February 2, 2009 - Corpus Christi is Ready to Play Ball
Largest set of UIL Tournaments ever hosted in the city will kick off this month
The Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau is proud to host the UIL Region IV - 3A Boys' and Girls' Regional Basketball Tournaments and Spring Meet which include Golf, Tennis, Track, One-Act Play & Academics. The city can expect up to 6,000 spectators and participants during these events starting with the Region IV - 3A Girls Basketball Tournament on February 27th & 28th followed by the Boys Basketball Tournament March 6th & 7th. Golf, Tennis, One-Act Play, and Academics will all take place during April with Boys Track & Field in early May. "This is an undertaking that involves the cooperative efforts of a lot of great folks in the City of Corpus Christi. It is our charge to provide accomodations, judges, officials, site directors, plus top notch facilities for the competitors so they can perform at their peak and move on to the next level - the State Championships," says UIL Regional Director, Richard Avila. Citgo Corpus Christi Refinery has generously stepped forward to help underwrite many of the expenses to host the tournaments and events.
Major Youth and Amateur Sports are important contributors to our local economy by putting visitors in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, shopping in our stores, and experiencing our unique coastal attractions. According to Keith Arnold, CEO of the Corpus Christi CVB, "The additionas of exceptional sports facilities like the American Bank Center Arena, Whataburger Field and our natatorium combine very well with our diverse hotel/condo inventory, beaches, attractions, dining and shopping to offer a unique family destination that draws spectators and participants alike in large numbers to the Corpus Christi destination. Many families build their vacations around tournaments and sports events that involve their children. Even better for the tourism market here is the high number of youth and amateur sports events that take place in our offseason, increasing the net value of these new visitor dollars to our leisure and hospitality industry. This market is huge and growing with the help of TAMUCC, CCISD, the Hooks and many individuals like Richard Avila who are proud of their hometown and invite event planners and organizers to stage their activities in Corpus Christi."
Sporting Events have contributed over $12 million dollars into our economy over the last couple of years through the use of more than 29,500 hotel rooms. The UIL Regional events are expected to generate 1,000 room nights for the City of Corpus Christi this spring. |
