good news..

[sebastian]

did you guys hear? they decided to make it easy for everyone and put the spring fling in texas next year. that way we all have to do a little traveling. does anyone else feel like it should be moved back to chattanooga?

[wmsmphs]

We traveled from Memphis to Chattnooga for last three years. It is tough and to have to stay from Tuesday to Sunday is tough also. I am glad for my home city but State needs to eventually be in Middle Tenn. near I-40 for and consideration for family should be priority over $$$.

 

My piece

[TackerDad]

Great idea. Nashville really is the ideal choice geographically. All we need now is for Nashville to invest millions of dollars to build several new sports facilities (including a decent soccer complex) and then bid aggressively for the package 2 years from now.

 

(Don't hold your breath.)

[Seldon]

Nashville would be perfect for soccer. No team would have home field advantage in the finals.

 

OK, it was a joke, so don't you Middle Tennesseans get your panties in a wad.

[pinkrocker]

middle tennesseans wear panties when they play soccer? thats strange.

[sebastian]

i thought something looked wrong when we played people from nashville...

[b7mcconkey]

Having the Spring Fling in Memphis is a nightmare for most of the state, especially the eastern third, and it means almost every team participating has to travel some distance. Nashville would be ok, Murfreesboro would be ideal. Not the potential traffic problems Nashville has, large enough to host any event, plenty of motels and plenty of restaurants. Several decent fields already exist at the north end of the city next to the airport and with a little money and time could be as good or better than the fields in Memphis. Again, no home field advantage even for middle Tennessee teams since almost no matches are held there. If a larger venue is necessary for the finals, MTSU has a very good soccer field. Murfreesboro is large enough to host basketball, I would find it hard to believe any more folks would attend Spring Fling than attends the basketball tourney.

[wilsonbee]

good point mcconkey. i like your style. too bad the geneva didn't work out for ya. memphis needs to ask if they can not have spring shling there next year.

[wjr]

Having the Spring Fling in Memphis is a nightmare for most of the state, especially the eastern third, and it means almost every team participating has to travel some distance. Nashville would be ok, Murfreesboro would be ideal. Not the potential traffic problems Nashville has, large enough to host any event, plenty of motels and plenty of restaurants. Several decent fields already exist at the north end of the city next to the airport and with a little money and time could be as good or better than the fields in Memphis. Again, no home field advantage even for middle Tennessee teams since almost no matches are held there. If a larger venue is necessary for the finals, MTSU has a very good soccer field. Murfreesboro is large enough to host basketball, I would find it hard to believe any more folks would attend Spring Fling than attends the basketball tourney.

Free enterprise folks! If Spring Fling meant so much to the middle and east, why didn't their politicians and private business step up to the plate? Whine all you want. Memphis put together the most attractive package financially AND facilities wise while the other bidders just played lip service. From the Sports Authority to Nike and all points in between, it was a well organized event. I hope it stays in the West forever or at least until another area gets their act together (Nashville are you listening??).

[rickk5561]

Perfect point, wjr.

 

The older I get, it is amazing to me how politics and monetary influence overrule logic in EVERYTHING-from religion to athletics!!!!!! But for anyone to sit back and hide behind "free enterprise" and assume that since the Memphis folk "wined and dined" and "padded the pockets" of the TSSAA it is ok for people in Eastern Tennessee to risk life and limb (and spend big $$$$$'s) to travel to the banks of the Mississippi to participate in a "Tennessee" state championship or tournament is ludicrous!

 

From what I can gather, Chattanooga did an "adequate" job hosting the previous Spring Flings! I'm not saying that Memphis did not adequately host the tournament-BUT IF ANYONE BESIDES MEMPHIS, TRI-CITIES, OR KNOXVILLE HAS PUT TOGETHER ANY KIND OF "ADEQUATE" PACKAGE, THEY SHOULD BE GIVEN THE RIGHT TO HOST!

 

It would seem to me that if ANYONE in the Nashville or Murfreesboro area had any "get up and go" to them and put together anything like a reasonable package, they would be offered the right to host the spring tournaments. I will not hold my breath in hopes that the TSSAA would make a logical rather than an "influenced" decision though!

[wjr]

Perfect point, wjr.

 

The older I get, it is amazing to me how politics and monetary influence overrule logic in EVERYTHING-from religion to athletics!!!!!! But for anyone to sit back and hide behind "free enterprise" and assume that since the Memphis folk "wined and dined" and "padded the pockets" of the TSSAA it is ok for people in Eastern Tennessee to risk life and limb (and spend big $$$$$'s) to travel to the banks of the Mississippi to participate in a "Tennessee" state championship or tournament is ludicrous!

 

From what I can gather, Chattanooga did an "adequate" job hosting the previous Spring Flings! I'm not saying that Memphis did not adequately host the tournament-BUT IF ANYONE BESIDES MEMPHIS, TRI-CITIES, OR KNOXVILLE HAS PUT TOGETHER ANY KIND OF "ADEQUATE" PACKAGE, THEY SHOULD BE GIVEN THE RIGHT TO HOST!

 

It would seem to me that if ANYONE in the Nashville or Murfreesboro area had any "get up and go" to them and put together anything like a reasonable package, they would be offered the right to host the spring tournaments. I will not hold my breath in hopes that the TSSAA would make a logical rather than an "influenced" decision though!

No one is "hiding" behind free enterprise. It's simply one principle that drives our society. Trust me, having travelled to Chattanooga for many years, those of us in West TN have risked our share of "life and limb" too.

 

The point being made was simply to state the obvious..Nashville has the resources and surely they will have the desire to host this event in the future so that geography does not continue to be an issue.