Utah’s biggest sporting events work because the state leads the nation in this category

Jacque Marchant feels a certain dedication to her small Utah town.

Since 1986, the Cedar City woman and her husband, Don, have found a way to pitch in at the Utah Summer Games. They were the original volunteer coordinators for the event and still contribute to this day by dropping off lunches to scorekeepers and other staff.

The couple estimates that, one year, they and their six children logged 256 volunteer hours in a week.

“We enjoy doing it,” Jacque said. “We’re service-oriented and we don’t have to twist anybody’s arm to have them participate. They are happy to have the opportunity.”

But without the Marchants — and hundreds of other volunteers like them — these games and plenty of other major sporting events around the state couldn’t get off the starting line.

“It is key for us to have people who are invested in the organization, that see it as a service,” said Jon Oglesby, the executive director of the Utah Summer Games. “It is important that people see an impact that is larger than themselves in being involved. I would say that that is no doubt a very needed and extremely appreciated part of the Utah Summer Games.”

Known as the official ‘State Games’ in Utah, the Summer Games are held throughout June and feature competitions in basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball, baseball and much more.

Officials estimate 45,000 people (including participants, family and staff) come to Cedar City for the event. So organizers lean heavily on the support of volunteers to help put on the show; approximately 1,000 people are giving their time this year.

It is no surprise to Oglesby and his counterparts when they see the volunteer turnout. It is, they said, the “Utah way.”

And they’re right. Americorps — the federal agency for national service and volunteerism — released findings from its latest Volunteering and Civic Life in America study in November 2024. It examined how people make a difference in their communities; the research was based on a survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau in partnership with AmeriCorps.

The report identified the top 10 states with the highest rates of formal volunteering and informal helping. Utah ranked first in both categories. There, reportedly, were almost 3 million Utahns participating in at least one of those forms of service.

Why is that? Why is it that Utahns — from small and big towns — seem to never fail to show up?

“I think people show up because we, as a community, are proud. We’re proud of all of the things we’re doing and accomplishing in a smaller town,” said Maria Twitchell, who is the executive director at Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau.

The consistency of the spirit of volunteerism from Utahns is one of the reasons the International Olympic Committee believes the state can host another round of games — this time, the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

“People know us as a volunteering state,” said Jeff Robbins, the Utah Sports Commission President and CEO. “For sure when the Olympic and Paralympic committee looked at the bid, they certainly noticed that a key part of our bid includes a state that came out and supported the 2002 Games in a huge way and will continue to support the games in 2034 as well.”

Robbins estimated there were around 20,000 volunteers for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and has only seen the commitment from Utahns grow.

The Utah Sports Commission brought the Iron Man World Championships — which is usually held in Kaliua-Kona, Hawaii — to St. George in 2021 and 2022 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. They had 4,000 volunteers, one of the biggest numbers the event has ever had, Robbins said.

While there is a long to-do list for Robbins ahead of the 2034 Games, he knows community impact will not be one of them.

“If you look at the 2002 Games, a lot of people use that as a marker because it was such a significant undertaking to get all of the volunteers. ... The role that volunteers play in major events is significant because it’s not just helping you manage certain areas of the event, but also they’re the face of the community and the state,” Robbins said.

“When you look at the DNA of the state of Utah, not just in sports, but people generally love to volunteer. They like to help. They like to be part of things.”

Marchant said she volunteers because she has always felt a strong connection to her community. She has lived in her home since 1972. Her neighbors have closed off their street each summer for the last 79 years to throw a potluck-style block party.

Traditions like that tie Marchant deeply to her Cedar City community. It is also why Marchant and those around her are exceedingly willing to lend a helping hand when needed. The Utah Summer Games have benefited greatly from that.

“We love Cedar City,” she said. “In the beginning, we just wanted the Games to be successful. … We were hanging banners, emptying garbages, making sack lunches, scorekeeping.”

Oglesby said he has watched the community rally again and again to fill the necessary roles for a smooth and enjoyable operation. From bagging medals, rolling up T-shirts, and helping security, event management and sports coordinators, there is a range of positions that volunteers fill.

“The tasks definitely have a varied array of things. At some level — whether large in visibility or small in visibility — they are all equally important in terms of creating a first-class experience for the Games,” Oglesby said.

The Summer Games provide financial gain for Cedar City and Iron County. Outside dollars are circulating through local businesses, hotels and restaurants. The average spend-per-day from visitors is $208, said Maria Twitchell, who is the Executive Director at Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau. With the influx of spenders during the Summer Games, it is estimated to have a $18.7 million economic impact.

“It creates that big boom that we need,” Twitchell said. “We’re not a big city. We’re a small, rural community and so we have to pool our resources in order to have these sports events that are happening. It’s just easy for us because it’s important to us to show up and take part and participate.”

Twitchell previously served as a board member and volunteer for the Utah Summer Games and it helped solidify what she already knew about Cedar City and the state at large. People want the best for their communities, she said, and hosting events like the Summer Games heightens the general quality of life.

Oglesby was reminded of that the night before the 2025 Utah Summer Games commenced.

Southern Utah was hit with a “rogue storm” that was not initially forecasted and wrecked the fields.

“This is the weekend of our tennis and softball tournaments, where we have 118 fast-pitch softball teams from Hurricane to Parowan,” Oglesby said. “I was literally bailing water off of the field.”

Assistance was needed. But most of the crews from the cities and school districts that managed the fields were tied up.

Even so, Oglesby said, there was an instant response.

“We had a pretty robust group of people that basically jumped into action immediately to get the fields playable,” Oglesby said. “People getting presented with a need — you have a massive sporting event going on — and the only option is basically to work through it. … It’s a living example in these Games of [volunteerism] in play.”

These first-hand experiences leave Oglesby with no doubt of the 2034 Winter Olympics’ success in the place he knows so well. It is what has fueled the Summer Games since their inception.

“I think our state is always interested in banding together to put on a great event for people all around the world. As part of that, I’m very bullish on what our state is going to provide the world in 2034 in Salt Lake City,” Oglesby said. “There’s something about the romance of sports tournaments and large national events or state-wide events that really draws people.”