By Emily Werrett
Frustrated by the lack of athletic tournaments, two BYU students decided they could do something about it.
Rusty Curtis, 22, from Las Vegas, and Kyle Christensen, 23, from Orange, Calif., both majoring in advertising and marketing, decided they could organize basketball and volleyball tournaments in Utah Valley.
They discussed this idea on a Tuesday in October 2005, and by Saturday they had already put together a 4-on-4 volleyball tournament.
Encouraged by the success of the tournament, they started immediately to organize the company that is now known as Live 2 Compete. The company organizes men”s basketball and volleyball tournaments and they will soon be hosting both coed and women”s tournaments as well.
Curtis has funded all of the starting costs, which includes a website, www.live2compete.com and prizes and awards to all of the athletes.
“Depending on the number of teams and entry fees, we will usually give the top three teams prizes,” Curtis said. “One thing I am big on is that every entry gets something. We want participants to always be able to walk away with something.”
Curtis and Christensen credit their success to addressing a need they saw in Utah Valley.
“I truly believe that once more students become aware of Live 2 Compete and play in an event, it will catch and become a very popular thing to do here in Utah Valley. There are so many athletes here who are just looking for something like this,” Curtis said.
Live 2 Compete has also given a portion of each event”s profit to community charities and organizations. Curtis and Christensen donated $800 to the Provo High School”s athletic fund on January 10.
“We feel it not only a duty, but a pleasure to contribute to the betterment of the world we live in. Our goal is that as Live 2 Compete grows, so will its contributions to society,” Curtis said.
