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Great Sports

Participant or spectator, sports fans in Greater Omaha know there are more than four seasons in a year.

Anyone who doubts that a diamond signifies a long-term commitment should take note of the baseball diamond at Omaha’s Rosenblatt Stadium, home to the annual NCAA Men’s College World Series (CWS) since 1950 and the minor league Omaha Royals.

More than five million people have attended the NCAA national championship series in Omaha. It has grown to the point that more than 29,000 people have crowded into the stadium for a single game – while millions more watch on live television.

Setting Omaha apart and establishing the city as the nation’s leading host of collegiate and amateur sports championships is the primary function of the Omaha Sports Commission, created in 2004 by a group of prominent civic leaders.

The effort is paying off nicely.

In 2005, crowds at Qwest Center Omaha set records for NCAA women’s volleyball single game attendance and two-day session attendance at the regional tournament. Last December, those records were spiked as Omaha hosted the semifinals and national championship. The final match drew 17,209 people – an all-time collegiate volleyball record. The all-session attendance was 34,222, another NCAA record.

The city is attracting other major sports events. In 2008, the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball First and Second Rounds, the Women’s Division I Volleyball Championship and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming, and in 2010, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, are booked into Qwest Center Omaha.

Omahans are sports and recreation enthusiasts. No matter the season, they find a way to exercise their passions.

Home to more than 50 public and private golf courses – Greater Omaha scores national attention each summer as host of the Cox Classic sponsored by Chevrolet golf tournament at Champions Run. Attendance records for the event fall faster than the ball drops into the cup, and the fun spreads far beyond the course. A few minutes south of Omaha near Ashland, Neb., Quarry Oaks Golf Club is ranked No. 72 on Golf Digest’s 2007-2008 list of the nation’s 100 greatest public golf courses.

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Runners line up for the annual Omaha Marathon, the Corporate Cup Run and other competitive and charitable challenges. Joggers and bicyclists follow the more than 80 miles of hard-surface paths alongside tranquil creek beds. The Wabash Trace Nature Trail runs 63 miles on a mostly-shaded trail through the scenic Loess Hills from Council Bluffs to Blanchard, Iowa, crossing 73 bridges.

There are amateur leagues for softball, baseball and T-ball for the kids, many of them coordinated by the YMCA and other sports associations. Of course, the city where Davis Cup tennis star Andy Roddick was born has plenty of public and private courts.

The City of Omaha’s free Sun Dawgs summer parks program is for children ages 6-14. Games, arts and crafts, swimming and other activities are held at parks throughout the city. The eight-week program begins the second week of June.

Horse trails wind through Cunningham, Standing Bear, Walnut Creek and Zorinsky lake areas and N.P. Dodge Park. Several barns rent horses, including the John Wayne Riding Stables at Mahoney State Park. Private facilities offer riding and show lessons.

During the winter, sledding and cross-country skiing are popular. Public ice skating is available at Benson Ice Arena, Motto McLean Ice Arena at Hitchcock Park, Moylan Tranquility Ice Plex and parks, ponds and local lakes when they are frozen over. The ice skating pavilion at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park west of Omaha is open November through March.

Spectators have plenty of choices, too
When the CWS isn’t filling the seats at Rosenblatt Stadium, the Omaha Royals run the bases. The Omaha Royals have been the AAA-affiliate of the Kansas City Royals since 1969. Famous Omaha players include third baseman George Brett, who earned a spot on the American Association All-Star team in 1973. In 1998, the Royals joined the expanded Pacific Coast League.

Hockey is a hot ticket with the University of Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks at Qwest Center Omaha and the Omaha Lancers at Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs.

Loyal fans follow the Creighton University Bluejay basketball team, filling Qwest Center Omaha to capacity, and the school’s soccer teams at Michael G. Morrison, S.J. Soccer Stadium. The 7,000-seat stadium features a turf that is a mixture of sand, rubber and fibers. Designed in Amsterdam especially for the sport, it incorporates 60,000 used automobile tires and is the only field like it in America.

Innovation is proving to be a key in attracting other sports. In order to host the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming, two temporary 50-meter pools will be installed at Qwest Center Omaha. The convention center will be transformed into the USA Swimming AquaZone, a “sponsor and fan experience” area.

Sports Commission President Dan Morrissey says the economic impact of the event and its telecast on the NBC and USA cable networks is expected to be “absolutely phenomenal.”

When the Commission bid to host the trials, Omaha was selected over St. Paul, Minn., and San Antonio, Texas. In announcing the selection, Chuck Wielgus, executive director of USA Swimming, touted Omaha’s “vigorous business environment and a sports-mad population.”

Now that’s something to cheer about.

Parks and Water Sports

With 10,500 acres of parkland in 247 city parks, there is plenty of room for kids to play. Beyond that, 15 state parks sit within a 50-mile radius of the city.

Those who prefer water sports take to area lakes for fishing, boating and swimming, or visit the Missouri, Elkhorn or Platte rivers. The Riverfront Marina is the City of Omaha’s addition to the exciting Missouri River redevelopment area. The marina offers short-term docking slips and access to activities and events at Rick’s Café Boatyard, Lewis and Clark Landing, Qwest Center Omaha, the downtown area and the Old Market.

The City of Bellevue maintains 200 slips at the Bellevue Marina south of Omaha. Sandpiper Cove on the Missouri River is a private marina for 300 boats. Cottonwood Marina near Blair offers an RV park, boat slips, cabin rentals and boat storage.

Greater Omaha features many private aquatic facilities and water parks as well as 19 city-operated swimming pools.