At this point in time, I would never describe Manitou Springs as a “sports town.” After all, aside from the local high school teams, there are very few sporting interests within the city limits. So how can it really be a sports town?
The only problem I see with that statement is that, after this past weekend, I can definitively say that other small towns in Colorado such as Yuma and Eaton are very much sports towns.
For two weekends, I watched a combined 41 basketball playoff games between the Denver Coliseum and the University of Denver’s Hamilton Gym.
The most electrifying feeling was when Yuma edged out Vanguard (a Tri-Peaks team that routinely competes against our Manitou Mustangs) 55-54. The gym was overflowing with red shirts celebrating the Outlaws. The trip from Yuma to DU’s campus is 147 miles, part two-lane highway and part interstate highway.
The 2021 population of Yuma (according to Google) was 3,455 people. My guess is that a good 30-40 percent of the town was at Hamilton Gym.
When the Manitou girls soccer team played Jefferson Academy for the state title last spring, the game was at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, where 99 percent of the drive from Manitou Springs is on an interstate highway. Of the 4,832 residents of Manitou, I’d be stunned if 25 percent made the 82-mile trip. For a state championship game.
On Sunday, I was chatting with a member of the Manitou Springs baseball coaching staff. The Mustangs traveled to Eaton for a preseason scrimmage, as they did last year. This is the first year that Eaton, the now three-time defending state champion, will play on its new field.
The field was built thanks to the passing of a $129.8 million bond in 2019. I’ve been to the facility. The new school as well as the athletic facilities are top-notch.
Since 2020, Eaton (population 5,868 in 2021) has won 13 team state championships across five sports. A one-trick pony they ain’t.
In 2021, Manitou Springs residents opted not to pass ballot issue 4C, a $43 million bond to upgrade the district’s infrastructure. It was asking for less than a third of what Eaton passed without blinking an eye. Take it from someone not directly affiliated with the school, the District 14 infrastructure could use a little TLC.
A one-trick pony they ain’t.
Having observed hundreds of athletics programs from hundreds of schools across the state, I would also say that Manitou athletics as a whole is in a precarious position. Enrollment is down to fewer than 400 kids in the high school, which drives down participation numbers in athletics, music, drama and art, as well.
Since 2013, the Mustangs have advanced to just three state championship games. They made the volleyball title game in 2013, the girls basketball title game in 2016 and won the COVID Season C football championship in March 2021.
I’m happily going to be the first to say that winning isn’t everything and state championships are not a true measure of success in educational athletics.
But when looking at small towns with great community support, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that investing in schools and investing in kids cultivates success. Those with skin in the game are getting rewarded.
Whether it’s showing up or providing resources, maybe it’s time our little community got back to putting some skin in the game.