No Immediate Change to State Tournament Schedule
Local News
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Thursday, March 14, 2013
With Sioux Falls' premier facility slated to open in 2014, it's bigger size and ability to facilitate multiple events proves to be a tough competitor for the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center to host state tournaments.
Although Rapid City is positioned well with hotels, restaurants and visitor activities, the result of changing tournament schedules could have a drastic effect on our local economy, where nearly two-thirds of the ticket sales are from folks out of town.
"In March tourism isn't the hotbed like in the summertime, [but] last week was to the tune of estimated $2-million and this weekend with a boys is $7-million the largest of all the tournaments so that kind of income into Rapid City is huge and not only to Rapid City but the Black Hills," says Domico Rodriguez, Rapid City’s Sports and Events Sales Director.
Ultimately Rodriguez says the decision by the South Dakota High School Activities Association will come down to ticket sales and how much it costs to rent the facility versus revenue made. He continues to explain how difficult it will be to replace the revenue coming in during the slow winter months if tournaments could no longer be held at the Civic Center, "It would be detrimental to our community and because we know that we're willing to step up as a community and figure out what its going to take to make sure that doesn't happen”.
The current South Dakota High School Activities Association voted against hosting all events in Sioux Falls and in 2017 Rapid City is planning to host the Class "AA" and combined tournaments.