting events like this in the Waco community.

In addition, we look at the media exposure and value when considering events. While people may stay in a hotel, we often see athletes take a day trip into the community, which provides additional economic impact. These individuals are purchasing from local businesses and, when we create positive, memorable trips for them, they’re more likely to return to the community to further explore everything Waco has to offer.

Why is it import to utilize our outdoor assets?

I look at the events that will utilize the best facilities we have in this community. Currently, availability of our indoor facilities is a challenge for large events. Our outdoor facilities and our natural resources, like Cameron Park, the Brazos River and the county roads, are some of our greatest, most available assets. Hosting triathlons, road races and runs are very impactful because they use these resources and we want to continue to be able to grow and endorse these opportunities. Waco is known for our mountain biking trails, for example. People travel from across the state to be able to ride Waco’s trails. There’s also a professional disc golf tournament that’s hosted annually in Waco’s Brazos Park East and that provides incredible exposure for Waco through online streaming and live broadcasting.

We want to continue to build Waco as a prime destination using these resources.

The sports community in Greater Waco is continuing to grow! If you’re interested in learning more about the GWSC, visit them online at WacoSports.org. n