South Walton Sports Complex Update

[justpassinthrough]

It sounds like a wonderful idea. I can't tell you how many families we know from north Georgia that make the yearly trek to Panama City because their son or daughter is playing in a big baseball or softball tournament there. Plus the average stay is one week minimum - if games get rained out and have to be rescheduled - it lasts longer. Most of these families make it their yearly vacation.

 

[Bob Wells]

One thing to remember with youth sports events is that it's not always kids + parents on the trip. It's frequently kids + chaperone that may or may not adequately supervise the young athletes. My parents' condo complex has had to kick out a team from one of the post-Christmas high school basketball tournaments for several years running because of inadequate supervision from the alleged responsible adults involved and the kids doing moderately dumb stuff unchecked.

We have that now with parents who won't, can't, don't control their kids.

 

[Smiling JOe]

PCB's Frank Brown Park pulls in youths from as far away as TX for tournaments (that is another story in itself). If Walton County is trying to do the same, I'd like someone to tell me how Walton County is going to steal those tournaments and people from PCB. Is there enough tournament biz to have two facilities that close in proximity, competing for the same biz?

 

[DCFinSCB]

It is mostly baseball and softball tournaments at Frank Brown, so there are other tournaments that can and do generate local revenue. "Soccer by the Surf", US98 Soccer's and South Walton Montessori's non-profit fundraising partnership, managed to attract a team from Mississippi in its inaugural debut this past June. But I agree, we may not want to directly compete with Frank Brown's focus on baseball and softball. There are other options.

 

[beachmouse]

One thing that would be a perfect fit for the area is crew. My sister, the former rower, comes down here and drools over the idea of taking a shell out on the intracoastal or the Bay on calm days. In college, her team would do a winter training camp in Tampa every year, and their protected waters don't have anything the protected waters here don't have.

A couple of service academies already base out of Eglin for training trips. It would be awesome if they could draw more teams down here for a series of regattas.

 

[DCFinSCB]

Crew is a great idea. Anyone else?

 

[seagrovegirl]

IMO, the proposed complex is much needed, although I am concerned we are going to tax the visitors right out of Sowal. As it stands now, guests are charged 11.5% total tax when they check in.

 

[Busta Hustle]

IMO, the proposed complex is much needed, although I am concerned we are going to tax the visitors right out of Sowal. As it stands now, guests are charged 11.5% total tax when they check in.

already happening. Know several families from Miss. have been coming to soccer tournaments with kids for years. they are all engineers with big oil companies. they all stay in FWB for the better family rates.

 

[DCFinSCB]

There are other resources besides the county to look to.

 

[Busta Hustle]

we already have a world class water ski facility provided by the private sector. We have the yolo boys another private sector company providing a fun product for even the fattest out of shape tourists. We have eco fishing and kayaking companies providing excellent natural experiences. How bout some canopy zip lines through the state forest to go along wih the horse back riding camping hiking that is already here. save the 102 acres of natural woods. enough ball fields in neighboring counties and like i said before if your vision includes that stuff there is another private sector development called Hammock Bay that offers everything mentioned in the rfp.