Local, national representatives applaud SportsQuest concept

Sports leaders from the Richmond area and beyond packed the ballroom at the Hilton Short Pump last night to celebrate the development of the SportsQuest complex.

The U.S. Olympic Committee was on hand, as well as officials from several Olympic sports, for an evening panel discussion centering on the facility's concept of "Sports for Life."

"We want to produce programs that can get kids back into healthy activities," SportsQuest CEO Dr. Steve Burton said. "We want to reach out to a wide range of people in the community."

Next door, an expo was held that was open to the public. Featured were several local groups, including the Richmond Revolution indoor football team, which will play at the SportsQuest facility.

The multimillion dollar project, located in Chesterfield, is preparing for a mid-January groundbreaking.

Yesterday was about building excitement for the sporting activities that might come to town. Guy Thibault came to the event representing U.S. Speed Skating.

"I didn't realize how impressive and ambitious this project was going to be," he said. "If you look at our facilities, we're more in the central U.S. there's not a lot on the East Coast."

Alicia McConnell, the USOC director of athlete service and programs, was on hand to applaud the concept. She said no official endorsement has been given, but added that it will be discussed as the complex takes shape.

"We want to be involved in what's going on," she said after the panel. "Clearly there's support and a lot of excitement. Chesterfield is a growing community, and with 56,000 youth in schools the potential is to offer a number of sports not offered by high schools."

She added that kids could be exposed to sports like speed skating, fencing and squash at a facility like SportsQuest.

The evening's panel, moderated by local sports personalities Wes McElroy and Jamie Scavotto, as well as Times-Dispatch senior editor Danny Finnegan, spent a large portion of the time discussing the importance of getting kids active in sports and recreational activities.

"The energy that will flow around an Olympic-village type of facility will, I think, be very contagious to everyone," Colonial Athletic Association commissioner Tom Yeager said. "The opportunities of a participatory nature are, I think, very important for every community."

Sports Backers executive director Jon Lugbill said the facility would be a welcome addition to the area's current professional facilities.

"There are a bunch of things that point to Richmond having a thriving sports landscape," he said. "But the spectator side of sports is a different story. And a lot of that has to do with facilities."

The excitement that built yesterday won't lead to immediate results the facility still only exists on paper. But another member of the panel, Dr. Cliff Morris, said that getting kids active was going to require a sustained effort over a long period of time.

"It takes five years or more to get a shift in culture," he said. "The smallest of things can make a big difference."