City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes  
Columbia Sports Commission  
Walton Bldg - 300 S  
Providence Rd,  
Thursday, September 12, 2024  
12:00 PM  
Columbia, MO 65203  
I. CALL TO ORDER  
James Arnold, chair, called the meeting to order at 12:03 pm.  
II. ROLL CALL  
7 -  
Present:  
Carter Marcks, James Arnold, Susan Hart, David Egan, Kristopher Kunz, Ethan  
Cobb and Beau Baehman  
3 - Julie Calfee, Jared Klarfeld and Gabe Huffington  
Excused:  
2 - Amy Schneider and Richard Walls  
Non-Voting:  
Joey Wilmes was present as a representative from Columbia Parks and Recreation.  
Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) staff members Trevor Bradley and Adam Ziervogel  
were also present.  
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA  
Hart motioned to approve the agenda, Kunz seconded. All in favor. Agenda  
approved as is.  
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
Baehman motioned to approve the July Meeting Minutes, Egan seconded. All in  
favor. Minutes approved as is.  
Attachments:  
July Meeting Minutes  
V. OLD BUSINESS  
There was no old business to discuss.  
VI. NEW BUSINESS  
Attachments: Sports Commission Report - September  
The events in the attached September Sports Commission Report were discussed.  
Past events included the American Junior Golf Association Stan Utley MAYGF Jr.  
Championships (July 23-25), the Show-Me State Games (July 19-21, 26-28), and the  
Central USA Strength Expo (July 6-7).  
Upcoming events included the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Coaches Clinic  
(September 19-20).  
Tentative business included the NXTPRO Hoops Columbia Tournament (July 4-6, 2025).  
Booked business included the Perfect Game Softball College Campus Series - Rumble at  
the Zou (May 2-3, 2025). Ziervogel will discuss more details with their leadership at  
Travel, Events and Management in Sports (TEAMS) Conference later this month.  
Also mentioned in the report, sales staff submitted a proposal to host the Missouri  
Scholastic Esports Federation (MOSEF) Fall Brawl at the Columbia Sports Fieldhouse,  
but dates did not align with the vision of MOSEF. Their president has indicated strong  
interest in hosting future events in Columbia, including their Spring Showdown and  
Summer Conference. Sales staff submitted a proposal to host the UpDog Challenge  
International Finals, but the organizer elected to host the event at an east coast  
destination to maintain a geographical rotation. Another proposal was submitted to host  
the USA Rugby Club Northern Super Regional in May of 2025. The event would be hosted  
at Gans Creek Recreation Area.  
Attachments: SDF Application  
Sales staff shared the attached NXTPRO Hoops Sports Development Fund Application  
with the Sports Commission.  
Schneider indicated that Fourth of July weekend is traditionally a slower weekend for  
hotels.  
Egan questioned whether staffing would be an issue due to the holiday weekend. Wilmes  
noted that staffing could be problematic, but Bradley and Ziervogel were willing to help  
with operations.  
Walls asked if the organizer had a security plan in place. Arnold recommended editing  
the Sports Development Fund application to include a question regarding security plans.  
Egan presented the idea of requiring a specific amount of security based on the number  
of attendees at the event.  
Hart motioned to fund the event at a level of $7,500. Kunz seconded. All in favor. Motion  
approved.  
VII. STAFF REPORTS  
Sports Sales Activities  
Ziervogel reported that staff did not submit a proposal to host Missouri State High School  
Activities Association (MSHSAA) Boys Volleyball State Championships due to concerns  
about facility capacity.  
Nor did staff submit a proposal to host MSHSAA Spring and Fall Softball State  
Championships due to the event dates conflicting with the University of Missouri Softball  
schedule (should the university host a National Collegiate Athletic Association Super  
Regional) and the fall football schedule, respectively.  
Staff is currently probing a RFP for USA Diving Zone Championships and Winter National  
Championships, and is in conversation with Mizzou Aquatic Center.  
The 2024 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Cross Country National  
Championships are set for November 22. Sales staff has been attending ongoing virtual  
planning meetings. Many competing schools have made plans to come to Columbia to  
run the course prior to the National Championships. The event will be hosted in Columbia  
again in 2027 and 2030.  
Preliminary NCAA Cross Country Nationals planning meetings are underway for 2025.  
Middle School Basketball President, Bill Reinking and new Missouri tournament director,  
Markel Leonard, recently attended a site visit at the Columbia Sports Fieldhouse. Due to  
the growth of the event, the boys and girls tournaments will now take place on separate  
weekends in March.  
Ziervogel will be traveling to TEAMS Conference later this month with the Show-Me  
Missouri Sports Network, under the umbrella of the Missouri Association of CVBs.  
Two local magazines recently featured articles about the sports tourism scene in  
Columbia and the Sports Commission's role in it.  
VIII. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND STAFF  
Wilmes spoke on the upcoming Gans Creek Classic cross country competition. The  
college races and high school races will take place over two days. The college races will  
take place on Friday morning. The elite high school divisions will run a twilight race on  
Friday night. The open high school races will conclude the event on Saturday.  
Wilmes announced that the current anticipated completion date for the Columbia Sports  
Fieldhouse expansion is late April, 2025.  
Schneider has asked the City's Finance Director to attend and present at the CVB  
Advisory Board meeting on October 28th. A breakdown of the lodging tax, including the  
airport project and tourism development funds will be shared and Sports Commission  
members are invited to attend the meeting.  
IX. NEXT MEETING DATE  
October 10, 2024  
X. ADJOURNMENT  
Hart made a motion to adjourn, Marcks seconded. All voted in favor of  
adjourning at 12:40 pm.  
Members of the public may attend any open meeting. For requests for accommodations related to  
disability, please call 573-874-CITY (573-874-2489) or email CITY@CoMo.gov. In order to assist staff in  
making the appropriate arrangements for your accommodation, please make your request as far in  
advance of the posted meeting date as possible.  
USB DRIVES PROHIBITED: Due to cybersecurity concerns, flash drives and other media devices  
are no longer permitted for delivering files or presentation materials. A speaker who desires to  
display a presentation must upload the presentation, in advance, to the city network using an  
upload portal. To upload your files and learn more, visit CoMo.gov/upload. (Effective Jan. 1,  
2023)