I shifted my position on the blanket I was sitting upon and necessarily opened another cold drink. A heat wave had sent temperatures well into the mid-90s, and as I watched the games from the hills that serve as bleachers surrounding the fields I could almost see the air grow thick with the humidity. The hill provided a broad overview of the various soccer games in progress, while also affording an enjoyable intimacy with the sights and sounds of the soccer field below me — the changing spin of the ball as it is kicked, the shouts and directions of the coaches, even the occasional curses of the players.

I had decided the most logical way to catch the flavor of the Prairie State Games celebration would be to follow one sport I played and enjoyed, men's soccer. And the men's open soccer tournament, featuring international caliber college soccer standouts from many Illinois schools, was predicted to be a very close tourney. The predictions proved correct. The tournament was divided into two pools of four teams each, each team representing one of the state's eight regions. The regions, with their respective nicknames, include the Windy City Winds, the North Shore Gators, the Pioneers, the Willco Purple Crush, the Blackhawk Warriors, the Blue-Gray Volunteers, the West Central Capitols and the Southern Colonels. The two top teams in each pool would advance to the medal round.

After two days of running, kicking and sweating on the hard, baked fields there was no clear-cut dominant team in either pool. Every team was beating or getting beaten by every other team. The result was a frustrating circle. It was true competition.

Like the Olympics the Prairie State Games are a colorful ball of intertwined interests and perspectives. For the players the Prairie State Games are a chance to celebrate the thrill of competition and reap the rewards of years of hard work. For the fans they're four exciting days of watching individuals give that extra effort as they strive for personal excellence. For the administrators, coordinators and the many unpaid volunteers the games are an opportunity to highlight the best in state amateur athletics. For the legislators and corporate contributors they're a chance to show the people of the state what they can do to further their varied interests. It's no wonder that they are popular and have been growing ever since the first games were held at Champaign-Urbana in 1984.

Most of the athletes at the Prairie State Games are between ages 15 and 25 and have been competing with distinction in their sports for several years. But the four divisions — men's and women's scholastic for high school age or under; men's and women's open for everyone else — make the games accessible to anyone with the will and the skill to participate. This year the wide spectrum of players included a nine-year-old gymnast, several professional basketball draftees, and an 80-year- old woman who participated in the 10-kilometer running race. The emphasis remains, however, on the younger competititors.

Walt Brantley, regional director of the games' West Central region, looks at the games as both a "competition and an experience" for the state's young athletes. Jim Liston, former executive director of the Governor's Council on Health and Physical Fitness, the agency responsible for the Illinois games, agrees with Brantley: "The games are not purely try outs or proving grounds. They are experience-level athletics.'' Liston says that this level of amateur athletic competition is spreading across the states because of the amount of direct participation it affords for the up-and-coming athlete. Recently appointed executive director of the National Association of Governors' Councils on Health and Physical Fitness, he speculates that "by 1990 all 50 states will have amateur state games."

Blue-Gray's Ken Battle, right, and West Central's Tony Holifield go after a loose ball in competition at the 1987 Prairie State Games. Photo Copyright 1987 The State Journal-Register

The fourth edition of the Prairie State Games opened on Wednesday evening, July 15, in Champaign-Urbana. The 1987 Games officially began with the lighting of the torch and the parade of athletes at the University of Illinois Assembly Hall. Former Olympic high jump bronze medalist Dwight Stones delivered the keynote address stressing the importance of amateur games such as these across the nation.

A year of work by athletes and organizers preceded the opening ceremonies. The process begins at the regional level where the qualifying tourneys and tryouts are held. The state is divided into eight regions: Chicago, the northern suburbs, the western suburbs, the southern suburbs, plus northern, east-central, west-central and southern counties of the state. Each region has a paid regional director whose responsibility is to coordinate the athletic events of his region, making sure that tryout schedules are met, coaches are recruited and notified, and general information concerning the games gets out to the public. The regional directors are the bridge between the athletic competitors and their coaches and the state administrators. For example, the 1987 soccer finals alone involved a year's worth of planning, scheduling, practicing, playing and coaching by over 700 individuals. Putting the games together requires the services of statewide administrators, regional directors and volunteers from all over Illinois. The latter have been essential to the success of the games. Each of the four competitions held since 1984 has used about 2,000 unpaid volunteers whose duties ranged from passing out brochures to running tournament sites to refereeing games.

West Central's Brantley believes the heart of the games is at the regional level. It is here where incentives are needed to entice athletes to enter. Brantley says that to improve the regional games "greater publicity is needed to make the Prairie State Games the most important statewide event of the year." He also endorses adding new sports — bowling was added this year — in hopes of getting a greater number of participants. "Interest and expansion can be achieved by year-round promotion," he says. "What we need is an ongoing educational process for this throughout the year."

Although Liston agrees that expanding and increasing participation in the state games is an excellent idea, he emphasizes that such moves must be taken a step at time to safeguard the popularity and integrity of the games. ''Bicycle racing is a good example," he says. "As a sport it is becoming very popular. But the manpower and money needed to stage a single road race can become complicated with blocking out a course, rerouting roads, etc. If and when we expand to other other areas, we want to be prepared to do it correctly and not shortchange the participant or spectator."

Currently 35 states have an amateur games celebration. As the number of state games grow, several national organizations are attempting to assume leadership roles. Illinois recently became one of 37 states to apply for the State Games Support Program of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). While USOC has no direct control over the running of the state games, it does stipulate that at least 80 percent of all games events must be Olympic events if the games are to use the title "in cooperation with the United States Olympic Committee."

Liston emphasizes that the amateur state festivals have no direct connections with the United States Olympic Festival, run by USOC, other than similarity of format. When the very best amateur athletes in the nation shoot for the Olympic Festival and the chance of qualifying on a US Olympic team, they do not do so through the state games. Liston adds, "Certainly if an athlete sets some great marks at the state games, and this could happen, it will open some doors for him. But most of the very top athletes in the nation will go to the United States Olympic Festival held at roughly the same time [as the Prarie State Games] this summer in North Carolina."

The first Prairie State Games were played in July 1984, making Illinois the sixth state to introduce a state games. Some 5,000 athletes from eight regions participated in qualifying tournaments and tryouts for 14 sports, and 2,600 made it to the finals at the University of Illinois campus. Since then, the games have grown in scope and popularity. In 1986, 2,800 finalists in 17 sports emerged from regional competitions involving 7,200 ahletes. This year there were 18 sports to choose from, including archery, athletics (track and field), basketball, bowling (added this year), boxing, diving, fencing, gymastics, judo, shooting sports, soccer, swimming, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wheelchair basketball, wrestling and three 10-kilometer road races.

The Illinois Prairie State Games were created in 1982 by legislation introduced by Sens. Robert J. Egan (D- 16, Chicago) and John Davidson (R-50, Springfield) and signed by Gov. James R. Thompson. Public Act 82-893 created a statewide amateur athletic competition to be patterend after the Olympics, administered by the Governor's Council on Health and Physical Fitness and funded by a combination of state funds and private sector contributions.

Putting together the roughly $1.2 million needed to fund this year's games was also a task involving many participants. The state contributed about $500,000 with another $700,000 coming from over 200 corporate sponsors. Major sponsors include Illinois Bell, Burger King, the NutraSweet Company, the Illinois State Lottery, the Illinois Office of Tourism, Riceland Foods and the Kemper Group. Kemper Sports Management, a subsidiary of Kemper Group, was hired to promote the games. Executive director for the games Robert Fallen says, "We need to expand our marketing drive and show companies that this is an opportunity to showcase their corporate name. Sports is money."

Money is needed to fuel the expansion of the various state games. Every state funds its games differently. The Empire State Games in New York, for example, are funded primarily from state taxes, while Illinois relies upon multiple sources of income. Because of the tight fiscal situation, state money could be a problem for the 1988 games. Some Illinois lawmakers are concerned that the state may already be spending too much on the games. According to former state Sen. Robert Egan, "They have violated the original intent of the whole thing. It should not be depleting the state treasury." Freshman state Sen. Penny Severns (D-51, Decatur) cautions, "In a tight budget year, the Prairie State Games may be a luxury we can no longer afford."

Cosponsor Davidson feels that support for the games is so widespread, from fans to participants to legislators, that the games are secure. He says that because of this support the games "should receive approximately the same amount of money they received as last year." He adds, "The games are in no jeopardy." Yet the upcoming year will surely present an all too familiar struggle for funds.

There are other issues besides funding. One of them is drug testing. According to Liston, the games do not currently test for drugs for several reasons: "Drug testing can be very expensive, and we really do not know if it is our role as an amateur state competition to be carrying out testing. The games are not that sophisticated."

Another problem that has surfaced in many states is insurance protection for the games. Athletic insurance for sports liability is costly, and few companies are willing to insure the number of athletes involved. The athletes in the games are currently covered by a blanket insurance protection plan and may also use their own personal insurance coverage. In an effort to lower insurance costs the National Congress of State Games an organization representing all state games, is proposing that each state games competition across the country be insured by one company nationally. This could substantially lower the near prohibitive insurance costs the states must pay.

The Prairie State Games are at a stage in their development where expansion and growth seem imminent, yet prudent decisions must be made to maintain integrity and viability. Some decisions hinge on the availability of state revenue, some on the sports zeal of the legislators, and others on the enthusiasm of the athletes, volunteers and fans across the state. Jeff Sunderlin, the new executive director of the Governor's Council on Health and Physical Fitness replacing Liston, says, "All things considered, the games are moving full speed ahead. We have plans to make them bigger, better. Our big goal now is to develop a statewide enthusiasm and spirit for the games. A spirit that this is the best amateur sports function in the state."

By Saturday morning the stage was finally set for the finals of the men's soccer tourney. The results of the first pool were close; three teams were tied with similar win/loss records. The light blue-and-white Windy City Winds were declared champions because of head-to-head victories and number of goals scored (goal differentials) over the stubborn former champions, the West Central Capitols, and a persistent Blue-Gray team. The Windy City Winds advanced to the silver and gold medal finals against the very strong North Shore Gators, who won a similarly close second pool over the Southern Colonels.

Preceding the title match was the battle for the bronze. It pitted the orange-and-blue West Central squad, made up primarily of players from Sangamon State University, against the Southern team with its brand of aggressive St. Louis soccer. Listening to the lazy chatter and speculations of the soccer fans on the hill I still could pick no favorites in a tournament as close as this one. The forecast was just great soccer. In the match for the bronze medal the charging West Central team defeated the scarlet-and-gray Southern men 3-2 to capture third place.

At 11 a.m., with the temperature still rising and the hill filling up with soccer enthusiasts, the eagerly anticipated gold medal final game began between two ethnically diverse Chicago area contenders. After two hours of superb soccer, with the blazing summer sun changing the colors of the uniforms as the players perspired, the North Shore squad won a fast and physical championship game over the Windy City 2-1. There was hardly a chance to grab a hot dog and a drink. It was a great tournament for the players, and a satisfying time for the fans. I was impressed.

If the soccer tournament was any indication of the quality of the games, from the production and administration down to the individual athletic performances, the Prairie State Games are secure. Aydin Gonulsen, coach of N.A.I.A. national soccer champion Sangamon State University and soccer sport chairperson for the games, said simply that this was the "best year the tourneys have had."

Judson C. Wagner is a graduate student in English at Sangamon State University.