Sports Illustrated 50th Anniversary names North Platte "Sports Town" Nebraska

Small North Platte harvests SI Sportstown honor for the Cornhusker State

By Andrew Shulman

Given that everything -- from the cornstalks and cattle to college football and the "Oracle of Omaha," billionaire investor Warren Buffet -- is larger than life in Nebraska it might come as a surprise that neither of the state's two biggest cities, Lincoln and Omaha, was chosen as its Sports Illustrated's Sportstown.

Both larger burghs were beaten out by one whose population of 24,000 could barely fill Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium and would take up only one-third of the seats in Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium. That city is North Platte, which received the honor for having the state's best community sports programs.

Located about halfway between Omaha and Denver, North Platte’s success is due to its focus on inclusive recreation programming and lifelong participation.

"We like sports and events that give a wide variety of participants the opportunity to participate," said Bob Barr, Recreation Superintendent of the North Platte Recreation Department. "Our emphasis is on involving people and helping them develop a lifelong love of sports."

Two activities that illustrate this philosophy are the city’s aquatics program and its recent triathlon.

North Platte’s aquatics offerings range from swimming lessons and competitive swim teams, to water polo, synchronized swimming, scuba training and water aerobics. The variety of options provides opportunities for just about every resident to get in the pool.

"Aquatics in North Platte is a lifetime activity," said Barr. "While some of the teams and sports are competitive, we have seniors in our water aerobics classes who use their time in the pool to stay and socialize."

At the end of April, North Platte held the third annual James O’Rourke Memorial Triathlon. The event featured more than 200 competitors, ranging in age from 4 years old to 70. And, in addition to putting on the triathlon itself, the city also helps local competitors prepare for the race by offering training seminars and classes in the months and weeks leading up to the event.

In addition to providing a wide range of activities for residents of all ages -- and maintaining the city's top-notch facilities -- North Platte has also taken the unique step of helping its residents get to and from their activities. For more than the 30 years, the city has operated three buses, which transport passengers between any two points within its limits. This public transit system now also includes a route bus, which residents can hop on or off at any point along its designated course.

Amenities like the transit system and constantly improving facilities are made possible cooperation and assistance from the school district and local businesses.

"Over the years, we have developed great relationships with the schools, local businesses and community groups and this cooperation has really helped sports and recreation in our city flourish," said Barr.

Indeed, North Platte, its active residents and its partners can now celebrate the city's status as one of the true sports centers in Nebraska -- and its title of SI Sportstown.

Source:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/features/si50/states/nebraska/sports_town/