Staff Photo by Allison KwesellLarry Zehnder, City of Chattanooga Parks and Recreation Administrator, talks to a crowd of softball supporters during the grand opening of the Summit of Softball Complex on Friday.
The year 2010 marked the first full year for the city-owned Summit of Softball Complex. As beneficial as it was, the Parks & Recreation Department is expecting greater things in 2011.
There had not been any city-run adult slowpitch leagues in six years before the Summit was built. This year 34 men's, women's and co-ed teams played in summer leagues and that increased to 38 in the fall leagues.
This year there were 11 youth fastpitch tournaments held at the Summit, along with 10 adult slowpitch tournaments and three youth baseball tournaments. Among the Summit's highlights was it was one of three local facilities to host games in the National Softball Association's Eastern B World Series youth fastpitch tournament.
According to a formula used by the Greater Chattanooga Sports and Events Committee, the Summit's 18 tournaments that had at least 20 teams brought an estimated $3.9 million to the local economy.
Next year, from the last week of February through October, the city has already lined up 12 youth fastpitch, 11 adult slowpitch and five youth baseball tournaments.
The city's director of recreation Greta Hayes said she no longer has to work as hard at lining up tournaments as she once did. Hayes cited everything from Chattanooga's proximity to I-75, to the Summit's exposure on the Internet, to rekindling regional and national networking that dates back long before the Summit was built.
"People want to bring their tournaments here," Hayes said. "Our city has reputations. There are high levels of expectations. It's not just first-class facilities. We have first-class employees."
Among the prominent tournaments for the upcoming year are the Amateur Softball Association's 16-under A national tournament, which will be held at the Summit and Warner Park the first week in August. In addition to the athletes and their families, the competion will also attract dozens of college coaches. The local economic boost could be as much as $6 million.
Also returning the last week of July is the NSA Eastern A World Series youth fastpitch tournament. It will also incorporate the use of the fields at Camp Jordan in East Ridge and is expected to boost the local economy approximately by another $3.3 million.
NSA founder and CEO Hugh Cantrell said he had intended to bring the tournament, which was held in the Chattanooga area in 2009, back to the local scene in 2012. He ended up calling sports committee president Scott Smith a couple of months ago and told him because of overwhelming response he would be bringing it back in 2011.
"The complex itself, along with Warner Park, are just tremendous facilities," Cantrell said. "Our teams love playing at those two facilities. Also the Parks & Recreation Department and the mayors are all people we work with in the Chattanooga area and they're just so great to work with.
"So many of our teams have requested that we take it back to Chattanooga. They really love the area. There's a lot of tourism there."
The NSA is planning on bringing another World Series to the local area in 2012. Cantrell long ago said if Chattanooga built a complex that would accomodate adult slowpitch he would bring some sort of national tournament in every year.
"There are two or three facilities in the country that compares to the Summit," Cantrell said. "As far as I'm concerned, the Summit is just a little bit better than anybody's."
The Summit and Warner Park each have a full-time staff of six employees, and seasonal workers are also hired at both. The city has plans for creating a position of athletics manager to oversee projects at both places.
There also continue to be plans for upgrades at the Summit, some that were part of the original proposal that had to be postponed. Hayes said additions will include permanent maintenance buildings, batting cages and a playground.
Expansion is also a possibility. There is nearby land that could potentially house four more fields with 300-plus-foot fences from home plate.
"Anything's possible at this point," Hayes said, "if we see a need there."
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653.