City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes  
Columbia Sports Commission  
Columbia Sports  
Fieldhouse, Philips  
Farm Rd, Columbia,  
Missouri 65201  
Thursday, February 8, 2024  
12:00 PM  
I. CALL TO ORDER  
II. ROLL CALL  
James Arnold, Chair, called the meeting to order at 12:02 pm.  
Joey Wilmes was present as a representative from Columbia Parks and Recreation.  
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) staff members Adam Ziervogel and Trevor  
Bradley were also present.  
10 -  
Present:  
Julie Calfee, Carter Marcks, James Arnold, Jared Klarfeld, David Egan, Tony Daniel,  
Heather Cairns, Kristopher Kunz, Ethan Cobb and Beau Baehman  
1 - Susan Hart  
Excused:  
3 - Amy Schneider, Gabe Huffington and Richard Walls  
Non-Voting:  
III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA  
Calfee motioned to approve the agenda; Baehman seconded. Agenda approved  
as is.  
IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
Calfee motioned to approve the January Meeting minutes; Marcks seconded.  
Minutes approved as is.  
Attachments: Meeting Minutes 23-Jan-2024  
V. OLD BUSINESS  
National Middle School Basketball Association Update  
Ziervogel provided an update on the National Middle School Basketball Association’s  
Missouri Middle School Basketball State Championships, following a call with the  
organizer after funding was approved.  
VI. NEW BUSINESS  
Attachments: Sports Commission Report - February  
Sports Commission Report  
The events in the attached February Sports Commission Report were discussed. Past  
events mentioned in the report that were discussed include the Missouri State High  
School Activities Association’s (MSHSAA) Show-Me Bowl State Football  
Championships at Memorial Stadium, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association’s  
(MBCA) Norm Stewart Classic at Mizzou Arena, the Wonder Woman Foundation’s  
Wonder Women Girls Wrestling Tournament at Battle High School, and the MBCA’s  
Sophie Cunningham Classic at Columbia College’s Southwell Complex.  
Future events mentioned in the report that were discussed include the Missouri State  
Homeschool Basketball Tournament (February 9-10) at the Columbia Sports  
Fieldhouse, the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association’s (NIRSA) Region  
IV Basketball Championships (February 16-17) at Mizzou Rec, the MSHSAA State  
Wrestling Championships (February 21-23) at Mizzou Arena, the MSHSAA  
Show-Me Showdown State Basketball Championships (March 6-9; 13-16) at Mizzou  
Arena and Missouri Middle School Basketball Championships (March 15-17) at  
multiple venues across Columbia. Tentatively scheduled business that was introduced in  
the report and discussed included Prospects National’s Midwest Qualifier Mizzou  
Showcase at Taylor Stadium and Atkins Baseball Complex.  
Cobb commented on the NIRSA Basketball Regional Championships, sharing the size  
of the event and his hope to soon bring a National Championship to Columbia.  
Schneider introduced volunteer and sponsorship opportunities for MSHSAA Basketball  
and Wrestling Championships.  
Recently awarded business included in the report and discussed included the  
Professional Disc Golf Association’s Amateur World Disc Golf Championships  
(August 2025) at Harmony Bends Disc Golf Course and MSHSAA Show-Me Bowl  
State Football Championships (December 2024) at Memorial Stadium. Potential  
business included in the report and discussed included NCAA Men’s and Women’s  
Cross Country Regional Championships for November 2026 or 2027 and NCAA  
Men’s and Women’s Golf Regional Championships for May 2027 or 2028. Bids to  
host these events were submitted on February 8.  
VII. STAFF REPORTS  
Sport Sales Activities  
Ziervogel mentioned the Columbia Chamber of Commerce’s Quarterly Membership  
Breakfast at The Crossing on February 21, where MSHSAA’s Show-Me Showdown  
State Basketball Championships would be a topic of discussion.  
Ripken Baseball is open to exploring partnerships for the 2025 season. Ziervogel noted  
their reputation as a well-respected baseball organizer that the city has not yet had  
much luck partnering with.  
Special Olympics of Missouri is expected to release an RFP for its Summer Games  
soon.  
Ziervogel shared the recently acquired post-event report for the 2023 AJGA Stan Utley  
and Mid-America Youth Golf Foundation Junior Championship that was hosted at the  
Club at Old Hawthorne in July and is set to return in July of this year.  
The CVB hosted its annual Star Night last night that highlights employees at hotel  
properties that have done outstanding work in the hospitality industry. Mizzou Athletics  
was awarded the Allied Partner of the Year Award, which was accepted by Associate  
Athletic Director Colleen Lamond, for their outstanding work with the city’s hotel  
partners and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to benefit tourism through sporting events  
they help host. Susan Hart of the Sports Commission was part of the Award Winners  
Selection Committee. Jared Klarfeld, a hotel representative on the Sports Commission,  
was awarded the Hospitality Professional of the Year Award.  
Columbia Parks and Recreation Presentation  
Columbia Parks and Recreation Director, Gabe Huffington, shared the results of the  
feasibility study for the Northeast Regional Park that it recently acquired, conducted by  
Darin Barr of Ballard*King and Associates. Parks and Recreation organized focus  
groups with several key organizations in the city that have interest in the facility’s  
renovations to provide input. The Sports Commission was one of those groups that  
provided feedback to the consultant. The facility currently has two buildings: the  
Colosseum and the Sapp Building. A portion of the park must still be set apart for the  
Boone County Fairgrounds. The study determined that an indoor, multi-use facility,  
especially one that contained indoor turf fields, is the most needed facility for the city.  
Ziervogel noted the ability to utilize the facility for non-sports activities to generate extra  
revenue.  
Huffington also noted expansion of the Columbia Sports Fieldhouse and upgrades to  
Gans Creek Recreational Area, which includes the creation of 8 to 9 miles of biking trail  
for cyclo-cross.  
VIII. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, MEMBERS AND STAFF  
There were no other comments.  
IX. NEXT MEETING DATE  
March 14th, 2024  
X. ADJOURNMENT  
Daniel made a motion to adjourn. Kunz seconded. All voted in favor of  
adjourning at 12:44 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)