5 minute read
SPORTS COMPLEX
King Howard climbs a rope ladder on the playground at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex. (File Photo)
By J. Eric Eckard
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For more than a decade, soccer parents and their equivalents in baseball, softball and other team sports have been flocking to Rocky Mount.
In 2007, the first phase of the Rocky Mount Sports Complex was completed, with 11 baseball/softball fields. Later that year, the first tournament was held. In just the past five years, the complex has averaged 1,500 teams accounting for 115,000 people entering the gates each year.
“The impact in Rocky Mount and the Twin County area is tremendous,” said Lynn Driver, Rocky Mount’s sports complex supervisor. “And we look forward to continued growth.”
An economic impact study indicated that in 2019, the sports complex accounted for more than $8 million spent in the Rocky Mount area.
Driver said the complex is in such high demand, tournament directors and event schedulers book at least a year in advance. And 2020 was looking like another banner year, with state, regional and national events, such as the Top Gun Summer and Winter World Series tournaments on tap.
“The (Top Gun) events feature four tournament weekends covering 12 days,” Driver said. “Typical attendance is around 400 teams for the winter event and over 330 teams for the summer event.
“Due to the size of this event, additional fields from Nash County high schools,
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Tarboro Parks and Recreation, Wilson Parks and Recreation and Nash County Parks and Recreation are needed, thereby creating economic impact throughout the Tri-County region.”
But COVID-19 forced officials to shut down spring events. So far, 18 tournaments and special events have been canceled because of the pandemic, including the Down East Viking Football Classic set for September. Although the present plan calls for weekend events to restart on Aug. 10, fall tournaments for baseball, softball and other sports are in limbo.
“Our staff remain fully engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Driver added. “We stay up to date with recommendations put forth by the CDC, the state Department of Health and Human Services, as well as our local health departments.
“Once tournaments resume at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex, those guidelines and safety measures will be enforced to make sure that the safety of our visitors, our citizens and our staff are a priority.”
When sports do resume at the complex, precautions will include increased sanitation of common areas, social distancing mandates, masks for attendees and appropriate signage, Driver said. But while waiting for the pandemic to ease, the city isn’t just sitting around waiting for the curve to flatten.
“We are currently working on our 2021 schedule, and we remain in constant contact with our tournament organizations and Nash County Travel and Tourism to put together a successful schedule for 2021,” Driver said. “We are confident that will continue to offer top level competitive travel competition that will result in great economic impact to Rocky Mount and the Twin County region.”
The Rocky Mount Sports Complex was built in three phases at a cost of about $12 million. It features 11 baseball/softball fields, eight soccer fields, three concession areas, playgrounds, basketball courts, a walking trail, sand volleyball courts, a horseshoe pit, a disc golf course and three small ponds in which you can fish.
When it was built, the facility was one of the largest of its kind in the state. Since then, other communities have built multifield complexes, “partly due to our success at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex,” Driver said.
“We regularly plan upgrades so that our playing surfaces and facilities will continue to be viewed as some of the best in the state,” he said. “We continually think about all the modern amenities that might make a facility more desirable for players or more attractive to families.”
J.R. Perry, left, and Vonqual Kirtz install home plate on one of the little league fields on March 19, 2018, at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex. (File Photo)
Alayna Hendricks, 7, attempts to kick the ball as Jakelah Matthews closes in during a U-8 soccer match at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex. Photo by Emma Tannenbaum N.C. Wesleyan’s Lindsey Sharpe, right, slides into third base as Greensboro’s Kierstin Mckenna waits for the ball on April 14, 2016, during the USA South Conference Tournament at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex. Photo by Abbi O’Leary
- lyNN Driver, rocky MouNT sPorTs coMPlex suPervisor
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• Donation from every vehicle sold to customer’s choice of 1 of 12 predetermined, “transformational” local non-profits • Car for a year each year to the Nash Public Schools Teacher of the Year • Car for a year each year to a lucky United Way contributor • Scholoarship for deserving Nash Community College student each year • Support many other local organizations through sponsorships of local events
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
• Small Business of the Year (Chamber of Commerce) • Best Automotive Dealership - 10 straight years
(RM Telegram Readers’ Choice)
• Chamber of Commerce Distinguished
Citizen Award (Joe Nelson) • Rotarian of the Year (Neill Nelson) • Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award (Joe Nelson) • NCADA Lifetime Achievment Award (Joe Nelson)
