Since coming to Colorado Springs in 2005 and 2007, the State Games of America has brought more than $21 million into the city’s economy.

Despite the current state of the economy, officials at the Colorado Springs Sports Corp., who will organize and manage the Games, said the boost the city will receive this year should mirror that of 2007.

“In 2007, we had a record 10,803 athletes show up,” said Tom Osborne, president and CEO of the Sports Corp. “This year, we were expecting about 12,000, but due to the economy, we’re expecting about 10,000, which is still a great number.

“The athletes, their families and friends put more than $11 million into our economy in 2007 and we’re looking for similar results this year.”

Osborne said that for the Games, which will be held Thursday-Sunday at various venues in the area, on average every athlete brings 1.5 people with them.

“If we get 10,000 athletes, they bring 15,000 people and we end up with about 25,000 people here for the Games,” he said. ”That’s very close to the estimated 28,900 people we had here for the ’07 Games.”

He may be cutting himself short in expecting 10,000 athletes. As of Saturday, the Sports Corp. said it was 341 registrations ahead of the record pace set in 2007.

But in the end, it’s no given that the people who come will spend money.

Cheryl McCullough, the sports and special events manager at Experience Colorado Springs said the city’s “feel” will give people little choice.

“It feels like a vacation city,” she said. “The people who come here aren’t just going to be cooped up in their hotel rooms. They’re going to be getting gas, going out to dinner and hoping they could stay a little longer.

“The only thing (Colorado Springs residents) will experience is probably a little longer lines at restaurants, but I think we can deal with that.”

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