Tennis tournament a sign of bigger things to come

Without getting too political, I’d like to comment on what I saw from the ACC tennis tournament in Rome last week.

I know the construction of the new tennis complex with tax dollars was a point of contention between different factions of the community.

There are those that felt it was too costly an undertaking for taxpayers to bear. And there are those who believed it would lead to big events coming to Rome and bringing in revenue. I can only comment on what I saw. Just in the tennis aspect alone, I saw hundreds of people come to town from all across the country just to see the high level of tennis the tournament brought here.

And I had friends from Calhoun, Rockmart, Cartersville and other surrounding communities who came in groups to watch the matches on several days.

Families came out to see the action. Schools brought their students to watch some of the matches.

It was truly an event sparked a lot of interest and that got people excited to get out and be a part of.

I saw members of our community step up and be volunteers for the event. They were wearing bright yellow T-shirts that said “Ambassador” on the back which I thought was pretty accurate since they were representing our city to those visiting from outside.

There were countless volunteers for the entire event but on the days I went out to watch some matches I saw Keith Mickler, Jim Powell, Jeanne Watson and Dave Dawson helping visitors and organizers. When I first pulled up to the tennis center, former police chief Elaine Snow was directing parking with a big smile on her face and greeting visitors. It was great to see all these people representing our community.

And even away from the courts I know the tournament had a big impact on Rome. Hotels were booked solid in town. Many people had to get rooms in Cartersville and Calhoun because there weren’t any more left in Rome. I’ve heard from downtown business owners who say they did extremely well with the influx of players and spectators who patronized area businesses for the several days the tournament was going on.

I saw one team drowning their sorrows at Dark Side of the Moon on the first day of the tournament after they’d been beaten.

The entire team was downtown to eat and drink and have a good time and that means spending money.

On a non-tennis related note, downtown Rome also saw a huge crowd on Saturday for the Up the Creek Without a Pedal bike riding event.

Hundreds of riders started at the Town Green then fanned out across the county on rides of various lengths while families participated in a shorter ride along the Heritage Riverwalk Trail. I had lunch at a Broad Street restaurant and watched as all the riders returned downtown.

It was such a great weekend to be in and around Rome.

Like I said, I don’t want to get political with this because I know there are strong opinions on either side of the tennis center issue.

I’m speaking from the perspective of a community member.

If we can get more events like this recent tournament, it would generate revenue for the entire community — from restaurants to hotels to bars to stores. Eventually we’d all start seeing the effects of that. The city as a whole would benefit.

And it adds to Rome’s prestige a little bit. When these big events come to town, people visit and they see our beautiful city and the great folks that live here and they go back and tell others about it.

This is the first really big event the new tennis center hosted. Because of the nature of the tournament, it got a lot of media attention ... and social media attention. I have a feeling this is only the beginning of big things to come for Rome.

And I think we’ll all reap the benefits. SEVERO AVILA Jim Powell of Young Harris