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Border Olympics, A Sporting Tradition – Tales from the Edge

By: Blasita J. Lopez

Border Olympics is one of the storied Laredo traditions that has lived on in the community’s lore for well over 80 years. It’s a wonderland of spectator sports including baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, golf and tennis. The most popular spring tourney, and also the oldest, is high school track and field; and college golf has garnered the most prestige over the years as the second oldest collegiate golf tournament in the nation. The likes of Baylor, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Houston, Rice, Michigan State, and Lamar have participated recently, as well as, many other recognizable NCAA division one schools. It remains a crowd favorite having been a mainstay on many collegiate golf schedules for decades and is hosted by the Laredo Country Club from March 13-14, 2015. It features 36-holes of skillful play the first day and finally 18-holes of championship play on day two.

Before succeeding on the pro-circuit golfers like Martin Laird, Ryan Palmer, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite all took to the Border Olympics collegiate links. This history speaks for itself and is just as impressive as the field of talent that played this month, including the University of Texas Arlington and The University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Just as the Olympics have dazzled us on a global stage every four years, so too, does the field of young, up-and-coming amateur athletic talent that Laredo hosts from November to April each year. Come experience the ever-budding season of sports in Laredo. The springtime is especially promising in 2015.

Blasita Lopez is the Director at the Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau.
A product of Texas and IH35, began her career as a journalist. Longhorn 4 life!