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Two state tournaments, over 300 athletes, their parents and fans all made Dodgeville their home for a few days last week.
Some good baseball was played and some new friends made. Four teams--the first and second place finishers in both the 9 year old and 16-18 year old tournaments--get to go on to Ohio Valley Regional competition and a chance to go the World Series.
All went well except for one small glitch. Some of the teams were unable to find lodging in the Dodgeville area and had to go elsewhere. One team went to Platteville to find rooms.
The manager of the team asked me about places to eat in Platteville so I told him what I knew. He indicated the team would go to one place together to eat. No doubt they used some of their down time to shop--in Platteville.
That's 18 kids, two or three coaches and a group of parents all spending money for food, lodging and other things.
The problem is that the money was not spent here.
One of the reasons we hold the tournaments is to give the local businesses a chance for a boost in sales by bringing in new people.
In this case, we had a miss, just like swinging at a good curve ball.
It would be good if the Chamber of Commerce could develop a system or have a committee to work with finding lodging in the community for events such as this one.
It would be great to keep those dollars here.