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Would you rather attend the 15th at the Expo or a high school gym?
#70
Here is a article that was in todays News Express that was about having the tourney at the Expo Center.


Expo perfect home for regional

THE VIEW FROM HERE

Jerry Boggs

There's no way the 15th Region Tournament should ever be held anywhere but the Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center.

Last week (and part of this week), the regional tourney took on an air that simply would not have been possible had the tournament been hosted by any of the eight schools that meet the self-imposed guidelines for being a host site.

Put yourself in the shoes of a 14-year-old high school sophomore making a first-ever trip to the regional tournament. Maybe your team isn't expected to advance beyond the opening round. Maybe you are fully aware that just getting to the regional is a major success for you and your team.


How much more special does it make that moment when you run out onto the floor in front of a throng of screaming fans to do so on a stage like that presented by the Expo Center? No disrespect to any of the local high schools, but the seasons biggest games should be played on the biggest stage.

That's why the State Sweet 16 is held every year at Rupp Arena.

Sure, money plays a big role in holding the state tourney at Rupp. The KHSAA rakes in a stunning amount money for late-tournament matchups when 20,000 or so basketball-crazy Kentuckians pack the place.

But from the standpoint of the players, coaches, managers, cheerleaders and parents, the environment presented by bringing 16 of the best teams in the state to one wonderful arena is what makes the experience unforgettable.

That's what placing the regional at the Exposition Center does for 15th Region Tournament. It turns a simple, eight-team, single-elimination tourney into a celebration of what is wonderful and beautiful about basketball.

 

OK, now that I've got the flowery March-Madness induced soliloquies about basketball over with, we can look at the brass tacks of having the regional at the Expo Center.

The bottom line is, every school in the region benefits, both financially and practically from not having to act as a host school.

In a conversation with Johnson Central athletic director Harry Burchett, I floated the thought that some schools might resist the idea of placing the tournament at a neutral site because the host schools do make a nice profit from their host fee, 15 percent of the overall tournament revenue.

But Burchett confided that the stress and added work load hosting a regional tourney puts on a school staff is not worth the money.

Having spent a lot of time at the last six 13th Region Tournaments, hosted by an array of schools including Cawood, Middlesboro, Bell County, Whitley County and Knox Central, I have seen just how exhausted the teachers and administrators are at the end of the tournament.

“Frankly, there's not a lot of learning done that week,” said Burchett.

That's reason enough to keep the regional tourney at the Expo Center.

Under the current agreement, each school in the region is guaranteed a sum of money exceeding the shares they received on average over the last four years.

After the guaranteed money, the Expo Center covered its costs, which included support staff, security, clean-up, ticket sales, ushers and vendors, and met its revenue expectations.

After meeting its expectations, the Expo Center and the schools split the gravy which remains in the profit pool. The winning school received a $1,000 check from title sponsor Community Trust Bank to cover expenses to travel to the state tournament. In the end, each school in the 15th Region will have more money coming back into its coffers than ever before due to the tournament being played at the Expo Center.



For the week, approximately 20,000 people paid to attend the games. They were treated to comebacks, blowouts, buzzer beaters and big plays.

The best dramas deserve to be played out on the best stage.
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Would you rather attend the 15th at the Expo or a high school gym? - by PHSFAN - 03-19-2006, 02:54 PM

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