By AMY ADAMS
news@readthereporter.com
Westfield welcomed the Indianapolis Colts and nearly 3,000 fans as they kicked off their sixth year of Colts Training Camp on Wednesday morning at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
Westfield resident Gráinne McConnell attended with her mentee from the Westfield Youth Assistance Program.
“It was a fantastic, well-organized event,” McConnell said. “The atmosphere was electric with music and everyone having a great time.”
Reporter photo by Amy Adams
It takes a lot of behind-the-scenes effort to pull off a series of events of this magnitude.
“We have over 200 volunteers for Training Camp,” Westfield Director of Communications Chris Proffitt said. “They do everything from guest parking to transporting players in golf carts.”
With a similar footprint to last year’s setup, Colts City offers everything for fans right in one location so people don’t have to walk too far to enjoy all of the available activities and refreshments.
“It’s a full campus effort working with the great partners we have,” Westfield Restaurant Group Event Operations Manager Shannessy McClure said.
Operating Grand Stand Sports Pub and Grand Stand Concessions, Westfield Restaurant Group has been offering food and beverage services since Colts Training Camp came to Westfield in 2018.
Though Grand Stand gives over its state-of-the-art kitchen at the Grand Park Events Center to the Colts during Training Camp, a pop-up kitchen ensures that concessions include fresh-grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats. This year, Grand Stand welcomes Chef Brett Lewis who brings his expertise from working at the Los Angeles Convention Center and cooking up creations for Super Bowls.
Reporter photo by Amy Adams
Inspired by the state fair, BBQ pulled-pork nachos have been added to this year’s menu for afternoon and evening practices. For morning practices, fans can enjoy new Belgian waffles topped with syrup, whipped cream, and blue sprinkles.
Reporter photo by Amy Adams
Vendors from outside Grand Park joined Colts City for the first time last year, and Tropical Sno and Tijuana Flats will return this year with their cool treats and hot eats. The kettle corn tent will be back, as well, along with a new player to the outside vendor team, Hot Box Pizza.
Along with Coca-Cola products, lemonade, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra, Grand Stand will offer Goose Island IPA, Cutwater canned cocktails, and NUTRL hard seltzers.
“Making sure everyone has the experience they want to at Grand Park is important to us,” McClure said.
In addition to great food, Colts City is full of fun, including inflatables, family-friendly games, photo opportunities, and, of course, merchandise, like the 2023 Colts Training Camp T-Shirt designed by 2023 Westfield High School graduate Mia Sears.
You can visit colts.com/events/trainingcamp to see the Colts Training Camp schedule, to claim free tickets, and to get your Colts City Pass, but you better think fast. Of the 13 practices, four are already sold out, including this weekend’s Friday and Saturday practices, as well as the joint practices with the Chicago Bears on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 16 and 17.
Once Colts staff saw Westfield High School graduate Mia Sears’ art portfolio, they knew she was the right candidate to design this T-shirt. (Reporter photos by Amy Adams)
Colts Training Camp T-shirt features art of WHS grad
By AMY ADAMS
news@readthereporter.com
The Indianapolis Colts’ search for a local artist to design this year’s training camp T-shirt led north up the Monon Trail to 2023 Westfield High School graduate Mia Sears.
As a senior this past year, Sears designed the poster and T-shirt for the 2023 WHS American Pie Concert which featured a line-drawn Monon train in keeping with the concert’s theme, “I’m going back to Indiana.” She also designed posters and shirts for The Diary of Anne Frank and Little Shop of Horrors, both WHS productions for which she worked as a stage manager.
When asked to suggest a student to create a shirt for the Colts, it only made sense that WHS art teachers Lindsay Frey and John Sterling recommended Sears.
After seeing her portfolio of graphic design and other artwork, Colts staff agreed that Sears was just the artist they were seeking and commissioned her for the project.
Working directly with Colts Senior Marketing Director Hayden Barnack to better understand the desired outcome, Sears sketched out an image that incorporates aspects of summer, Westfield, and, of course, the Colts.
For Sears, who grew up in Westfield, summer is synonymous with biking on the Monon Trail not far from her house.
“I also took inspiration from the layout of downtown Westfield,” she said.
The T-shirt clearly illustrates these elements stacked in shades of blue, with the Colts practice field at Grand Park in the foreground.
“I’ve had some people tell me it looks like a band tee or a concert tee,” Sears said. “That’s kind of an inspiration, as well, because I love going to concerts and festivals in the summer.”
Though art has been part of her life for as long as she can remember, Sears didn’t find her interest in project-based artwork until her sophomore or junior year in high school.
“Mrs. Frey and Mrs. Bartel really helped me thrive because of the creative liberty and freedom they gave with the assignments,” Sears said.
She particularly excelled in AP 2-D Art and Design.
“The teachers supported my creative ideas while also giving very valuable critiques and constructive criticism,” Sears said.
That support and encouragement has certainly paid off in paving the way for her to work with an NFL team, an experience that could lead her down a variety of avenues in the future.
“It was definitely worth it!” she said.
Sears will soon be heading to Bloomington to attend Indiana University where she plans to study public management and one day become an urban planner.