It lasted longer than The Doors, LeBron James’ career as a Cleveland Cavalier and “The Cosby Show.”
But after 11 straight years, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Softball Championships is leaving Decatur for the Gulf Coast.
Earlier this month, officials announced that Gulf Shores, in association with the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Commission and the University of Mobile, would host the 2011 and 2012 softball championships.
For Gulf Shores, the tournament means an economic boost to an area facing hardship in overcoming the oil spill and attracting tourists.
“Hosting an event such as this will allow Gulf Shores to demonstrate our city’s spirit and showcase our beautiful beach community to the rest of the nation,” said Grant Brown, Gulf Shores Director of Recreation and Cultural Affairs.
For Decatur, the tournament’s departure is a loss of more than $1 million.
According to Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau President Tami Reist, the 2009 NAIA Softball Championships generated an economic impact of $1.1 million and filled 1,965 hotel rooms.
What lured the championship away from Decatur? It could be the beaches, a new softball complex or the desire to give a new city a try.
“With the number of quality bids that came in this year, we felt confident that a change in venue and atmosphere would enhance the student-athlete’s experience,” NAIA Manager of Championship Sports Dennis Green said.
The NAIA left Decatur before but returned after two years. After Decatur hosted the 1996 and 1997 tournaments, the softball championship traveled to Tulsa, Okla., and Palm Beach County, Fla., before returning to the city for 11 straight years.
“We’ll try to get them back. I don’t believe they will ever go anywhere where the public service will be as good as we have here,” Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Dunlap said.
Of the 30 previous national championships, the Wilson Morgan Softball Complex hosted the event 13 times.
“We certainly are not turning our backs on Decatur, and we know they still have interest in hosting this great event in the years to come,” Green said.
Although Decatur lost the long-standing tournament, other city facilities are attracting new tournaments.
Last year, the NAIA named the Jack Allen Soccer Complex as the host for the 2009, 2010 and 2011 women’s soccer national championships. And last month, the Alabama High School Athletic Association designated the Jimmy Johns Tennis Center as a tennis championship site for the next three years.
Dunlap said running state-of-the-art facilities and providing top-notch public service were the keys to attracting and retaining tournaments.
At the Wilson Morgan complex, with no more room to expand, officials have focused on the quality of the fields.
“We’re pretty much land-locked and have done everything we can with the area so we are at the point of maintaining the fields to make sure they are good enough. And they have been good enough to host the NAIA tournament for 11 years,” Dunlap said.
For the 2011 and 2012 NAIA softball tournament, the 25-year-old Wilson Morgan complex competed against the one-year-old Gulf Shores complex.
Since opening last year, the Gulf Shores softball complex, which features five diamonds, hosted the AHSAA softball regional and the United States Specialty Sports Association World Series.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Soccer dream comes true
Officials want more out of Jack Allen
By Catherine Godbey, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
It happens every four years. Fans from around the world converge in one city for one sport and one event. For 90 minutes, the fans, their painted faces displaying their loyalty, watch intently, every goal producing joy and every penalty, anguish.
It is the World Cup, the premier tournament for the most popular sport in many countries, but not the United States.
In America, soccer lags behind football, baseball, basketball and auto racing.
But in Decatur, 8,000 miles away from South Africa, the sea of painted faces and buzzing vuvuzelas, the sport is growing.
The World Cup gave soccer a boost nationally, as televisions in offices, homes and bars across the country tuned to the sport the world calls football.
Decatur, officials said, received an extra jolt, one five years in the making.
In 2005, the city built the 10-field Jack Allen Soccer Complex as a resource for the community and a revenue generator for the city.
“Our goal was to get to the point where we could pick and choose what tournaments came,” said Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Dunlap. “We built a first-class, state-of-the-art facility, so there was no doubt in my mind tournaments would come. It was just a matter of how fast it would happen. I thought it would take eight years.”
The facility is three years ahead of Dunlap’s schedule.
“We are at the point where we are having to turn people away,” Dunlap said. “We cannot meet the demand of the tournaments and travel teams.”
“There are people from all over the Southeast wanting to come use the field,” said Parks and Recreation Board member Patrick Hillis. “We’re the Joneses, and everyone is trying to keep up with us.”
The quality of the fields combined with a stream of tournaments translates to money.
Since opening, the soccer complex has generated more than $5 million in economic impact from state, regional and international tournaments. And more are coming. Earlier this year, the city secured hosting duties for the 2010 and 2011 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics women’s championship, the 2010 to 2012 Alabama Youth Soccer Association State and Governor Cups, and the 2011 President’s Cup.
When Decatur previously hosted the President’s Cup, teams, fans and families filled 1,057 hotel room nights, said Tami Reist, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
While the facility is gaining attention from tournament officials, it also has caught the eye of potential rivals.
“What we are doing here is getting attention,” Hillis said. “There is a new complex going in at Liberty Park in Vestavia that has 10 fields. People are jealous of what we have.”
Although considered one of the top soccer complexes in the Southeast, Parks and Recreation wants more.
Bigger is better
Officials envision more fields, a playground and splash pad, locker rooms and a recreation center.
“At the top of our list is fields. We need more fields. We have a shortage of fields right now with the Decatur Youth Soccer Association, club soccer and the tournaments,” Dunlap said.
River City United President DeLayne Dean said participation in club soccer continues to grow with 19 teams confirmed for the 2010 season.
“We look to have 230 to 250 in the River City Club, another 300 in the recreational program and 20 to 30 in the Hispanic youth team,” Dean said. “While the numbers have not increased by huge amounts, the areas where we are drawing players has increased.”
The soccer complex is luring players from Athens, Cullman, Guntersville, Arab, Huntsville and Madison to Decatur clubs.
While adding two fields would cost $2 million, they would meet an increased need and expand tournament capacity by 15 percent. The extra room, officials said, could attract extra tournaments.
And Dunlap has his eye on two specific tournaments, the Alabama high school state championship, currently held in Huntsville, and the SEC championship, now held in Orange Beach.
Hosting the tournaments would add to what leaders define as an already-accomplished résumé. In the past five years, the Jack Allen Soccer Complex has hosted international competitions, featuring the Mexico and Argentina women’s teams, Olympic development programs and college squads including Alabama, Ole Miss, Duke, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State.
By Catherine Godbey, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
It happens every four years. Fans from around the world converge in one city for one sport and one event. For 90 minutes, the fans, their painted faces displaying their loyalty, watch intently, every goal producing joy and every penalty, anguish.
It is the World Cup, the premier tournament for the most popular sport in many countries, but not the United States.
In America, soccer lags behind football, baseball, basketball and auto racing.
But in Decatur, 8,000 miles away from South Africa, the sea of painted faces and buzzing vuvuzelas, the sport is growing.
The World Cup gave soccer a boost nationally, as televisions in offices, homes and bars across the country tuned to the sport the world calls football.
Decatur, officials said, received an extra jolt, one five years in the making.
In 2005, the city built the 10-field Jack Allen Soccer Complex as a resource for the community and a revenue generator for the city.
“Our goal was to get to the point where we could pick and choose what tournaments came,” said Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Dunlap. “We built a first-class, state-of-the-art facility, so there was no doubt in my mind tournaments would come. It was just a matter of how fast it would happen. I thought it would take eight years.”
The facility is three years ahead of Dunlap’s schedule.
“We are at the point where we are having to turn people away,” Dunlap said. “We cannot meet the demand of the tournaments and travel teams.”
“There are people from all over the Southeast wanting to come use the field,” said Parks and Recreation Board member Patrick Hillis. “We’re the Joneses, and everyone is trying to keep up with us.”
The quality of the fields combined with a stream of tournaments translates to money.
Since opening, the soccer complex has generated more than $5 million in economic impact from state, regional and international tournaments. And more are coming. Earlier this year, the city secured hosting duties for the 2010 and 2011 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics women’s championship, the 2010 to 2012 Alabama Youth Soccer Association State and Governor Cups, and the 2011 President’s Cup.
When Decatur previously hosted the President’s Cup, teams, fans and families filled 1,057 hotel room nights, said Tami Reist, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
While the facility is gaining attention from tournament officials, it also has caught the eye of potential rivals.
“What we are doing here is getting attention,” Hillis said. “There is a new complex going in at Liberty Park in Vestavia that has 10 fields. People are jealous of what we have.”
Although considered one of the top soccer complexes in the Southeast, Parks and Recreation wants more.
Bigger is better
Officials envision more fields, a playground and splash pad, locker rooms and a recreation center.
“At the top of our list is fields. We need more fields. We have a shortage of fields right now with the Decatur Youth Soccer Association, club soccer and the tournaments,” Dunlap said.
River City United President DeLayne Dean said participation in club soccer continues to grow with 19 teams confirmed for the 2010 season.
“We look to have 230 to 250 in the River City Club, another 300 in the recreational program and 20 to 30 in the Hispanic youth team,” Dean said. “While the numbers have not increased by huge amounts, the areas where we are drawing players has increased.”
The soccer complex is luring players from Athens, Cullman, Guntersville, Arab, Huntsville and Madison to Decatur clubs.
While adding two fields would cost $2 million, they would meet an increased need and expand tournament capacity by 15 percent. The extra room, officials said, could attract extra tournaments.
And Dunlap has his eye on two specific tournaments, the Alabama high school state championship, currently held in Huntsville, and the SEC championship, now held in Orange Beach.
Hosting the tournaments would add to what leaders define as an already-accomplished résumé. In the past five years, the Jack Allen Soccer Complex has hosted international competitions, featuring the Mexico and Argentina women’s teams, Olympic development programs and college squads including Alabama, Ole Miss, Duke, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Lawrence delays schools' start
Board pushes start date back to Aug. 19 in nod to legislator
By Bayne Hughes, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
At the request of a high-ranking state legislator, the Lawrence County school board voted Tuesday to push the start of the 2010-11 school year back eight class days.
But superintendents of neighboring school systems said Wednesday they do not plan to follow Lawrence County’s lead.
Lawrence County will start Aug. 19, instead of Aug. 9 as planned.
Lawrence Superintendent Heath Grimes recommended a new calendar that eliminates four of the five days from the fall break. It also adds four school days to the end of the school year, stretching classes to June 3.
Grimes estimated Wednesday the move could save his school system about $24,000 in utility costs.
State Rep. Richard Lindsey, D-Centre, chairman of the House Education, Finance and Appropriations committee, sent an e-mail June 24 to selected superintendents asking them to consider delaying the start of school because of the Gulf oil disaster’s impact on the state’s tax revenues.
Lindsey writes that he wants to push the school year back two weeks so the public education budget can benefit from a $260 million increase in revenue from the travel and tourism industry because there would be time for more vacations in August.
Exploitation
Decatur Superintendent Sam Houston called Lindsey’s use of the oil disaster to promote the tourism industry “pure exploitation of a very tragic situation.”
Lindsey and the tourism industry have been trying for at least five years to pass a state law that mandates the school year start later in the summer.
Hartselle Superintendent Mike Reed and Limestone County Superintendent Barry Carroll said it’s too late to change their school calendars. Morgan County Superintendent Bob Balch said he wasn’t aware of the letter, but would forward it to his school board if he receives a request from Lindsey.
All four school systems do not have a weeklong fall break to eliminate as Lawrence County did.
Carroll, Reed and Houston favor keeping the school calendar as a local decision. Most local school boards form calendar committees and let school system employees vote on multiple calendar options.
Houston said he doesn’t see how changing the start and finish dates of the school year would generate more tax revenues. He said holding a fall break generates revenues at a time when tourism is usually slow.
“This whole thing is being push by folks in industry who want the cheap labor in the summer months,” Houston said.
Carroll and Houston said they don’t see the utility savings either because June can be as hot as August. Grimes said his saving estimate comes from looking at the starting and ending months of the school year.
“June was one of the hottest on record,” Carroll said. “I’ve seen no data that show we would save that kind of money.”
Grimes said many educators like the fall break because it gives them a mid-semester break, but there’s also the negative that the break comes just as everyone is getting into a routine.
Houston said one reason he starts the school year on Aug. 9 is to get as many instructional days as possible in before spring standardized testing begins. He said most prefer to end the school year before Memorial Day.
Lindsey said in his letter that he will try again next year to pass legislation setting a state-mandated start day for the 2011-12 school year.
2010-11 Lawrence County School Calendar (7 Period)
Late Start/Institute Labor Day
August 17
Teacher In-service
August 18
Teacher Workday
August 19
First 9 Weeks Begins
September 6
Labor Day Holiday
September 7
Teacher Institute / Faculty Meeting
September 20-24
Graduation Exams
October 11
Professional Development Day
October 22
First 9 Weeks Ends (44 days)
October 25
Parent/Teacher Conference
October 26
Second 9 Weeks Begins
November 11
Veteran's Day
November 24-26
Thanksgiving Holidays
December 6-10
Graduation Exams
December 21
Last Day before Christmas Break
December 22-January 2
Christmas Holidays
January 3
Begin School after Christmas
January 13
Second 9 Weeks Ends (46 days)
January 14
Teacher Workday
January 17
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
January 18
Third 9 Weeks Begins
February 21
Teacher In-service/Flex Day
February 16-22
Writing Assessment
February 28-March 4
Graduation Exams
March 7
Weather Day
March 18
Third 9 Weeks Ends (43 days)
March 21
Fourth 9 Weeks Begins
March 21-April 1
SAT & ARMT Window
April 11-15
Spring Break
April 22
Good Friday
May 30
Memorial Day
May 31-June 3
Exams
June 3
Fourth 9 Weeks Ends (47 days)
1st 9 Weeks
August 16 - October 22
44 days
2nd 9 Weeks
October 26 - January 18
46 days
3rd 9 Weeks
January 18 - March 18
43 days
4th 9 Weeks
March 21 - June 2
47 days
TOTAL
180 days
First Semester
90 days
Second Semester
90 days
By Bayne Hughes, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
At the request of a high-ranking state legislator, the Lawrence County school board voted Tuesday to push the start of the 2010-11 school year back eight class days.
But superintendents of neighboring school systems said Wednesday they do not plan to follow Lawrence County’s lead.
Lawrence County will start Aug. 19, instead of Aug. 9 as planned.
Lawrence Superintendent Heath Grimes recommended a new calendar that eliminates four of the five days from the fall break. It also adds four school days to the end of the school year, stretching classes to June 3.
Grimes estimated Wednesday the move could save his school system about $24,000 in utility costs.
State Rep. Richard Lindsey, D-Centre, chairman of the House Education, Finance and Appropriations committee, sent an e-mail June 24 to selected superintendents asking them to consider delaying the start of school because of the Gulf oil disaster’s impact on the state’s tax revenues.
Lindsey writes that he wants to push the school year back two weeks so the public education budget can benefit from a $260 million increase in revenue from the travel and tourism industry because there would be time for more vacations in August.
Exploitation
Decatur Superintendent Sam Houston called Lindsey’s use of the oil disaster to promote the tourism industry “pure exploitation of a very tragic situation.”
Lindsey and the tourism industry have been trying for at least five years to pass a state law that mandates the school year start later in the summer.
Hartselle Superintendent Mike Reed and Limestone County Superintendent Barry Carroll said it’s too late to change their school calendars. Morgan County Superintendent Bob Balch said he wasn’t aware of the letter, but would forward it to his school board if he receives a request from Lindsey.
All four school systems do not have a weeklong fall break to eliminate as Lawrence County did.
Carroll, Reed and Houston favor keeping the school calendar as a local decision. Most local school boards form calendar committees and let school system employees vote on multiple calendar options.
Houston said he doesn’t see how changing the start and finish dates of the school year would generate more tax revenues. He said holding a fall break generates revenues at a time when tourism is usually slow.
“This whole thing is being push by folks in industry who want the cheap labor in the summer months,” Houston said.
Carroll and Houston said they don’t see the utility savings either because June can be as hot as August. Grimes said his saving estimate comes from looking at the starting and ending months of the school year.
“June was one of the hottest on record,” Carroll said. “I’ve seen no data that show we would save that kind of money.”
Grimes said many educators like the fall break because it gives them a mid-semester break, but there’s also the negative that the break comes just as everyone is getting into a routine.
Houston said one reason he starts the school year on Aug. 9 is to get as many instructional days as possible in before spring standardized testing begins. He said most prefer to end the school year before Memorial Day.
Lindsey said in his letter that he will try again next year to pass legislation setting a state-mandated start day for the 2011-12 school year.
2010-11 Lawrence County School Calendar (7 Period)
Late Start/Institute Labor Day
August 17
Teacher In-service
August 18
Teacher Workday
August 19
First 9 Weeks Begins
September 6
Labor Day Holiday
September 7
Teacher Institute / Faculty Meeting
September 20-24
Graduation Exams
October 11
Professional Development Day
October 22
First 9 Weeks Ends (44 days)
October 25
Parent/Teacher Conference
October 26
Second 9 Weeks Begins
November 11
Veteran's Day
November 24-26
Thanksgiving Holidays
December 6-10
Graduation Exams
December 21
Last Day before Christmas Break
December 22-January 2
Christmas Holidays
January 3
Begin School after Christmas
January 13
Second 9 Weeks Ends (46 days)
January 14
Teacher Workday
January 17
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
January 18
Third 9 Weeks Begins
February 21
Teacher In-service/Flex Day
February 16-22
Writing Assessment
February 28-March 4
Graduation Exams
March 7
Weather Day
March 18
Third 9 Weeks Ends (43 days)
March 21
Fourth 9 Weeks Begins
March 21-April 1
SAT & ARMT Window
April 11-15
Spring Break
April 22
Good Friday
May 30
Memorial Day
May 31-June 3
Exams
June 3
Fourth 9 Weeks Ends (47 days)
1st 9 Weeks
August 16 - October 22
44 days
2nd 9 Weeks
October 26 - January 18
46 days
3rd 9 Weeks
January 18 - March 18
43 days
4th 9 Weeks
March 21 - June 2
47 days
TOTAL
180 days
First Semester
90 days
Second Semester
90 days
Monday, July 5, 2010
Ghana soccer visit a coup for Decatur
editorial, The Decatur Daily
Decatur enjoyed another coup last week when a youth soccer team from Ghana chose the city as the site of a three-week training session.
Ghana’s under-17 women’s soccer team will train at Jack Allen Recreation Complex from Aug. 7 to Sept. 1.
The team, known as the Black Maidens, will travel 6,500 miles to reach Decatur. The group will include 21 players and 14 coaches. The team, which qualified for the World Cup in 2008, will be training for another World Cup.
Ghana’s choice of Decatur is a major endorsement of our world-class soccer fields. In addition to the favorable publicity, Decatur will enjoy an economic impact of $300,000 from the visit.
Decatur was one of only four sites recommended to the team by a U.S. soccer coach. Lower costs and a climate similar to the Trinidad-Tobago climate where the World Cup takes place put Decatur on top.
Kayla Riggs, special events director for the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, was instrumental in attracting the team. The bureau’s success should come as no surprise. Under the leadership of President Tami Reist, it has been remarkably successful in attracting major sporting events to the county.
The event also is a reminder that city expenditures can bring major returns. Like Ingalls Harbor, Jack Allen Recreation Complex manages to bring in tourism dollars while improving the quality of life for local residents.
Decatur enjoyed another coup last week when a youth soccer team from Ghana chose the city as the site of a three-week training session.
Ghana’s under-17 women’s soccer team will train at Jack Allen Recreation Complex from Aug. 7 to Sept. 1.
The team, known as the Black Maidens, will travel 6,500 miles to reach Decatur. The group will include 21 players and 14 coaches. The team, which qualified for the World Cup in 2008, will be training for another World Cup.
Ghana’s choice of Decatur is a major endorsement of our world-class soccer fields. In addition to the favorable publicity, Decatur will enjoy an economic impact of $300,000 from the visit.
Decatur was one of only four sites recommended to the team by a U.S. soccer coach. Lower costs and a climate similar to the Trinidad-Tobago climate where the World Cup takes place put Decatur on top.
Kayla Riggs, special events director for the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, was instrumental in attracting the team. The bureau’s success should come as no surprise. Under the leadership of President Tami Reist, it has been remarkably successful in attracting major sporting events to the county.
The event also is a reminder that city expenditures can bring major returns. Like Ingalls Harbor, Jack Allen Recreation Complex manages to bring in tourism dollars while improving the quality of life for local residents.
Annual run honors woman who battles cancer
Wendy Lang Beck, Columnist, The Decatur Daily
Running on
Brooke Hill was a young, vibrant wife and mother of two precious young girls when her life was cut short by ovarian cancer. Each year events are held in memory of Hill to raise awareness for the disease, to raise funds for ovarian cancer research, and to keep her spirit alive.
This year the annual Brooke Hill Run for Awareness will be Aug.14. If you are a runner, this 5K and 1-mile fun run is for you. Sponsored by the River City Runners, this year’s event will utilize a chip timing system to score the races. Pre-registration forms can be downloaded from www.rivercityrunners.org or you can obtain them by contacting Jon Elmore at 351-7426. Forms need to be postmarked no later than Aug. 11 and pre-registration packets may be picked up on Friday prior to the race at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center on Church Street.
Other event sponsors include Pepsi of Decatur, Whimsy Blobs, Apple Lane Farms, Kroger, McWhorter Communications, Fleet Feet of Huntsville and the Carnegie. The run will begin near the Carnegie as it weaves its path through Old Decatur and ends at the Old State Bank. Mark it down and sign up today. Make a difference!
Running on
Brooke Hill was a young, vibrant wife and mother of two precious young girls when her life was cut short by ovarian cancer. Each year events are held in memory of Hill to raise awareness for the disease, to raise funds for ovarian cancer research, and to keep her spirit alive.
This year the annual Brooke Hill Run for Awareness will be Aug.14. If you are a runner, this 5K and 1-mile fun run is for you. Sponsored by the River City Runners, this year’s event will utilize a chip timing system to score the races. Pre-registration forms can be downloaded from www.rivercityrunners.org or you can obtain them by contacting Jon Elmore at 351-7426. Forms need to be postmarked no later than Aug. 11 and pre-registration packets may be picked up on Friday prior to the race at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center on Church Street.
Other event sponsors include Pepsi of Decatur, Whimsy Blobs, Apple Lane Farms, Kroger, McWhorter Communications, Fleet Feet of Huntsville and the Carnegie. The run will begin near the Carnegie as it weaves its path through Old Decatur and ends at the Old State Bank. Mark it down and sign up today. Make a difference!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Ghana Under-17 soccer team to train in Decatur
By Paul Huggins, Staff Writer, The Decatur Daily
The nation that knocked the United States out of the FIFA World Cup last week will send one of its youth teams to train in Decatur for three weeks in August.
The Under-17 Ghana women’s team will use the Jack Allen Recreation Complex from Aug. 7 to Sept. 1 in preparation for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad-Tobago during September.
Getting the Ghana national soccer team was a collaborative effort between Kayla Riggs, special events director for the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics officials, said Tami Reist, bureau president.
“Her persistence should lead to an economic impact of over $300,000 for Decatur and Morgan County and further elevate the Jack Allen Recreational Complex as a world-class facility,” Reist said.
Ghana will travel 6,500 miles to Decatur, bringing 21 players and 14 coaches. The team, known as the Black Maidens, qualified for the inaugural U-17 World Cup in 2008 but failed to get past the opening round. It will be one of 14 teams in Trinidad-Tobago.
It’s common for a national team to train outside its borders when preparing for international competition, said Kurt Melcher, Robert Morris University women’s soccer head coach, who assists the Ghana team and recommended Decatur as a practice site. He said he also recommended the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and Empire United Soccer Academy in Syracuse, N.Y.
Ghana coach Alex Asante wanted to train in a humid climate similar to the Caribbean island nation, and Decatur was one of three facilities that met that requirement as well as being affordable, available and high quality, Melcher said.
“They were looking for a quality field, and I know that championship field is immaculate,” he said, noting his NAIA school played at Jack Allen. “And they’ll be a big fish in a small pond, and I think they’ll appreciate some of the media attention and youth attention.”
Riggs said getting a national team to stay in Decatur for three weeks is a happy accident that grew from a November brainstorming session with Lori Boger, the bureau’s group sales director, about how to get NAIA teams competing in the national championship to return. Their plan was a Fall Preview, in which the city would allow NAIA soccer teams free use of Jack Allen for a game in exchange for spending the night in a Decatur hotel.
The NAIA sent that invitation to its participating schools. William Carey College and Lindsey Wilson University are two teams that accepted the offer. Then Melcher inquired whether the same offer would apply to a long-term visit.
“It was just a shot in the dark that led to something greater than we ever imagined,” Riggs said. “And it never would have happened if we hadn’t have hosted NAIA soccer.”
Ghana is not the first national team to play at Jack Allen’s 10 international size, lighted soccer fields with laser-graded turf. The soccer complex was host to exhibition matches between the Mexican women’s national team and Duke University in 2006 and Mexico and Argentina 2007.
The nation that knocked the United States out of the FIFA World Cup last week will send one of its youth teams to train in Decatur for three weeks in August.
The Under-17 Ghana women’s team will use the Jack Allen Recreation Complex from Aug. 7 to Sept. 1 in preparation for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Trinidad-Tobago during September.
Getting the Ghana national soccer team was a collaborative effort between Kayla Riggs, special events director for the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics officials, said Tami Reist, bureau president.
“Her persistence should lead to an economic impact of over $300,000 for Decatur and Morgan County and further elevate the Jack Allen Recreational Complex as a world-class facility,” Reist said.
Ghana will travel 6,500 miles to Decatur, bringing 21 players and 14 coaches. The team, known as the Black Maidens, qualified for the inaugural U-17 World Cup in 2008 but failed to get past the opening round. It will be one of 14 teams in Trinidad-Tobago.
It’s common for a national team to train outside its borders when preparing for international competition, said Kurt Melcher, Robert Morris University women’s soccer head coach, who assists the Ghana team and recommended Decatur as a practice site. He said he also recommended the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and Empire United Soccer Academy in Syracuse, N.Y.
Ghana coach Alex Asante wanted to train in a humid climate similar to the Caribbean island nation, and Decatur was one of three facilities that met that requirement as well as being affordable, available and high quality, Melcher said.
“They were looking for a quality field, and I know that championship field is immaculate,” he said, noting his NAIA school played at Jack Allen. “And they’ll be a big fish in a small pond, and I think they’ll appreciate some of the media attention and youth attention.”
Riggs said getting a national team to stay in Decatur for three weeks is a happy accident that grew from a November brainstorming session with Lori Boger, the bureau’s group sales director, about how to get NAIA teams competing in the national championship to return. Their plan was a Fall Preview, in which the city would allow NAIA soccer teams free use of Jack Allen for a game in exchange for spending the night in a Decatur hotel.
The NAIA sent that invitation to its participating schools. William Carey College and Lindsey Wilson University are two teams that accepted the offer. Then Melcher inquired whether the same offer would apply to a long-term visit.
“It was just a shot in the dark that led to something greater than we ever imagined,” Riggs said. “And it never would have happened if we hadn’t have hosted NAIA soccer.”
Ghana is not the first national team to play at Jack Allen’s 10 international size, lighted soccer fields with laser-graded turf. The soccer complex was host to exhibition matches between the Mexican women’s national team and Duke University in 2006 and Mexico and Argentina 2007.
Parks credited with establishing Ingalls
By Paul Stackhouse, Sports Writer, The Decatur Daily
As a child, David Parks knew he wanted to call Decatur home. His wish came true in August 1955, when he was only 11.
Not only was it a good move for Parks, it was a great move for Decatur.
Last summer, the city named the boat launch at Ingalls Harbor in Parks’ honor.
Tami Reist, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, credited Parks with spearheading the effort to build the boat launch.
“David was sitting on our board back then, and he was instrumental in getting the board to bring up the venue for Decatur that is now Ingalls Harbor,” she said. “He put a lot of hard work into it. He knew who to call and who to bring in, and he put everything on the table. Last year, David wasn’t on the board anymore, but a member brought up the idea to name the launch after him. We all agreed. Because of David, we now have one of the finest harbors in the Southeast, if not the U.S.”
Ingalls Harbor has been the site for several fishing tournaments, including Bassmasters and FLW. But that’s just the beginning. Riverfest, the Decatur/Morgan County Alabama Wild Game Cookoff and a long list of smaller bass and crappie tournaments look to Ingalls to host their events. And you can’t forget the locals who use the facility regularly.
Some of the biggest names in bass fishing have praised Ingalls Harbor.
They can’t believe the 10-boat launch ramp and all the docking facilities where tournament anglers can park and weigh their fish without having to rush to load
up.
Big-name fishermen such as Kevin VanDam and Skeet Reese have spoken highly of the harbor.
“When I was 11, we came to Decatur for a visit,” Parks said. “As we approached Decatur from Huntsville on old Highway 20, and I could first see all the water, my first words were, ‘Look at all that water. Please, Daddy, let’s move here.’ ”
When asked about how his name became part of Ingalls Harbor, Parks didn’t have to think too long.
“I really don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t ask for the boat launch area at Ingalls to be named after me. I have asked about that, but nobody will tell me whose idea it was or how it came about.
“I would like to quickly add that I am very proud of Ingalls Harbor and being part of the team that brought it from idea to reality. To have your name associated with Ingalls is very humbling and proud at the same time.”
Parks pointed out the importance of Ingalls Harbor to our area.
“It’s very important to us,” he said. “A good, safe access to the river was in short supply before Ingalls. Now our boaters have the best facility that I know of anywhere. Many of the tournament people say it is the best facility they visit.
“The best part is the facility cost the local folks almost nothing. The debt on the facility is covered by the $2 a night motel or hotel room tax. Tournaments and visitors using the facility are generating an economic impact that is hard to calculate it is so big and far reaching. ...
“Ingalls will pay for itself many times over.”
Not only did Parks have the drive to bring such a facility to Decatur, he also uses it. He enjoys fishing in some of the big-name bass tournaments, but he only casts on the non-boater, amateur side.
“I’ve thought about going pro, but never seriously,” he said. “When you fish on the pro side, it becomes a job — a good job, but still a job. I don’t want the demands and schedules of a job in my favorite pastime. I will stay an amateur. That’s where I want to be.”
When asked what he gets out of fishing, he doesn’t hesitate to answer.
“Everything! Fishing can be relaxing, and it can also give you a big adrenaline rush when catching a big one or when you are competing for a top spot in a big tournament,” he said. “Fishing puts you close to nature, and I like that. I have enjoyed more sunrises than most, and I have had many experiences with nature. One such experience is something I’ll never forget. One morning I noticed a fox easing through the woods. I cast a plastic worm out in front of it. I shook the worm and the fox put a great sneak on the worm. Just as the fox was ready to pounce, I pulled the worm into the water. The fox was so excited it followed out into the water. I can still see the look on that fox’s face when I said, “Boo!’ ”
As a child, David Parks knew he wanted to call Decatur home. His wish came true in August 1955, when he was only 11.
Not only was it a good move for Parks, it was a great move for Decatur.
Last summer, the city named the boat launch at Ingalls Harbor in Parks’ honor.
Tami Reist, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, credited Parks with spearheading the effort to build the boat launch.
“David was sitting on our board back then, and he was instrumental in getting the board to bring up the venue for Decatur that is now Ingalls Harbor,” she said. “He put a lot of hard work into it. He knew who to call and who to bring in, and he put everything on the table. Last year, David wasn’t on the board anymore, but a member brought up the idea to name the launch after him. We all agreed. Because of David, we now have one of the finest harbors in the Southeast, if not the U.S.”
Ingalls Harbor has been the site for several fishing tournaments, including Bassmasters and FLW. But that’s just the beginning. Riverfest, the Decatur/Morgan County Alabama Wild Game Cookoff and a long list of smaller bass and crappie tournaments look to Ingalls to host their events. And you can’t forget the locals who use the facility regularly.
Some of the biggest names in bass fishing have praised Ingalls Harbor.
They can’t believe the 10-boat launch ramp and all the docking facilities where tournament anglers can park and weigh their fish without having to rush to load
up.
Big-name fishermen such as Kevin VanDam and Skeet Reese have spoken highly of the harbor.
“When I was 11, we came to Decatur for a visit,” Parks said. “As we approached Decatur from Huntsville on old Highway 20, and I could first see all the water, my first words were, ‘Look at all that water. Please, Daddy, let’s move here.’ ”
When asked about how his name became part of Ingalls Harbor, Parks didn’t have to think too long.
“I really don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t ask for the boat launch area at Ingalls to be named after me. I have asked about that, but nobody will tell me whose idea it was or how it came about.
“I would like to quickly add that I am very proud of Ingalls Harbor and being part of the team that brought it from idea to reality. To have your name associated with Ingalls is very humbling and proud at the same time.”
Parks pointed out the importance of Ingalls Harbor to our area.
“It’s very important to us,” he said. “A good, safe access to the river was in short supply before Ingalls. Now our boaters have the best facility that I know of anywhere. Many of the tournament people say it is the best facility they visit.
“The best part is the facility cost the local folks almost nothing. The debt on the facility is covered by the $2 a night motel or hotel room tax. Tournaments and visitors using the facility are generating an economic impact that is hard to calculate it is so big and far reaching. ...
“Ingalls will pay for itself many times over.”
Not only did Parks have the drive to bring such a facility to Decatur, he also uses it. He enjoys fishing in some of the big-name bass tournaments, but he only casts on the non-boater, amateur side.
“I’ve thought about going pro, but never seriously,” he said. “When you fish on the pro side, it becomes a job — a good job, but still a job. I don’t want the demands and schedules of a job in my favorite pastime. I will stay an amateur. That’s where I want to be.”
When asked what he gets out of fishing, he doesn’t hesitate to answer.
“Everything! Fishing can be relaxing, and it can also give you a big adrenaline rush when catching a big one or when you are competing for a top spot in a big tournament,” he said. “Fishing puts you close to nature, and I like that. I have enjoyed more sunrises than most, and I have had many experiences with nature. One such experience is something I’ll never forget. One morning I noticed a fox easing through the woods. I cast a plastic worm out in front of it. I shook the worm and the fox put a great sneak on the worm. Just as the fox was ready to pounce, I pulled the worm into the water. The fox was so excited it followed out into the water. I can still see the look on that fox’s face when I said, “Boo!’ ”
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