SPORTyler II Promotes Tyler Sports Tourism
recreation, sportyler ii, tyler sports tourism,
Sports are not just fun and games but serious business as well.
Recognizing that‚ a handful of Tyler community leaders‚ led by Deputy City Manager Mark McDaniel‚ have breathed new life into a dormant organization.
In early 2006‚ McDaniel and others suggested reinvigorating SPORTyler‚ an organization to create and promote sports tourism events in the community. With the help of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce‚ McDaniel got the second version of SPORTyler off the ground.
In the first year of its rebirth‚ SPORTyler established three goals‚ or initiatives‚ to fulfill. The first was the creation of a sports luncheon to kick off the football season for high schools and area colleges.
More than 20 coaches and athletes from area schools attended the kickoff luncheon. The participating athletes walked away with $250 college scholarships.
In the coming years‚ SPORTyler hopes to host similar events for basketball‚ baseball and other sports.
The second initiative was to provide support to college‚ high school and league sports‚ with a special focus on those hosting tournaments for out-of-town participants.
Tournament assistance comes in many forms‚ from aiding with hosting bids to promotional efforts to providing volunteers to ensure smooth operation of events.
“If it’s bringing visitors from outside the area to Tyler‚ we’re interested‚” says Walter Wilhelmi‚ who assumed the chairmanship of SPORTyler in 2007.
Events scheduled for 2007 were designed to draw those visitors in droves – the Texas Alliance of Accredited Private Schools basketball tournament in March‚ the National Junior College Athletic Association baseball championship in May and the NJCAA soccer championship in November.
Fortunately for the members interested in attracting tournaments to the community‚ the infrastructure is already in place. With first-rate facilities around the city‚ including those at the University of Texas-Tyler and Tyler Junior College‚ building is not necessary.
“We have the facilities that we need to host any event‚” Wilhelmi says.
The group’s third and final objective was the creation of a junior golf tournament. Held in March‚ the Azalea Trail Junior Golf Classic joins the season-ending tylerpaper.com Golf Championship‚ already a fixture of regional golf play; combined‚ the tournaments give the community bookend events on the schedule.
“We want to make Tyler the destination for junior golf‚” Wilhelmi says.
Along the way‚ SPORTyler hopes the events – and the guests they attract – open the eyes of others in the city to the benefits of becoming a sports mecca.
“We hope to create more awareness in the community of sports tourism’s impact on the economy‚” McDaniel says.
Story by Dan Markham
Photo by Greg Emens
