Over the past five years, the city of Chattanooga decided it was going to once again showcase its ability to be a choice destination for championship events in the athletic arena — both within the state of Tennessee as well as nationally.
The past month has been evidence of that success.
In May alone, the city has hosted three state championship events sanctioned by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (for middle school baseball, middle school softball and high school tennis), as well as two national championship events for college sports: the NCAA Division III tennis tournament at the Champions Club, plus the NCAA Division II softball tournament at Jim Frost Stadium at Warner Park, where competition is ongoing.
There was a time when Chattanooga was a hot spot for such events. From 1994 to 2002, the TSSAA’s spring sports championship events, collectively known as the Spring Fling, were held in the Scenic City. From 1997 to 2009, Finley Stadium was the home of the national title game for football teams in NCAA Division I-AA (now the Football Championship Subdivision).
From 1993-97 and again from 1999-2000, the Southeastern Conference women’s basketball tournament was at McKenzie Arena, and the TSSAA’s high school wrestling and girls’ soccer tournaments originated in the Scenic City.