JON LUGBILL, Executive Director, Richmond Sports Backers

What’s the secret to a lasting romance? The conventional wisdom is that opposites attract. But for one of Richmond’s most enduring love affairs, it may be the similarities that keep one couple together. Jon Lugbill and the James River are soul mates. They’re both forces of nature that remain in constant motion through the city. Each has the strange power to lure Richmonders off the couch and into the sunshine. And if you get close to either of them, sooner or later you’re bound to get wet.

If you want an easy way to tell them apart, the James is that massive interstate of water churning its way towards the Chesapeake Bay. Jon is the one in sneakers. Oh yeah, he’s also considered the greatest whitewater canoeist to ever compete. Lugbill was an international champion, a member of the 1992 Olympic team, and he once graced the front of a Wheaties box. These days he’s happy to be known simply as one of the James River’s biggest fans.

As Executive Director of the Richmond Sports Backers since 1993, Lugbill’s prime directive has been to transform our city into a sports mecca. During the last two decades he’s been the driving force behind foot races, bike races and boat festivals. But no other event has given the “River City” more pride in its namesake than Dominion Riverrock. The annual three-day celebration of the James as “an outdoor recreational paradise” puts the waterfront in the spotlight. And the rest of the country has taken notice.

“I think the future of the river is bright for recreation,” says Lugbill. “We need to push for the Riverfront Master Plan to be passed. It lays out a great plan for increasing river access for regular people and not just the more adventurous people.”

Access is important. In many ways it’s key to changing the relationship that many Richmonders have with the James. With events like Riverrock, Lugbill is preaching engagement. He wants us to realize that the river is not just something to look at or drive over. He wants us to realize that the James River is a natural playground, unique to us and meant to be shown off and shared with the rest of the world. “We have it so good here we tend to take it for granted,” says Lugbill.

Article from Issue #16