Busy Saturday at Spire
May 16—HARPERSFIELD TOWNSHIP — What do drones, track and field, swimming and wine have in common?
All four were the focus of activity at Spire Institute on Saturday as the Big East Track and Field Championships, the Busbey Swim Meet, Drone Race Meet Up and the Fine Wine and Dine were all hosted at the multi-purpose facility.
"We've been doing it pflying drones at Spire Institute] all winter. We usually fly outside but this place is great to fly the big drones," said Dave Conner, of Westlake, who helped organize Saturday's event in the soccer facility.
Conner said he flies drones two to three times a week and enjoys gathering for competition with like-minded people.
Andy Stankiewicz has been a drone instructor at Spire Institute for nearly a year and is busy organizing four drone camps this summer.
Flying drones requires lots of practice and patience, Stankiewicz said.
"There is some hand-eye coordination [needed]," he said.
A group of 15 participants put their skills on the line on Saturday.
"In the height of the winter we had 25," he said.
Ben Bisbee, a drone enthusiast from Buffalo, N.Y., fine-tuned his machinery before flying his planes throw a maze of challenging obstacles.
"This is actually the closest race I have," he said.
Spire Institute Chief Executive Office Jeff Orloff said busy days at the facility have been made possible with the help of the Ashtabula County Health Departmen, which answers all the questions needed to host large events and maintain adherence to safety protocols for the coronavirus pandemic.
Orloff said the swim meet included 800 different swimmers from all over the region. He said they all swim in different pods at different times of the day to reduce contact.
"We have gotten better at the process. The hardest part is there are people who don't want to abide by the rules," Orloff said.
He said the amount of people questioning masks and social distancing are thankfully few and far between.
Orloff said having such a large facility has helped attract events that have been shut out of other facilities due virus issues.
"The Big East [track mee]) was supposed to be somewhere else," he said.
"It is awesome. They [Spire Institute] are easy to work with. I think this is our third or fourth time here," said Tania Kennedy, senior director of sports administration and championships for the Big East Conference.
To close out the days activities the institute partnered with the Ohio Wine Producers Association to host the Fine Wine and Dine event for 150 people in the banquet center, Orloff said.
Thad Schultz, director of aquatics at Spire Institute, said the events held during multiple time frames in one day, to reduce personal contact, has made volunteers more important.
He said the organization works with swim clubs and swim teams to gather the needed volunteers to make the event run smoothly.
