Written by Brieanne Enman
A full house packed the Eccles Coliseum on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City for the 30th annual Utah Summer Games opening ceremonies on Thursday night, June 11. In addition to the expected fare for such an event, one of the highlights of the evening was the presence of 17-year-old Britton Shipp as the 2015 Utah Summer Games official torch bearer.
The Utah Summer Games were founded by former Cedar City Mayor Gerald R. Sherratt when he was the president of what was then Southern Utah State College. The idea came to him in 1984. With so many people traveling on Interstate 15 to Los Angeles for the Olympic Games that year, Sherratt thought the Utah games would be a good way to put southern Utah on the map.
Two years later, with the Centrum Arena completed, the first Utah Summer Games were finally possible. Over the years, the games have grown to include over forty sports and thousands of participants from all over the state attending each year.
One of these Summer Games alumna was this year’s official torch bearer. Britton Shipp is a Snow Canyon High School student who has been a source of inspiration to many after suffering traumatic injuries from an ATV crash in November of 2014.
Shipp’s sister Autumn has kept a popular blog recording his journey. Shipp spent 166 days in the hospital following the accident, much of which was spent in a coma, but defeating all the odds, Shipp has made a miraculous recovery and continues to work hard and inspire people every day.
An eight-minute tribute video of the progress Shipp has made since the accident put together by his sister was shown. He then circled the track and with the help of his father, walked the torch to center stage.
In addition to lighting the torch, Shipp was presented with the “Spirit of the Games” award for “the strength and championship spirit he has exuded during his amazing comeback.”
“I am so thankful for all of your prayers,” Shipp said after he accepted his award. “You are all so great. Keep it up. I love every one of you.”
Shipp’s father also expressed his gratitude for the prayers and service their family has received since the accident. After the Shipps’ remarks, a line that ran from the stage to the cauldron was ignited, officially starting the games.
Prior to the cauldron lighting, the 2015 Utah Summer Games opening ceremonies also included a presentation of 100 American flags and the parade of sponsors and athletes. A soccer teams from Ogden carried a banner to honor a teammate who was one of the teens who died in a boating accident at the beginning of this month at Bear Lake.
The opening ceremonies also featured performances by a combined group of drill teams from the region. The Utah Jazz Bear made an appearance, as well as a comedy act by a rodeo clown named Bert Davis and one of his rescue dogs. There was also a performance by the nationally touring large-event party and corporate show band, Party Crashers, who play a range of covers from classic rock to country hits.
The evening ended with a firework spectacular, followed by a second performance by Party Crashers.
The Utah Summer Games started June 5 and will run through June 28. For more information, a full schedule, and a list of events visit www.utahsummergames.org.
