City has become a player in generating tourism dollars from sports tournaments

Question for you: How many people - athletes and spectators - came to Carson City in 2007 to play in recreational league sports tournaments ... everything from youth soccer to adult and senior softball?

I would have guessed many hundreds, but nowhere near the real number of 42,429. Nor that, in 2008, that number will likely be far larger.

These tournaments have quietly become big business for the capital city and the recreation department actively works on attracting more and more of them.

Why?

Let's just get to the point - $11.5 million.

That's how much those visitors spent here last year on rooms, food, entertainment, gas and shopping last year. Joel Dunn, the recreation manager for Carson City Parks & Recreation, knows that because more than 80 percent of those visitors filled out surveys handed out by volunteers or employees. There were no complicated mathematical formulas or extrapolations used to come up with the $11.5 million ... they just asked them to write down what they spent in Carson City, and then they added it all together.

That's a lot of cash.

For the four-day Midnight Madness adult softball tournament over Memorial Day weekend last year, for example, 108 teams came to Carson City, the majority from places far enough away where they stayed in motel rooms. There were 3,050 players and spectators, all of whom pulled out their wallets and purses many times during their stay.

Total impact for the tournament on Carson City businesses - more than a million dollars, Dunn said.

"Every time we have a soccer tournament, Applebees knows they have to increase their staff by 50 percent," Dunn said. "It's big and I don't think the community is aware of the impact."

Who are these athletes? Many are weekend warriors from all over the region, including California, who take their recreation seriously. Many teams travel to several tournaments each year, and Dunn wants Carson City to be on their radar screen more and more.

There were 24 such tournaments in Carson City last year. This year, Parks and Rec has scheduled 40, including a 180-team girls fast pitch world series tournament in July that will be the biggest tournament ever held in Carson City. About 150 of those teams will be traveling from distances of more than 100 miles. The week-long tournament is expected to bring 8,000 people, and Dunn estimates they'll spend more than $5 million here.

Local teams benefit by selling concessions at the events, and the city benefits from the sales tax - estimated at $234,000 in 2007. It costs the city's parks and recreation department about $21,000 to make all this happen, which could rightly be considered a bargain.

The impression these teams have of Carson City is generally good, Dunn said - that's why they keep coming back. The fields and their upkeep are considered top-notch. But there's no doubt the city needs more motel rooms, Dunn said. And, to get bigger and better tournaments, we need more fields.

The effort to attract tournaments began four years ago. In 2004, when they started doing surveys, they figured the tournaments brought in $3.6 million.

Dunn had no idea it would grow this large: "We're doing exceptional," he said.

All of this raises questions about whether Carson City should be doing even more to capitalize on these tournaments. Should we be investing more in sports facilities, even a major sports complex? Other communities do just that. Sparks, which is about to open a $29 million artificial turf sports complex, is one example. In fact, Dunn was wary that they would steal some of Carson City's tournaments.

It's worth remembering that many of these tournaments attract families who take advantage of local recreational opportunities - say for instance, a tourist railroad.

Supervisor Pete Livermore has long been an advocate for expanding the city's sports facilities, and the numbers Dunn has put together justify those efforts.

This is a huge success story for Carson City, and it's getting bigger all the time.

•••

If you're looking for something a little different to do on Saturday night, you should take advantage of the Kiwanis Club's annual Luau at the Carson Nugget. All you need is Hawaiian garb (but they might let you in even if you don't). The event runs from 6-11 p.m. and features dancing, auctions and raffles. Call Howard Tooley at 450-6810 for tickets. The best thing about it is the fundraiser supports the many civic projects the club does every year.

• Barry Ginter is editor of the Appeal. You can reach him at 881-1221, or via e-mail at bginter@nevadaappeal.com