Sports tourism provides significant benefits to Alachua County

Ricky Quintana
·3 min read

By any measure, the Florida High School Athletic Association’s 2022 Track and Field State Championships were a success. More than 10,000 people came to Gainesville for the event during a period of time when many Santa Fe College and University of Florida students are on break, providing an economic impact for our local businesses.

From May 11 to 14, the championships were held at Percy Beard Track at James Pressly Stadium on the UF campus. Each day, a different high school classification competed from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Alachua County students participated, with some winning individual championships and one, Connor Wetherington of Santa Fe High School, setting a state meet record in the javelin. In all, there were eight state meet records set over the course of four days of competition.

Santa Fe High School's Connor Wetherington throws the javelin during the FHSAA Class 2A State Championships held at Percy Beard Track on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville on May 12. Wetherington's throw of 61.00m won him first place and a state championship.
Santa Fe High School's Connor Wetherington throws the javelin during the FHSAA Class 2A State Championships held at Percy Beard Track on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville on May 12. Wetherington's throw of 61.00m won him first place and a state championship.

Spectator wise, the meet drew the following number of spectators, according to the FHSAA: 1,659 on Wednesday, May 11; 1,628 on Thursday, May 12; 2,033 on Friday, May 13; 2,656 on Saturday, May 14. Participant wise, the meet drew the following number of middle and high school participants on each day, according to the FHSAA: 862 from 148 boys’ and girls’ teams on May 11; 878 from 171 teams on May 12; 893 from 169 teams on May 13; 951 from 195 teams on May 14.

Each day required 50 volunteers to help with all the participants and spectators attending the meet, according to Gainesville Sports Commission Executive Director Joleen Cacciatore. More were needed, but these hard-working volunteers managed the event well.

Cacciatore and Gainesville Sports Commission Events Manager Emily Grissom should be applauded for landing this marquee event for Alachua County and the city of Gainesville. The last time the event was held in Gainesville was 2005 and, since then, efforts have been made to host the event again here in Gainesville.

Finally, those efforts were realized and the FHSAA Track and Field State Championships are scheduled to be held in Gainesville the next two years. Beyond that, a possible extension could be granted.

As Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut stated in her presentation on the Citizens Field renovation proposal and dignitaries stated at the topping-off ceremony for the Celebration Pointe event center, sports tourism will have a significant economic impact on county and municipalities within Alachua County, benefiting us all.

Construction is underway for what will be a sports event center at Celebration Pointe.
Construction is underway for what will be a sports event center at Celebration Pointe.

These events take many resources. Volunteers are needed as well as staff to man these events.

Visit Tallahassee and its sports tourism staff have an upper hand on Visit Gainesville in staffing and staging events that draw thousands of spectators to Leon County. As a webcaster for their events, I have witnessed a well-operated organization that stages first-class events that draw visitors from outside Leon County and Florida.

I hope that city and county commissioners and staff will allocate the resources to the Gainesville Sports Commission and offer assistance through their recreational parks and tourism departments to assist and staff future events, as Leon County does, so that the city and county can draw even more out-of-county visitors to first-class events.

And I hope that city and county residents will welcome and support these events by volunteering and attending these events. It celebrates Alachua County and the city of Gainesville and other Alachua County municipalities. And what better way to spend a day or evening watching youngsters compete at the highest level in phenomenal venues?

Ricky Quintana lives in Gainesville.

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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Ricky Quintana: Sports tourism deserves support in Alachua County