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Indoor Track Championship chosen as Best Collegiate, Multi-Sport event
By TRICITIES STAFF
www2.tricities.com
The Johnson City Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has been notified that the NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championship was chosen as “Best Collegiate Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event” by SportsTravel magazine.
The winning event was organized by the CVB, hosted by Milligan College and held at the ETSU Mini Dome on March 4-6, 2010.
“The general public may not be aware of how important sporting events like this are to our region’s economy,” says Brenda Whitson, CVB Executive Director. “The planning and pitching to bring these events here starts sometimes years before the actual event. But the pay-off is not only great exposure for our area, but in this case around three million dollars being brought into our economy through hotels stays, restaurant and shopping revenue.”
Whitson says the NAIA track event brought 109 collegiate teams and more than 3,000 athletes, coaches and fans from all over the United States and Canada to the area.
Ruth Stein, NAIA Championship Manager for Men’s and Women’s Track and Field, says “The NAIA is honored to be receiving this award and we could not ask for a better partner than Johnson City, Tennessee. Our 2010 Indoor National Championships blended the perfect ingredients needed for a first-class event; we had a well-organized host committee, an excited and engaged community that welcomed participants and fans, and some of the top athletes in college track and field competing for national titles. From the kickoff event keynoted by Olympic Coach Brooks Johnson, to awarding the very last national championship banner, it was an experience of a lifetime for everyone in attendance.”
This was the tenth year the event was held in Johnson City.
“Its always a good feeling to receive recognition, especially when so many people had a passion and worked hard to make this a special event,” says Chris Layne, Head Track Coach at Milligan College who also served as race director.
SportsTravel magazine announced the winners of the 2010 SportsTravel Awards at the TEAMS ’10 Conference & Expo on yesterday in Charlotte. TEAMS: Travel, Events And Management in Sports, is the world’s largest gathering of event organizers and travel planners from the sports industry.
The SportsTravel Award winners were nominated and voted upon by readers of SportsTravel, the sports world’s event magazine. Criteria for nomination and voting included:
- Superior organization of and attendance at the event
- The event provided a superior experience for competitors and/or spectators
- The event’s host city or venue served to enhance the event
Other category winners include the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, Super Bowl XLIV and the NCAA College World Series.
Johnson City beat out several other cities that hosted Multi-Sport College events including Columbus, Ohio, Lafayette, Indiana, and Gainesville, Florida.
“We are pleased to recognize these superior sporting events. Each of the winners is a prime example of achieving excellence in organization and management for both competitors and spectators,” said Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel magazine, which organizes the annual TEAMS Conference and Expo.