Lady Warriors huddle in pre-game fashion before their appearance in the tournament.
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Rutherford County recently secured the TSSAA Girls and Boys State High School Basketball Tournaments for two more years.
The county beat out Chattanooga and Cookeville for the two-week event that puts some $3 million into the local economy, said Mona Herring, vice president Convention and Visitors Bureau, Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.
For many years, basketball has been a big part of March for Rutherford County, she said. The tournaments bring thousands of people into the area to shop, eat out and stay in area hotels. Most hotels — coupled with other events — are sold out for the two week tournament.
Rutherford County has hosted the state basketball championships at MTSU's Murphy Center for the girls continuously from 1975 until present and for the boys from 1975—1982 and again from 1989 until present.
"We are very excited to win the bid," said Chamber of Commerce President Paul Latture. "This event has been a consistent presence in Murfreesboro for decades and we are pleased to continue the tradition and showcase all that Rutherford County has to offer."
The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce made a bid of $325,000, per year, to the TSSAA Board of Control to host the event.
TSSAA dropped the initial minimum bid requirement and instructed all cities to present their best offer. The minimum bid previously set by TSSAA was $505,000.
In addition to the monetary bid, Rutherford County offered over $40,000 in in-kind donations from local businesses, including complimentary hotel rooms, restaurant meals, transportation, goody bags, bottled water and soft drinks. Rutherford County also committed to continue its "Adopt a Team" program that pairs local business people with teams to offer assistance while they are visiting our community.
Rutherford County also offered TSSAA all of the revenues from the sporting events above the minimum bid and minus expenses.
"We were up against some stiff competition against Cookeville", Herring said, who placed a bid of $425,000 to host the tournaments.
The Chamber of Commerce took a small delegation to the bid, including: Lattture and Herring; Faye Elam, chair of the Convention and Visitors Bureau; Lanny Goodwin, Director of Murfreesboro Parks & Recreation Department and vice-chair of the Convention and Visitors Bureau; Pam Little, Chamber of Commerce board member; and John Hood, Director of Community Engagement and Support for MTSU and former state representative.
Each member of the Rutherford County delegation spoke to the TSSAA Board of Control, citing the benefits of hosting the championships in Murfreesboro.
Latture commented on the community's strong working knowledge of the championships, longstanding relationship with TSSAA, and commitment to work with TSSAA staff to meet any challenges that occur during the event. Elam spoke about Murfreesboro's geographic location and the wide range of restaurants, hotels and shopping available to visitors. Goodwin pointed to the city's help with bus parking and traffic control, the county's directional sign program and the Chamber's adopter program as highlights of the Rutherford County bid package.
"For many years, coaches have referred to the state tournaments as the 'March to Murfreesboro' and we are extremely excited to continue that tradition," Herring said. "Every year, the community comes together to provide an enthusiastic welcome to the TSSAA Basketball Championships."
Herring said Rutherford County is very appreciative to receive the bid especially up against stiff competition.
"We think Murfreesboro is the best place for the tournament," she said. |
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