It’s tournament time again

by George Kay
Tuesday, February 5, 2008 1:51 PM MST

The Wyoming high school winter sports season is moving along toward state tournament time. The high school wrestling championships are set for later this month, and the state basketball tournaments follow.

It is a great time for a sports fan to be able to enjoy the color and excitement that are part of prep sports championships. Casper is blessed with the opportunity to play host to the state wrestling and basketball culminating tournaments, and these events seem to be good fit here.

There are other cities in the state that would be very pleased to be able to host these tournaments. No one denies that the basketball and wrestling tournaments amount to a solid economic boost for any host community.

The annual report from the Casper Events Center bears that out. The report shows that the state wrestling tournament resulted in an Events Center profit of $27,221.42 last February.

That total topped the basketball tournaments. The state 1A, 2A tournament netted a total of $15,816.74, while the 3A, 4A event showed a profit of $17,363.79. And it should be pointed out that the basketball tournaments are held over a three-day period, while the wrestling championships are held for only two days.

These figures are impressive, but they represent only a fraction of the financial impact that big state tournaments mean to Casper. The attendance for these events amounts to a big boost to many local stores, hotels and eating places.

There has been some evidence that we have become a little complacent about keeping these tournament in Casper, but the “Proud to Host the Best” group is working diligently to insure that we don’t lose the right to play host to most of the state high school premier culminating events and that certainly includes the wrestling and basketball tournaments.

It’s good business for all concerned.

Now that February is here, can spring and a new baseball season be far behind? Let’s hope not. I was really hoping that by this time, our Casper baseball controversy might be resolved and could look forward with a unified situation for high school-age players.

The Casper American Legion Post and the folks who have been running the American Legion baseball program here have not reached agreement for the coming season. As it now stands, the Legion Post hopes to field an American Legion team, while the board that has worked to that end is planning on a separate Connie Mack program.

As the split continues, local interested players and their parents are being forced to make a decision as to which program offers more. At this point, it appears that the Connie Mack alternative is more popular than the Legion team.

At least that is the conclusion I am drawing when comparing the number of players who have signed up to play ball this coming season in Casper. There is still time for the split to be resolved and some agreement to be reached that would allow local players to compete in a unified program.

As winter turns into spring, let’s hope that the differences can be resolved and Casper can compete successfully in a unified program. With the new Field of Dreams becoming a reality, it would be a shame to see the high school-age players divided and not allowed to be part of a successful program.

Casper Youth Baseball is a great example of what can be done, and the players who graduate from that program should be able to further their baseball careers in a solid program that is competitive in Wyoming and surrounding states.

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