Celebrating 50 years of community sports with Sports Illustrated and NRPA

Parks & Recreation, March, 2004 by Kevin Beck

The National Recreation and Park Association congratulates this month's featured America's Sportstown winners.

Here are this month's Sportstowns! These towns have been chosen by NRPA and Sports Illustrated as some of the best in the U.S. at enhancing the quality of sport Through parks and recreation. Keep reading to learn how these Sportstowns improve community through sport. And keep reading Parks & Recreation every month to find out about other winning Sportstowns. For a list of winners to date, see www.nrpa.org.

Although Portland (population 60,000) may be small by "largest-city-in-the-state" standards, Maine's answer to the Atlantic cities to the southwest occupies cultural, economic and commercial roles far bigger than its size would suggest. So it's fitting that Portland--in claiming the role of the Pine Tree State's brightest sporting and leisure beacon--provides a wealth of recreation opportunities for its locals who are among the most sports-happy in the country.

Maine offers both the best beaches and some of the finest skiing in New England, and its crown sporting jewel offers everything in between: baseball, softball, summer camps, before- and after-school programs, aquatics, swim lessons, certification programs, sport specific camps and clinics, martial arts, golf, hockey, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, floor hockey, tennis, youth sport leagues, adult sport leagues and more. Riverside Municipal Golf Course, home of the Greater Portland Open and tire Maine Open tournaments, is one of the state's most popular courses, and the Portland Sea Dogs--a "Double-A" affiliate of the major-league Boston Red Sox--make their home in the city as well.

The Parks and Recreation Department of the city of Portland embodies the core values of the city as a whole--inclusion and diversity among its employees and its constituents. Portland bills itself as a city with high standards of safety and public health and recognizes the critical role of the Parks and Recreation Department in furthering these aims. As with any successful recreation organization, the department is tightly integrated with area organizations in the planning and implementation of sports and leisure programs for residents of all ages and abilities.

Making participation in sports an enjoyable and lasting pursuit is of utmost importance, and the department's stated priorities--Fun and Safety, Knowledge and Skill Development, and Health and Physical Fitness for Life reflect this credo. There are rules mandating minimum playing times and no game scoring at tire younger levels. At the same time, the department recognizes the need for competitive sports leagues for athletes at appropriate and established skill and developmental levels, and collaborates with outside community organizations to sponsor and promote these entities.

Residents facing physical, mental, and financial challenges are never left out in the cold in Portland. Seniors are given door-to-door transportation wherever necessary, The department itself offers financial aid to families in need and has created, among other programs, a "drop-in" atmosphere format in its largest park to serve underprivileged children. Also, LIBRA, a private, charitable foundation, provides $1,000 scholarships to every third through sixth grader in Portland for summer-camp programs. Given that more than 50 languages are spoken in Portland--now a nationally recognized refugee resettlement community--interpreter services are in demand. These are ably met through a joint effort between the department and American Telephone & Telegraph, ensuring that community sports can serve as an excellent vehicle for cultural and ethnic blending.

Portland requires its volunteer coaches to undergo NCYSA (National Youth Sports Coaches Association) sport-specific training. The Department utilizes nationally recognized community sport safety policies, e.g., ASA (Softball), USA Hockey (Ice Arena), and American Red Cross Water Safety and U.S. Swimming (Aquatics programs). Parent education is an important aspect of Portland's inclusive approach to recreation; prior to the start of any program, the staff in charge of conducting it discusses program rules, parent expectations and the particulars of the program's code of conduct. Finally, officials for both adult sports leagues and high-school level programs are board-certified to ensure both quality and competitive integrity.

Skill development is strongly emphasized in all department sports programs, from T-Ball to tennis to ice-skating lessons to basketball. It is the department's philosophy that solid knowledge of a sport confers the background and foundation an athlete later needs in order to develop into a healthy competitor.

Portland gives due emphasis to sportsmanship, physical fitness, good health and nutrition and encouraging a healthy lifestyle, but does more than preach about the importance of such things--as an example of the department's commitment to its own stated values, it partners with East End Kids Katering, a local non-profit agency, to provide free breakfast and lunch to all youth.