So many numbers in Ames are going in the wrong direction. Budget cuts mean faculty and staff get less pay, but class sizes go up. Fewer unrelated people can live in houses. Most students are aware of the direction tuition has gone in recent years.

But nothing but good news came out of one late-July event on the ISU campus and throughout Ames.

This year’s Iowa Games saw 18,719 athletes come to central Iowa July 18—20 and 25—27, a participation record for the 17-year old event.

The old mark was 17,636. It was set in 2000, so it’s not as though this year’s figure represents a continuous but slow rise.

Executive director Jim Hallihan credited a decision to expand the event to two weekends with leading, in part, to the record attendance.

Having most adult teams (in soccer, softball, flag football and sand volleyball) compete on the second weekend of the Iowa Games let some competitors participate in different sports on each weekend.

But one of the most important effects, Hallihan said, was allowing parents in the most popular sports to coach their children’s teams the first weekend and play on adult teams in the second.

Since the summer is completely void of ISU varsity sporting events (since track and field concluded June 14), the Daily tried to cover a variety of stories at this year’s games.

The people involved in the adult levels of every sport take their craft seriously. I saw fencers dripping with sweat in Beyer Hall’s gymnasium. I constantly saw flights I didn’t even know could be done with a Frisbee at an ultimate match. A card with bullet holes only in a three-inch radius — shot from 50 yards.

And, of course, there are plenty of great stories about children’s events too.

Staff writer Jess Jochims covered the track-and-field competition at Ames High School, and came back with a story about a six-year-old from Palmer who throws the shot put and discus — with one arm.

The 18,719 figure was a little bit surprising when I first heard it. When you go from place to place and watch the numerous concurrent events during the main Iowa Games weekend, you see tiny groups of people everywhere but don’t really aggregate them.

Undergraduate students at Iowa State last fall numbered 23,399, and it isn’t hard walking around campus to figure out that is a whole bunch of people.

And the groups that made the pilgrimage to Ames this summer are only about half the Iowa Games story, according to a news release the organization sent last week.

More than 11,000 took part in Lighten Up Iowa, a team competition in which Iowans are supposed to improve their diet and exercise habits.

Winners were recognized at the Summer Games opening ceremony. About 5,000 more took part in other Iowa Games events.

And all of this is put together by a staff of five (along with several summer interns) that inhabits an office on the second floor of the Maple-Willow-Larch commons.

So 35,256 people were involved with the 2003 Iowa Games. Somehow, I forgot to participate in any of the events, and apparently I’m rapidly becoming less common in that respect.

Maybe next year.