Over the last two weeks, Marshalltown has hosted the 2026 Iowa YMCA State Swimming Championships and the Iowa High School Esports Association Winter State Showdown. These events bring big increases in hotel stays, bustling restaurants, and championship memories for competitors who travel here from across the state. For a few days, Marshalltown becomes the stage for hundreds of young people chasing their moment of competition, connection, and celebration.

But every time we host events like these, I find myself thinking less about the spotlight and more about the people behind the curtain.

Each time, I am blown away by the individuals working behind the scenes.

The hours upon hours of volunteers, staff, board members, community partners, and organizers who make sure venues are ready when teams arrive are impressive–and yet their work can easily be taken for granted. When an event runs smoothly, when the scoreboard works, when schedules stay on track, and when the venue feels welcoming, it’s easy to assume it all just came together naturally.

In reality, it rarely works that way. It reminds me a little of Christmas morning.

A child wakes up, walks into the living room, and sees a beautiful menagerie of gifts under the tree, partially eaten Santa cookies on the plate, and stockings filled to the brim. The child thinks, “Wow, Santa did all of this in an instant!”

Spoiler alert: it was not Santa.

It was parents staying up late assembling impossible toys, dads heroically finishing off the cookies, and families working behind the scenes — all for the chance to see kids wake up with huge smiles and squeals of joy.

Like Christmas morning, any great competition takes a tremendous amount of community commitment to create opportunities for joy and excitement for others.

That’s exactly what we’re seeing with the IAHSEA Winter Showdown and the 2026 Iowa YMCA State Swimming Championships.

At the center of these events are the competitors themselves. Swimmers racing in the pool. Students battling through esports brackets. Young people pushing themselves, supporting teammates, and experiencing the thrill of competition and great costumes (if you haven’t seen the Y’s pictures, stop reading and immediately go to the Y social media accounts).

But their moment in the spotlight only exists because of the countless people who helped create it.

YMCA volunteers and staff spent months coordinating schedules, officials, facilities, and hospitality for hundreds of swimmers and their families. Coaches and parents invested countless hours preparing athletes for their biggest meet of the year.

The State Showdown is possible because of Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) staff, MCSD I.T., IAHSEA Board Members, MCC Students, and others working together to build an environment where students could compete, connect, and showcase their skills. If you haven’t seen the amount of work to put together PC competitive gaming, it is the most difficult Christmas gift times 40.

And when the doors open and the competitions begin, it all feels seamless. But we know better.

Behind every well-run event are people who arrived early, stayed late, solved problems, moved tables, answered questions, and did the small things that turn a venue into a welcoming experience.

So to the volunteers, organizers, YMCA staff, school leaders, partners, and community members who helped make these events possible — thank you.

Because just like Christmas morning, the joy we see during these competitions doesn’t happen by accident.

It happens because a community came together behind the scenes to make something special possible.

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Dylan Does is the tourism director for the

Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce.