COLORADO SPRINGS — A new sports plaza in Colorado Springs is providing enhanced facilities for young athletes and community members at the El Pomar Youth Sports Park.
The Kent Olin Field Plaza, which has been in development for three years, includes new amenities designed to serve both competitive athletes and families visiting the popular sports complex.
"El Pomar Youth Sports Park, a park that my kids have all played soccer, and it's an incredible community asset, not just to the many young athletes we have in our community, but also this asset helps promote sports tourism in our great city," said Colorado Springs Mayor, Yemi Mobolade.
The plaza honors Kent Olin, a philanthropist and community leader whose legacy continues to impact Colorado Springs through his commitment to youth sports development.
Steve Czarnecki, Executive Director of Colorado Springs Youth Sports, highlighted the improvements to the facility.
"We have over 400,000 visitors a year here, and to add additional amenities, improved bathroom experiences, an additional concession stand, a pavilion covered space, a new practice field with rebound wall for kids to play on and learn their craft athletically. And it's just an exciting day to add capacity to what we do here at the Sports Park," Czarnecki said.
Community members are already noticing the positive impact of the enhanced facilities.
"Having facilities like this for the athletes to use it just drives their passion to want to play when they have great facilities to use. And so I just - I love that they're investing into the youth, investing into the community. And I think you're going to see the benefits as these kids get older. Playing team sports is such a great thing for these girls. It helps them at the next level, employment, everything like that," said Marty Johnson, assistant coach with the Slammers, untouchables.
The project was made possible through collaboration between the El Pomar Foundation, local philanthropists, and the City of Colorado Springs, ensuring the space will serve future generations of athletes and their families.
Young athletes are also appreciating the convenience of the improved local facility.
"It's actually nice, because this is one of our, like, local fields, so we know what we're expecting here, so we like it here, and it's closer to us and our team, so we don't have to travel all the way to, like, northern Colorado to pueblo. And it's in that, like, middle ground where it's easy to reach. I really like this complex. It's nice. The grass fields are a big plus, and we don't have to travel far. It's great having a local place that feels like home for tournaments," said Riya and Rideau Gravida, athletes who play softball for the Altitude 18U team.
Pueblo community honors 13-year-old Joeylin McDonald with lantern ceremony
Family and friends gathered at the Riverwalk in Pueblo to celebrate the life of 13-year-old Joeylin McDonald, who passed away last week in a tragic accident at a youth program.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
