SANDPOINT — Sandpoint has always been a place where youth sports have flourished and were considered a focal point of the community.

From the packed stadiums at War Memorial’s old grass field to the shining spotlight in the Sandpoint High School gymnasium before varsity basketball games — everyone got together to celebrate youth athletes’ success. Some say the golden days of Sandpoint youth sports are over, but I say it’s time to revitalize them, and there are already community members doing exactly that.

Let me preface my opinions by mentioning that I am not originally from the area, but I have met the sports community where they are. I have heard first-hand from coaches, administrators, and longtime citizens of our community that youth sports are not what they used to be — for better and for worse.

To state the obvious, Sandpoint has seen sky-high population growth in the past few years, which has led to the formation of more sports teams and new sports programs that our youth athletes are interested in. With all of this growth, has the city recognized the need for more resources, facilities and upkeep? In 2021, the SHS varsity softball team was not even able to practice at War Memorial Field for the last three weeks of their season due to scheduling errors. That doesn’t seem right considering the high school pays the city of Sandpoint a lump sum of tax dollars every year to use the field.

Logan Conro is one coach who feels like some sports have been left behind with all the changes happening in Sandpoint, so she took matters into her own hands. Conro has fond memories of playing and watching sports in Sandpoint back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She told me she used to pitch on mats inside the high school after practice hours. All of that extra training led to her playing Division I softball at Georgia Southern University. Now, Conro has decided to give back to her community in a big way by providing an opportunity most rural athletes dream of.

Conro, with help of four other softball and Little League coaches, started The North, a travel softball team that is now planning to field teams from 12U to 18U; they are the first travel softball teams based in Sandpoint. The team recently held tryouts that saw over 40 local athletes come out. Conro also maintains the grounds at the Sandpoint Middle School softball field herself, so her players have a place to practice and compete. Allegedly, many of the city-owned fields in the area are maintained by us everyday citizens.

The main problem is — there is no space for the team to play year-round, which is still something the organization is trying to figure out. This is the same story for many other youth sports clubs in Sandpoint. It does not help that the Field of Dreams in Ponderay is still years away from completion and a softball field is being removed at Travers Park for the installation of new pickleball courts. Ouch.

Does it have to be this way?

While Sandpoint has seen plenty of new sports growth and opportunities in the past few years, our youth athletes need to be a bigger part of the community again. No matter what sport, no matter what age, all of our athletes need to be valued and appreciated; they need to have the proper facilities and resources to excel. The upgrades to War Memorial Field are an excellent addition to the community, but there are too many teams fighting for space at the various fields in our area.

The aforementioned case is one of a handful that I’ve heard that shows the city may not be prioritizing youth sports as much as it once did. That’s fine, but sports are the lifeblood of the community, and not keeping up with the growth will show — whether that’s through people choosing not to participate in certain sports or those who grew up here and played, choosing not to return to raise their families here.

Our community’s youth will be helping to keep Sandpoint alive and thriving one day. Invest in them … or suffer the consequences.