Marshal
Manlove was so enraptured by the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich,
Germany, that he set up his own Olympic-style event in his Montville,
N.J., neighborhood.
He was 8 years old at the time.
"I found a shot put, so we had that event,'' Manlove said.
"We had a high jump, 75-foot dash, run-around-the-house two times.
Stuff like that. Then, we gave out medals.''
Manlove is just as determined to have such an event in his adopted
home state of Delaware, despite a rather lukewarm reaction to his
efforts.
The second Diamond State Games will be held Saturday and Sunday, with
11 events at numerous locations. Manlove, 41, of Newark, initiated the
event in 2001, when 1,952 people took part in seven sports. The Games
were not held in 2002 because of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
and sluggish economy.
Manlove is still having trouble attracting financial support for the
2003 renewal, with seven individuals and businesses having supplied
about $3,000. He is expecting to cover about a $12,000 loss himself.
But Manlove is determined to make the Diamond State Games an annual
attraction for residents of Delaware and neighboring out-of-state
counties while realizing it may be a slow process.
"There is a need for it, period,'' he said. "Our goal,
really, is to be like the Penn Relays [track meet] and the Beast of the
East [high school wrestling tourney in Newark], where you have a variety
of events under one umbrella.
"We're shooting for the moon with that goal, but if we miss,
hey, we'll hit the stars."
The Diamond State Games replaced the First State Games, which
involved several thousand athletes during their 1988 to 1990 run before
closing down for financial reasons.
Manlove and his all-volunteer organization expect to conduct
competition in basketball (at Salesianum and the Charter School of
Wilmington), bowling (Dover Bowl), disc golf (Killens Pond State Park),
field hockey (A.I. du Pont High), flag football (Stanton Middle School
and Salesianum), paintball (ECX Action Sports in Newark), soccer
(Kirkwood Soccer Club), softball (Handloff and Dickey parks in Newark),
track and field (Baynard Stadium), volleyball (Goldey-Beacom College)
and wrestling (Salesianum).
More than 1,200 people have entered, with flag football, track and
field and field hockey being the most popular. Information is available
at Manlove's Web site, www.delawaresports.com.
"This is the first time field hockey has been in the Diamond
State Games, and it's exciting to be part of the inaugural event,'' said
Ashley Judge, 18, a recent Concord High graduate who will attend the
University of North Carolina this fall. "A lot of the top players
around the state are involved, and it'll be neat to play with some
people for the first time and against some people who may have been
teammates.''
Another popular - and unusual - attraction has been paintball, which
will involve three-player teams. Joe Day, 15, a ninth-grader at the
Charter School of Wilmington, enthusiastically entered with friends
David Cassidy and Scott Jacobs, both 14. They split the $120 entry fee.
"This is the only sport I do,'' said Day, who lives in Gordy
Estates. "We've been practicing for three weeks. It's great to have
an event like this at home. Normally, I have to go to Maryland or
Pennsylvania for a paintball tournament, and it's usually $400 or
$500."
Diana Carter, manager of Dover Bowl, is guiding the Games' bowling
competition there.
"We're hoping we can build this up to be a statewide
event," she said. "We're not going to have a full house this
year, but we've got to get it started. We've had Senior Olympics here,
and it really means something to the competitors. The Diamond State
Games can be just as good, and they're for everybody - youth, adults,
seniors.''
Manlove will be patient, because he knows he has to be.
"It's a very lofty goal, but there's no reason to go halfway,''
he said of making the Games an annual attraction. "We'll go at is
as hard as we can.''
Reach Kevin Tresolini at 324-2807 or ktresolini@delawareonline.com.
