COLUMBUS, Ind.–One of the biggest sporting events of the year for Columbus was the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) Great Lakes National Championship in July. Sports tourism director with the Columbus Visitors Center, Ike DeClue, says that the tournament brought a whopping $1.4 million to the area from the roughly 8,200 players, teams, and families that visited this past July. Unfortunately, the tourney has chosen another Indiana city for the games next year.
Two problems experienced by visitors were a shortage of hotel rooms and the rooms that were available were too expensive. Thus, the tournament decided to pull out of Columbus for 2019 and go to Evansville. According to DeClue, there is a plethora of lodging available in Evansville at rates that are roughly $60 less per night than Columbus. DeClue adds that teams would also be able to stay within Evansville proper, as opposed to scattering about Greenwood and counties surrounding Columbus/Bartholomew County.
The Columbus Parks and Recreation Department is currently working with USSSA personnel to book the same weekend in July 2019 with a youth baseball tournament.
DeClue offered that the fast-pitch tournament could very well return to Columbus in the future. The event’s organizer, Tim Foster, is a longtime Columbus resident and has an extremely good relationship with the city and will be bringing other tournaments to town.
In closing, DeClue says there will be major announcements in the coming weeks of additional competitions that are expected to make next year even more successful.
