Rome honored for wheelchair tennis
♦ International competitors will return in 2019.
The Georgia Open International Tennis Federation Wheelchair tournament has been honored with an Award of Excellence for Wheelchair Tennis across the ninestate Southern section of the United States Tennis Association.
Rome Sports Commission Director Ann Hortman told the Rome tourism board of directors the event has been sanctioned again for 2019 and will be played March 13-19.
Hortman said she was particularly pleased to receive the honor on behalf of the community and the Rome Tennis Center because it was a first-year tournament and five of the nine major ITF tournaments scheduled in the U.S. this year occurred in the Southern Region.
The event brought the top wheelchair tennis players from across the world to Rome for a week. Stephane Houdet of France was the winner of the men’s single while Deide DeGroot from the Netherlands won the women’s division.
Houdet paired with French countryman Nicolas Piefer to win the men’s doubles while DeGroot paired with Lucy Shuker of Great Britain to win the women’s doubles.
The tourism board approved a new slate of officers for 2019 Wednesday.
Chris Kozelle from Berry College will serve as chairwoman while Elaine Price will be vice chair. The board honored Anil Patel who owns the Holiday Inn Express and Country Inn & Suites, Alice Stevens from Berry and Elaine Abercrombie of Greene’s Jewelers, who are rotating off the board at the end of the year.
The tourism board received some incomplete reports through the end of October indicating that tourism has had a $14.6 million economic impact on Rome and Floyd County. Information about the Wings Over North Georgia air show was not included in the report and is expected to bump the numbers significantly.
Office of Tourism Director Lisa Smith said the new Ramblin’ Rome gift shop on wheels will start to show up at more events moving forward now that it has been completed on the interior and stocked with the latest gift shop merchandise. Through October, gift shop sales are running slightly behind a year ago.
Smith also told the board she is planning to put greater promotional emphasis on Rome venues for destination wedding events.
County commission liaison Allison Watters said with the Spires at Berry College breaking ground Rome is becoming a “better than great” retirement community. Those retirees who are coming to Rome want to be engaged in the community and have the time to do so, said board member Harry Brock.
Smith also told the tourism board that she plans to seek funds in 2019 to add a third Roman Chariot golf cart to the circuit that ferries visitors around the downtown district.