Skip to content
Toggle menu
SportsTravel SportsTravel

The Sports World's Event Magazine

Primary Menu
  • News
    • Sports Organizations
    • Sports Venues
    • Recently Awarded
    • Hosts & Suppliers
    • Sponsors & Media
  • COVID-19
    • Latest News
    • Case Studies
  • IN DEPTH
    • STORIES
      • Feature Story
      • Governing Body Dossier
      • Event Insider
      • Technology in Sports
      • On Assignment
    • Podcasts
    • Expert Advice
    • Downloadable Guides
    • Opinion
      • Winners and Losers
      • From the Editor
  • Sports
    • CATEGORY
      • Amateur Sports
      • Youth Sports
      • Collegiate Sports
      • Professional Sports
      • Olympic Sports
      • Paralympic Sports
      • National Governing Body
      • Motorsports
      • Sustainability
      • Water Sports
      • Winter Sports
      • Women’s Sports
    • INDIVIDUAL SPORTS
      • Baseball
      • Basketball
      • Bowling
      • Cycling
      • Football
      • Golf
      • Gymnastics
      • Hockey
      • Lacrosse
      • Pickleball
      • Rugby
      • Running
      • Soccer
      • Softball
      • Swimming
      • Tennis
      • Track & Field
      • Triathlon
      • Volleyball
      • Wrestling
  • Esports
    • Esports News
    • Esports Guide
    • EsportsTravel Summit
  • Resources
    • Bid Bowl
      • Bid Bowl Listings
      • Submission Form
      • About Bid Bowl
    • Partner Spotlight
    • Media Kit
      • Media Kit
      • 2021 Editorial Calendar
    • Digital Edition
  • Subscribe
    • Subscribe to E-Newsletter
  • EVENTS
    • TEAMS CONFERENCE & EXPO
    • EsportsTravel Summit
    • SportsTravel Road Trip
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • Home
  • Feature Story
  • Grand Experiment

Grand Experiment

Posted On : September 12, 2018 By : John Conroy
32073943_10155471429286334_54961249082933248_o
The Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission hosts events across the city. Photograph: Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission

CVBs and sports commissions often get the stiff-arm from local universities when it comes to using campus venues for sports events. By contrast, the Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission in Colorado has been received with open arms by Colorado Mesa University. In fact, the university had a major hand in establishing the sports commission in 2013, and since its launch the commission has generated an estimated $11.8 million in economic impact for Colorado’s Western Slope region.

The collaboration’s success owes much to the region’s thriving sports culture, said Tim Foster, president of Colorado Mesa University. “It’s successful because we have a community that has seen success from sports events,” he said. Grand Junction, about halfway between Denver and Salt Lake City, has hosted the NJCAA World Series for 60 years. The city also hosts the annual Special Olympics Summer Games for Colorado.

“We noticed sports commissions in different communities,” said Foster. “Clearly, we have a lot of facilities in a lot of sports. We’re active in the community and said, ‘Hey, we think we should create one of these.’ ”

Embracing the Community

Residents have always supported events that come to the city, such as the Tour of the Moon Cycling Classic. “It isn’t as though you’re in some city where nobody ever goes outdoors,” Foster said. “It’s a community that embraces that lifestyle.”

Colorado Mesa’s campus is part of that embrace. For example, Special Olympics uses practice fields, the aquatic center, the weightlifting room, residence halls and other campus venues, said Jennifer Stoll, executive director of the sports commission. City venues are also used for the event, which draws some 1,200 athletes. “We’ve also done camping on campus for cycling events,” she said, citing the Ride the Rockies recreational tour. Swim meets and 5Ks are in the mix as well.

Stoll became familiar with sports commissions while working in professional golf and thought the community could use a dedicated body to highlight its assets. In 2008 she met with Foster and other community leaders to plant the seeds of the idea that blossomed five years later when the university hired Stoll.

Jennifer Stoll, Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission

“When I got hired, the goal was to use my operational background to assist with some of the larger community-wide events that the university is a part of, and then explore this notion of formulating a sports commission as well,” Stoll said. Since its launch, the commission has evolved from planning events for the university and other entities to registering as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The university provides funds and office space, supporting the commission like any other on-campus department, said Stoll. “I’m technically a university employee,” she said. In addition to the school, the commission collaborates with three municipalities within Mesa County—Grand Junction, Fruita and Palisade. In 2017, more than 2,600 athletes participated in events that drew 6,050 spectators, generating $2.6 million in direct spending and $3.9 million in total estimated economic impact.

Unusual Arrangement

To the best of Stoll’s knowledge, no other sports commission has the same arrangement as Grand Junction’s. “It’s definitely a one-off,” she said. “One of the things that I hear very frequently when I travel to sports tourism events is how difficult it can be to work with a destination that is home to a university.”

The underlying problem is one of educating the educators about the value of opening athletic venues to non-university events, according to Stoll. “Granted, we are very blessed to have a visionary leader here,” Stoll said of Foster’s involvement. “But from the sports tourism perspective, if I were to strip that [advantage] away, it’s really about the education component. How do we, as sports tourism professionals, educate those decision-makers at our local universities about the benefit of sports tourism to the university?”

Using campus venues for outside sports events creates exposure for the community and also brings visitors to the campus who otherwise might not set foot there, Stoll said. “You never know if they have siblings or nieces or nephews or grandkids who are looking to make a decision about their future education,” she said.

Stoll emphasized that the relationship runs both ways. “We try to help out wherever we can from our different departments on campus by asking, ‘What can we do for you this time around?’ We really try to make it more of a two-way street rather than us constantly asking for things.”

“We try to make it more of a two-way street rather than us constantly asking for things.” Jennifer Stoll, Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission

Since the launch, Stoll said a few industry colleagues have expressed interest in emulating Grand Junction’s model. She said that a close industry friend had recently called to ask how the friend’s destination could improve its relationship with a local educational institution. “She was picking my brain about what works here and why it works and how to facilitate that relationship,” said Stoll. “I do get asked the question fairly often.”

Stoll asserts that other sports commissions can replicate Grand Junction’s model, although not necessarily to the extent that the university is paying the director’s salary and providing office space. Over the past five years, she has noticed officials from other universities attending sports-tourism trade shows with sports commission representatives, “but I have yet to see a full-fledged structure come out of a university like it has here.”

For his part, Foster said a similar relationship is doable in any location on any campus in any community. “It’s easier here because we’re 250 miles from everything,” he said. “We know we need to work together. Here, the city has given us money to help us expand the campus. You go to other communities and the city sues the campus not to expand. You go, OK, let’s try to do things together.”


This story is part of a special section on university connections. More related stories:
Town and Gown Relations

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Email
Posted in: Feature StoryTagged : Grand Experiment,Greater Grand Junction Sports Commission,Special Focus: University Connections

Post navigation

Town and Gown Relations
Sky’s the Limit in the Southeast

Follow us on Twitter

My Tweets

Follow us on Instagram

  • NEW EPISODE: The latest episode of the SportsTravel Podcast is a chat with @braves legend Dale Murphy. We talk about
  • In Spartanburg, South Carolina, the fun doesn’t stop when the games are over. Plan your next tournament in this hidden
  • Once again, SportsTravel will honor the best in the sports-event industry at our @teamsconference in Atlantic City, September 27-30. We
  • The city by the sea … #PlayACSports #ExperienceAtlanticCity #AtlanticCity
  • Just a few more steps … paradise awaits ☀️☀️☀️ #PlayACSports #ExperienceAtlanticCity #AtlanticCity
  • The new U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs is an interactive experience where visitors can race against the
  • When you bring your event to Atlantic City, you’ll experience world class accommodations, critically acclaimed dining, tax‐free shopping, exciting entertainment,
  • Your wave is waiting… ‍♂️‍♀️ #PlayACSports #ExperienceAtlanticCity #AtlanticCity
  • Golf season is upon us! @playacsports is surrounded by more than 15 golf courses and rated the 6th top golf
  • The latest SportsTravel Podcast is a conversation with Bruce Rosenberg, president of @hotelplanner. Hear why the group booking company believes
  • The latest SportsTravel Podcast episode is a great discusssion with @nhra drivers @leah.pruett and @antronbrowntf, discussing what it’s like to
  • Long time no sea #PlayACSports #ExperienceAtlanticCity #AtlanticCity #atlanticcitynj #atlanticcityboardwalk
  • Esports continues to flourish in @playacsports as we have a variety of facilities with adequate bandwidth to support esports. The
  • Say yes to new experiences ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PlayACSports #ExperienceAtlanticCity #AtlanticCity #AtlanticCityTakeover
  • Did you know? The Atlantic City Convention Center and @playacsports are proud to feature nearly 100,000 square feet of modular,
  • Atlantic City and @playacsports welcomes all events, not only within the large indoor facilities but in wide open outdoor spaces
  • The @ncaa’s Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament will be staged in and around San Antonio, resulting in new challenges for
  • For an inside look at the upcoming @ncaa Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, check out our recent SportsTravel Podcast episode
  • #PuertoRico’s tennis courts are surrounded by lush greenery and a perfect 80-degree weather. Best part? A refreshing piña colada will
  • Running a #marathon in #PuertoRico is every athlete’s dream. ✨ With endless ocean views, our Island has one of the world’s most

Recent Posts

  • The Latest on Sports and COVID-19:
    Indianapolis 500 to Have 135,000 Spectators On Hand
  • ‘The Epicenter’ Torch Placed at Weidner Field Entrance
  • SRS Distribution to Become Title Sponsor of Las Vegas Bowl
  • Alabama Cycling Classic Scheduled for Fourth of July Weekend
  • Ripken Baseball Releases Rebranded Logos Ahead of Summer Tournaments
Sports Travel Magazine

About Us

Since 1997, SportsTravel magazine has served the sports‐related travel and event industry. It is the only publication written and designed to serve the people who organize, manage and host sporting events of all types at all levels.

  • Subscribe to E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • SportsTravel Foundation
  • Supplied Content
  • Privacy
  • Terms

NORTHSTAR TRAVEL MEDIA SITES

  • Northstar Meetings Group
  • Meetings & Conventions
  • Meetings & Conventions Asia
  • Meetings & Conventions China
  • Successful Meetings
  • Incentive
  • Meeting News
  • Retail Travel
  • Travel Technology
  • Corporate Travel
  • Hotel Investment
  • Data Products
  • See All Northstar Brands

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

Sports ETA

Destinations International
Northstar Travel Media LLC Copyright © 2021 by Northstar Travel Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. 100 Lighting Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094-3626 USA | Telephone: (201) 902-2000
scroll to top
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.