Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 18, 1993 TAG: 9307180103
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Commonwealth Games of Virginia are celebrating their fourth birthday this weekend, so obviously the state's Olympic-style sports festival is still maturing - even if the Gamesmanship of American Legion baseball boss Posey Oyler isn't.
In the brief history of Virginia Amateur Sports, the Roanoke-based organizer of the Games, many executives, events and competitors have changed. The success or failure of the Commonwealth Games, however, remains rooted in a 1990 statement by founder Doug Fonder.
"The Games," Fonder said, "will only be as good as the individual sports coordinators make them."
That explains why, even if the number of athletes drops off slightly from last year, which is probable, the Games remain a very viable event. VAS has "very few" sports coordinators who have dropped the ball this year, executive director Pete Lampman said.
That said, some holes in the Games can't be filled by the addition of recreational sports. Soccer took a real kick in the pants this year. There's no longer gymnastics competition to flip over. Other sports were dropped because of lack of interest.
Despite the confusion that remains about the "other" Virginia State Games based in Richmond, the Roanoke Valley's event is the one sanctioned by the U.S. Congress of State Games and the U.S. Olympic Committee.
It's going to stay that way. The Commonwealth Games also are staying put, at least through next summer. To move the Games would be a mistake, now that the turmoil that engulfed the Games' infancy has subsided.
The Games lost their original corporate sponsor, CorEast Savings Bank, to federal receivership. Fonder was fired after two years as the Games' guru - his bulldozer style created a superb event but rolled over toes in the process. Fonder and board chairman Ken King jousted publicly. Hard-working employees bolted or were fired.
Money was short. Patience was shorter. The event - its diversity, its competition, its volunteerism - remained wonderful. Fortunately, the Games played on.
One of the most crucial decisions of the fourth Commonwealth Games came Saturday in an air-conditioned room. Roanoke lawyer David Paxton was elected as chairman of the board, effective in January, replacing King, who's retiring.
Paxton, a lifelong Roanoke Valley resident, doesn't just want the Commonwealth Games to stay put. He wants to make them better. He wants VAS, a non-profit corporation, to have a larger public image, to become more media-conscious, to do a better job of selling itself.
That also means, if the Games don't continue to prosper locally, they will look elsewhere - perhaps with some reluctance.
"My perception is that we've made a lot of progress in the last year," Paxton said. "It's been a difficult time, seeking sponsors, and then the transition [from Fonder to Lampman]. We've had a lot of feathers ruffled.
"I kind of think we're moving past that now. The opening ceremonies Friday night were terrific, a first-class show. Most of our sports are very well run. The Games have found a lot of expertise here over the years. In some sports, it's going to take time."
Paxton said the board is likely to decide in January whether to put the Commonwealth Games up for bid in 1995 and beyond. Moving the Games would help their profile as a "state" event, but VAS would be turning its back on the experienced expertise it has groomed here.
VAS gets $75,000 in state funds and hopes to renew its $50,000 sponsorship from Mobil Oil. NationsBank contributed a $25,000 sponsorship this year, and VAS is hopeful of getting an increase. The city of Roanoke, Roanoke County and Salem combined to pitch in $70,000.
It may take more to keep the Games. However, VAS could help itself by creating a larger profile in its hometown, too. You don't hear about VAS for 10 months, then it's running the Commonwealth Games before hibernating again.
The VAS office is understaffed with only three full-timers that, admirably in this fiscal year, will finish under budget. In seeking a higher profile, the board and Lampman plan to examine the potential of pushing Roanoke and VAS as hosts for an Olympic training site for the 1996 Atlanta Games.
The internal sparring seems to be over at Virginia Amateur Sports. It has proven it can take a punch. What about its vision, however?
It's time for VAS to see - and be seen - past the Commonwealth Games.
by CNB