NEWSLINE STORY

published May-June 2016

 

2018 World Tournament Bid City Reports

 

The Council is pleased to announce three sites that will be bidding to host the 2018 World Tournament. These sites include:  El Paso, TX, Florence SC, and Shreveport –Bossier, LA. Dave Sidles, Tina Hawkins and Bill Marvin performed site visits.

 

El Paso, Texas

by Bill Marvin, 5th Vice President and Regional Director and Court Sanctioning Director

 

The facilities required to hold the NHPA World Tournament are always an important consideration when the delegates vote on where it will be held.  Bidders must meet basic requirements, as outlined in the NHPA World Championship Tournament contract, to be considered.  At the request of President Stu Sipma, I visited El Paso, Texas to ensure they had the infrastructure to hold a World Tournament.

 

Their venue is the Judson F. Williams Convention Center.  The building is located in downtown El Paso, near several hotels and restaurants.  It has 80,000 square feet of columnless space, a ceiling height of 28 feet, air conditioning, parking availability and 15,000 square feet of additional meeting space. There is ample room to allow for Game Related Sales, space for pictures and awards ceremonies and an area for bidders from future World Tournament sites. In short, everything outlined to hold a successful World Tournament. 

 

There are several top quality hotels within walking distance of the Convention Center.  The restaurants have diverse offerings, but I must confess that the Tex-Mex food is delightful.  El Paso shares a border with Mexico and New Mexico, presenting the opportunity to visit another culture across the border and to visit a neighboring state.  The City of Las Cruces is nearby, offering yet another unique place to visit.

 

The El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau were gracious hosts, and expressed a willingness to do “whatever it takes” to hold a successful World Tournament. 

 

Shreveport, Louisiana

by Tina Hawkins, 2nd Vice President and Publicity/Promotion Director

 

After three trips to the Shreveport-Bossier area – all for totally different purposes – one thing truly stands out about the community…HOSPITALITY! Their main goal is to make sure visitors are happy and cared for during their visit. The food was pretty awesome, as well. Every meal on every stay was absolutely amazing. From the Shrimp & Grits at Abby Singer’s Bistro, to the famous au gratin potatoes at the Silver Star Steakhouse - not a bad bite was taken.

 

The Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission proposes to hold the 2018 NHPA World Horseshoe Tournament July 30 – August 11, 2018, at the Shreveport Convention Center, a 350,000 square foot multi-purpose facility. The proposal will include a 60,000 sq. ft., column-free exhibit hall with concrete floors.

 

The Shreveport Horseshoe Club maintains a set of 12 up-to-date, outdoor pitching courts at the Moose Lodge, less than 20 minutes from the Convention Center. These courts will be available for practice during the proposed tournament dates. The club plans to assist with the bidding efforts, as well as with the tournament, if Shreveport-Bossier is successful in the vote.

 

There are more than 1,000 hotel rooms less than one mile from the Convention Center, including the attached Shreveport Hilton, which would be the host hotel and the nearby Sam’s Town Hotel and Casino – the first overflow property, which could also be an option for the Hall of Fame banquet location. Other possible banquet venues include the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, site of the “Louisiana Hayride,” where Elvis Presley launched his career!

 

The Convention Center is located just blocks from restaurants and clubs in the Red River Entertainment District, the Louisiana Boardwalk Outlets, the dancing water fountains of River View Park and the family-friendly entertainment at Sci-Port Discovery Center, with the world’s first open-access, interactive laser planetarium. Families might also enjoy Shreveport’s “Splash Kingdom,” which boasts more than a dozen slides, wave pool, lazy river, two kids’ attractions and large activity pool.

 

Shreveport is accessible by bus, train, car and air.  The Convention Center is just 15 minutes from the Shreveport Regional Airport, with daily flights to and from Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Dallas, Houston and Memphis. This small airport is quite easy to negotiate, even for unseasoned travelers.

 

With all the entertainment and activity options, plus ease of access, the Shreveport-Bossier area could be an interesting and fun vacation destination for all!

 

Florence, South Carolina

by Dave Sidles, Secretary/Treasurer

 

Representatives from Florence, South Carolina will be in Montgomery this summer to try to win your vote to host the 2018 World Horseshoe Pitching Tournament. It was my pleasure to go there to assess the suitability of their facilities and accommodations. I am pleased to report that Florence would be a tremendous host city. The furthest North of the three competing sites with an average daily high on August 1st of around 82 degrees, Florence is also the smallest of the three, a town of around 38,000 people located at the intersection of I-20 from Atlanta and I-95, a major thoroughfare connecting the NE US and Florida. The arena is located right at this intersection. It is a little over an hour from Myrtle Beach on the Atlantic coast. Florence has a smaller airport about 8 -10 minutes from the arena with daily jet service to Charlotte, NC. Columbia is another flying option about an hour and a half away. There is also an Amtrak station in Florence.  

The Florence Civic Center is where the tournament would be held. Two sections of the building would be used to setup around 50 to 56 courts. These would be in a large hockey style arena and a large open ballroom both featuring state of the art lighting and air conditioning. On an unrelated side note, the center’s Production Manager is a nephew of Ottie Reno. They would also host the Convention and the Hall of Fame Banquet in the same building. Free parking surrounds the building. Within walking distance are at least nine hotels and more currently under construction. Camping is also available within a few miles. There is numerous restaurants very close by as well as historic downtown area a few minutes away by car. Sixteen practice courts are within just a couple of minute’s drive of the arena featuring full concrete walkways.

 

 

If you like to fish, you can book a guided fishing trip at the Santee Cooper Lakes about 30 minutes away, or if you’re a NASCAR enthusiast, plan a day trip to the Darlington Raceway and tour the museum or take a 160 mph trip around the track with the Richard Petty Driving Experience. You might even see NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough while in Florence. You can also walk practically across the street and take a helicopter ride for as little as $20.00. And, of course, you can golf or hike on the “rail” trail with access right from the arena parking lot. 

 

I want to thank all the Civic Center staff for their wonderful “Southern Hospitality”. And if I can stray from the objective for a second, I had the best piece of cornbread I have ever tasted along with a bowl of something called she-crab bisque that was absolutely to die for. I’d go back just for that.