Fling is staying in Murfreesboro

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has reached an agreement with the Murfreesboro Chamber of Commerce to extend the Spring Fling contract another year.

The five-sport set of state high school championships just completed its third year in Murfreesboro, and the contract was scheduled to be up for bid at the TSSAA’s Board of Control meeting on June 10. However, because of the questions surrounding reclassification, which will also be decided at the June board meeting, TSSAA officials decided to wait a year before taking bids.

“We felt keeping everything status quo was the smartest thing for everybody involved,” TSSAA executive director Ronnie Carter said. “It just makes sense to wait until we’ve determined our new classification system so that whatever city hosts the Fling will know if we’ve had to expand any events and will need more fields.

“There are just too many challenges and questions that come with the reclassification that’s about to happen.”

Merrill Eckstein, president of the Greater Chattanooga Sports and Events Committee, confirmed that Chattanooga will place a bid when the TSSAA asks for new proposals.

“I was made aware that we would not be making proposals this year, but whenever they ask for new ones next year, we’ll have ours ready,” Eckstein said. “What we have to do is put together a better financial package to bring it back in order to overcome Murfreesboro’s location advantage.

“It would be an understatement to say it’s been difficult to see the Fling stay away from Chattanooga for so long.”

Chattanooga hosted the Spring Fling from its beginning in 1994 until 2002, when Memphis’ combination of a better financial package and newer facilities won it the right to host for three years. However, because of its financial guarantees, Memphis lost nearly $200,000 over its last two years to host and did not make a serious bid in 2005.

Murfreesboro won a three-year contract that year, helped by its central location, its number of new facilities and its solid history hosting other TSSAA championships in cooperation with Middle Tennessee State University.

Carter said the event will use the format and financial package next spring that was agreed upon in the 2005 contract. The six-day event brings more than $5 million into the Murfreesboro-area economy.