Arnold Sports Festival Columbus Celebrating 30 Years

Written/Photography by

Andrew Livelsberger

Background:
Celebrating 30 years of sports excellence, the Arnold Sports Festival returns to Columbus, OH March 1-4, 2018.   75 sports will be represented and new sports/exhibits will be introduced.


Impression:
You know we here at VisualOhio love the Arnold Sports Festival.  We have been attending the event long before we covered it professionally.  We've seen the event grow and change over time, just as we've seen different sports and athletes change over time.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has created a tradition, a welcoming atmosphere for the world of sports.  This annual, world wide event is something to behold.  A mecca of sorts, that we feel everyone should attend at least once in their life, if for no other reason to see the world in a different way.  A way that shows that varying sports and athletes from all kinds of backgrounds have a place.

Here is a sampling of some of our favorite images from over the years.  Please enjoy them and know that we love what we do and we love bringing you coverage of the event every year.

The 30th year will bring even more sports, hitting the 75 mark - including axe throwing and body painting being added this year.

Arnold Sports Expo 2015 - Part 3

Written:  Danielle and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography/Video:  Andrew Livelsberger

Background:

Day 3 rounds out our coverage with a whirlwind of 50+ dance, archery, cheer and dance, jump rope and equestrian events.

Impression:

Even though we are on day three, the energy from the event is still on high!  We did cover some of the 50+ dance at the Hilton Hotel Ballroom and Art At The Arnold, most of our time was spent at the new kids expo at the Ohio State Fairgrounds.  The fairgrounds were also the location for the archery, cheer and equestrian events.

50+ Dance

The Hilton ballroom housed the 50+ dance competition.  You wouldn't have thought it a competition because the participants were having so much fun!!  Some solo and groups of dancers went non-stop.
If you've not been before, it is definitely worth the trip across the street to see them perform.

Archery
Located at the Ohio State Fairgrounds with the kids expo, the archery competitions showed marksmanship and dedication to a skill that is hundreds, if not thousands of years old.  For those wanting to practice or pull the bow string for the first time, there were representatives of a local archery club there to assist and manage the range.

Cheer
The cheer routines brought high energy, gymnastics and dance together for smiling faces in the crowd!

Jump Rope
While double dutch and other jump rope competitions were found at the Convention Center, the kids expo had a jump rope demo team.  Tandem and solo, they showed just how much athleticism it takes to keep up with the speedy rope with handles!
Not only did they keep up, but they did things I didn't even know possible!

Equestrian
Riding in the indoor arena at the fair grounds, the riders showed their mastery of controlling their horses in different disciplines.  One of the competitions, shown in the image below is called "reining".  It is a technique used to get the horse to stop from a gallop, often used in rodeo to help stop a roped calf.

Art At The Arnold
Artists arrive at the convention center and create wonderful works of art based on the sporting events represented at the Arnold.   All kinds of media are represented including drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media.