From Deseret News archives:
Tourney hits a home run
Girls fastpitch series is a boon to Park City
As the Premier Resorts Triple Crown Girls Fastpitch World Series finishes up the second week of the three-week tournament, the 275 teams of 10- to 18-year-old girls and their families and friends will pour roughly $7 million to $8 million into Park City's economy.
"Holding the tournament in a resort destination is probably a little difficult for some teams to attend, so some families make a vacation out of this," said Bill Malone, executive director for the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. "Once teams book their schedule, they book rafting trips or spend time at the resorts or mountain biking or riding the alpine slides."
Now in its fourth year at Park City, the event is the third-highest money maker in the city, behind the Sundance Film Festival and the Park City Kimball Arts Festival. As many as 50 additional family members travel with each team and stay for an average of 5 1/2 days, bringing roughly 10,000 additional visitors into the city.
Although grocery stores usually need to stock up on water bottles, licorice and sunflower seeds, spending is usually up across the board, Malone said.
"The one thing about kids' sports is not every parent makes the same amount of money," he said. "We see the cars with their windows painted with the names of their teams everywhere, from the Best Western to chateaus. We see them at all price levels."
Teams play on 14 softball diamonds: 12 in Summit County and two in Salt Lake County. Park City has a reputation of being a winter destination, Malone said, so hosting a summer sporting event is a "significant boost for business in July."
The tournaments last from July 11 to July 29, and teams travel from across the nation. Triple Crown is trying to attract international players, and this is the first year Canadian teams are playing.
Bill Pilcher, girls fastpitch director for Triple Crown, said Summit County is a great place to host the tournament, and he hopes to keep coming back. Triple Crown and the city recently signed a new four-year contract and want to continue the relationship, he said.
"The weather's great, the lodging's great, the restaurants are great," he said while watching a softball game in Big Cottonwood Park in Holladay on Thursday afternoon. "Just about anything they want to do, they can find between Salt Lake and Park City."
Park City, a resort town of 7,800 that is no stranger to tourists, opened Park City's Recreation Complex at Quinn's Junction in February with the softball tournament in mind. Next summer, four softball diamonds will open at the complex, and one field will have outdoor seating for 1,500.
"It's easy to get around from field to field, and the community welcomes them," Pilcher said. "It's a community that understands economic impact and understands having tourists in their city."
E-mail: astowell@desnews.com
