MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Although there has been some audible grumbling about Spring Fling event prices, the $10 all-day tickets and $5 parking fee are not new.
Three years ago, TSSAA and Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce officials agreed to make a change from charging $8 each for the morning and afternoon sessions to a flat fee of $10 to save fans money. The parking fee has been in place for at least five years.
“We felt like it would be better for the people coming to the events to pay one fee and have an all-day pass that gets them into any of the five events being played,” TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress said. “Years ago each person who wanted to go to more than one session wound up paying $16 for the day, plus parking. The way it works now saves every person $6 per day, and I think most folks believe that’s a bargain.
“I know we had one parent from Hixson who pitched a fit the first day and refused to pay and wound up leaving without watching her child play in the tennis tournament, but that’s the extreme case.”
The prices are set by the Chamber of Commerce as reimbursement for the $350,000 annual fee it pays to the TSSAA for the right to host the Spring Fling. Three years remain on the current contract before the TSSAA will reopen the bidding process.