This past weekend saw the close of the Powerade State Games, a series of championships in 24 different sports which took place in various locations across the Triangle.

Though the first event was in April, the games officially kicked off on June 19 with the opening ceremony in downtown Raleigh. Since then, nearly every athletic park in the Triangle Area played host to an event; NC State was even home to the high school baseball championships.

More than 14,000 athletes participated in the games, with the competitors ranging from 12 to 70 years old. All residents of North Carolina were eligible to enter the games.

Many college-age athletes competed the various events, including some students at NC State.

Nash Stallings, a junior studying applied mathematics, competed in the men’s intermediate-level disc golf championship, finishing third with a score of 12-over-par.

“My overall experience exceeded my expectations for the games,” Stallings said. “The event staff was superb — always being on time and on task.”

The games were hosted by North Carolina Amateur Sports, an organization set on “promoting the spirit of amateur sports, physical fitness and health to all ages and skill levels through participation in organized events,” according to its website.

“I was pleased with how smoothly the event was run, even though there were two pools being run at separate courses,” Stallings said. “It takes a lot of effort to run a tournament, even at one course, so props to the team of tournament directors that made this weekend possible.”

As the games were held on such a large scale across multiple cities, NCAS recruited many leaders of local sporting communities to help run the events.

Stallings said that while he was familiar with the directors of the disc golfing events, he was able to meet players which he would not have been able to meet in a standard local event. Athletes came from all across the state, creating an event Stallings said was unlike any other he had attended.

While the games were highlighted by well-known sports such as basketball and soccer, less popular events were given the same amount of attention by the games’ coordinators to help build a greater recognition of the sports.

“I really liked that the atmosphere of the games was centered around growing the sport,” Stallings said. “In the disc golf community, we emphasize the importance of growing the sport, especially with children.”

Stallings said because of the lack of popularity of many sports, the communities are very welcoming to outsiders interested in learning more about the event. By doing so, the games become more inviting as a whole, giving all attendees a new appreciation for sports.

“We know that most people have not heard much about disc golf, if anything at all,” Stallings said. “I see this as a responsibility to always represent the game well because if someone finds out that I am a disc golfer, they will make their first impression of the sport based on their interaction with me, so I try to make it positive.”

The games rotate their location every two years — they will return to the Triangle next summer.