The annual gathering of rock-solid orange mega-humans and amateur sports stars of all ages hoping to make their mark on the world converged over the weekend as the Arnold Sports Festival took over the city.
The yearly event once again provided a wealth of affordable entertainment with a wide range of 70 sports represented by over 18,000 participants at various locations around the Columbus area.
The bulk of the activity took place at the Convention Center and Ohio Expo Center. The latter where gymnastics provided the main draw and included a NCAA meet-up that included the Ohio State men’s team, while archery, equestrian and a youth-sport expo took place in various building throughout the fairgrounds.
The Hollywood Casino, New Albany High School, Otterbein University, Stars Indoor Sports and Walnut Hill Disc Golf course also played host to sporting events during the four day festival.
The Convention Center again became ground-zero for what felt like a billion people, all moving in slow motion and all looking to get their fill of neon-coloured drinks and everlasting protein bars from an almost overwhelming expo hall that stretched out for as far as the eye could see.
The sensible people that avoided the expo halls were still able to enjoy a huge amount of value for money entertainment as events such as martial arts, pole fitness, fencing, tennis, cheerleading and weight lifting were all packed into every nook and cranny of the Convention Center and Hyatt Regency.
For more information, visit www.arnoldsportsfestival.com.
Matt Ellis is a freelance photographer who covers bands that visit the city and the Columbus Crew MLS team. More about Matt can be found at Matt Ellis Photography.
