By Staff
Special to The Star
April 25, 2002
Entry forms are now available for the 2002 State Games of Mississippi. The state's premier amateur sporting event the State Games of Mississippi begins June 14, with 28 sporting events.
The State Games of Mississippi is a statewide sportsfest patterned after the Olympics for amateur athletes of all ages and abilities. Last year, more than 4,200 athletes converged in Meridian for the separate weekends of the event.
Two new sports have joined the lineup and one more is making a comeback this year. Athlete registration is already showing the demand for the addition of both of the new Olympic Pan Am sports, Table Tennis and Tae Kwan Do. The return of water skiing will be held at Dream Lake and include wake boarding.
Athletes participating will contend on two separate weekends June 14-16 and June 20-23. First weekend sports are: archery, adult basketball, bowling, mule and donkey, power lifting, youth soccer, softball, stickball, youth swimming, table tennis, track and field, 2-man volleyball and water skiing.
Sports slated to be held June 20-23 are: high school baseball, high school basketball, canoe/kayak, cycling road race, dressage, fencing, 5-K road race, mountain bike race, adult soccer, masters swimming, adult and youth tennis and 4-man volleyball.
On the weekend of June 1-2, sailing, Tae Kwan Do and the summer biathlon will be held, along with three youth soccer district playoffs.
Entering its 11th year, the State Games of Mississippi is open to all amateur athletes. Participant's age categories vary with each sport and all participants must be Mississippi residents for at least 30 days prior to the first day of competition in their sport. Participants in the past years have ranged in age from 4 to 92 and hailed form more than 292 communities in the state.
The State Games of Mississippi keeps its entry fees low primarily through the generous donations of sponsors, including this year's presenting Sponsor, The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi and Gold Sponsors: Rush Foundation Hospital, Meridian Coca-Cola, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, McAlister's Deli and Conoco Super Stop.
Entry forms and information will be available at sporting facilities throughout Mississippi. For more information on the Games, call (800) 482-0205 or visit the State Games of Mississippi Web site at www.stategamesofms.org. E-mail requests may be sent to stgamiss@aol.com