Kreager: Spring Fling growth depends on facilities

MURFREESBORO — Bernard Childress doesn't have a crystal ball when asked how Spring Fling can get any bigger over the next 10 years.

However, the executive director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association knows if the Olympic-style event that features all five spring sport state tournaments is to grow it will need one thing — facilities.

"The only way we would look at adding teams is if the Board (of Control) said we're going to change classification and maybe add classes," Childress said. "Then you have to look at baseball and see if you can get two more ball fields.

"What we would not like to see happen is adding a class and then decrease the number of teams that are allowed to participate. I think this is a great atmosphere."

The talk a year ago was the possibility of more classifications being added to all sports. What resulted, though was a ninth class in football, fifth in soccer and fourth in track and field.

But three of the five spring sports — baseball, softball and tennis — weren't affected.

Childress believes it is important not to reduce the number of athletes that make it to Spring Fling. Currently, more than 4,400 compete among the five spring sport state tournaments each year, according to the TSSAA.

"If you think about it, there are many, many kids that were here (last) week that this is their high school experience in athletics," Childress said. "It is probably the last experience in athletics for a lot of them because all of them are not going to go to the next level and play."

The softball facilities used at the state tournament combined with the high school facilities could handle a sixth classification.

But baseball gets trickier with two sites being needed for an additional class. Currently, seven Rutherford County high schools and one Wilson County school hold the baseball state tournament until the championship games when they are played at MTSU.

If a class is added, the TSSAA could turn to Eagleville and Stewarts Creek to hold games if it wanted to stay in Rutherford County, or it could branch out to a surrounding site.

"Our Board struggled with reducing the number of teams this past year if we added a fourth (Division I) class," Childress said. "Where are we going to get two more facilities."

But what sport could be added to Spring Fling?

Childress believes boys and girls lacrosse — which is played in the spring — is the most likely candidate. He just doesn't know when the sport will grow enough to justify sanctioning it as a TSSAA sport.

"It could very well be," Childress said. "We continue to have conversations with the lacrosse community about the number of schools that have lacrosse. 

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"At some point when (the Board) feels the numbers are comfortable, that will probably be the next sport.

"If we were to get to that sport, that would be one that is added. The only other way we'd consider adding more teams is a change of classification."

Reach Tom Kreager at tkreager@tennessean.com and 615-259-8089 or on Twitter @Kreager.