Bringing the Games
The fourth annual Missouri Winter Games brings competitors in 12 sports to 417-land. Along with Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin.
Were you all caught up in the 2008 Summer Olympics but didn’t quite make it out to Beijing to see your favorite American athletes compete? Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin is coming to Springfield this month, and you can see her at the Missouri Winter Games.
Athletes in 12 sports (including basketball, table tennis and cheerleading) have been traveling to Springfield from all around the country for four years now to participate in the Missouri Winter Games—an Olympic-style sports festival in Springfield that’s open to all age levels and abilities, and includes 10 categories of competition. The goal is to share a love for competition, instill pride in local athletes and perhaps even produce a future Olympian.
During the first year of the sports festival, some 1,500 athletes participated. Organizers are expecting about 2,500 this year.
Sports are about feeling as much as physicality, says Missouri Winter Games founder Jeff Collins. “I always had a passion to bring a national sports festival to Springfield,” he adds. 417-Land is a better place because of that passion.
The 411
What: Missouri Winter Games
When: January 10–11, February 7–8, 27–28, March 1
Where: Springfield-area gyms and sports complexes. See full schedule at 417mag.com for details.
Cost: $3–$10 per event
More info: mowintergames.org
Missouri Winter Games: Schedule of Events
Competitive Cheerleading
January 10—11
10 a.m.–4 p.m., Springfield Expo Center
Archery
January 10—11
10 a.m. –4 p.m., Springfield Expo Center
Volleyball
February 7-8
9 a.m.–9 p.m., Baptist and Central Bible Colleges
Basketball
February 7-8
9 a.m., Hillcrest, Fairgrove and Ozark High Schools
Trapshooting
February 7-8
9 a.m., Ozark Shooters, Branson
Gymnastics at the Springfield Expo Center
February 27, 6 p.m.–10 p.m.
February 28, 9 a.m.–10 p.m.
March 1, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Wrestling
February 28, March 1
8 a.m.–6 p.m., MacDonald Arena, Missouri State University
Swimming
February 28, March 1
9 a.m.–6 p.m., Foster Natatorium
Table Tennis
February 28
9 a.m.–6 p.m., Baptist Bible College
Racquetball
February 27, 6–10 p.m.
February 28, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Plaster Sports Complex, Missouri State University
Winter Run
February 28, 7-8 a.m.
Bowling
February 28, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Battlefield Lanes
