For the first time the Iowa Games will offer 50-sports at its summer sports festival.Three sports are added to this year’s line-up and executive director Him Hallihan says offering new sports can help attract new participants. He says it’s hard to raise athletes in individual sports because of the competition. He says you have to add sports and that adds new excitement and new athletes.
New to the summer games is dodgeball, which Hallihan says will be offered as a team sport. He says his staff entered a dodgeball league last year and he says they had a blast doing it. Also being added is a high school football seven-on-seven passing tournament. Hallihan says players are using leagues and tournaments to help train for the upcoming season. He says they hope it goes well and gives the kids another opportunity to get out and practice.
The event will also offer a strongman contest and Hallihan says it will be similar to the ones that are shown on ESPN. It involves flipping a 260-pound tire, walking with 200 pounds in each hand, and pulling a vehicle in a certain amount of time.
Hallihan says on-line registration for all the sports is now available and the new registration booklets are available across the state. The summer games will be held over two weekends, July 14th through the 17th and the 22nd through the 24th.