By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
With the coronavirus spreading, and with that spreading cancellations and postponements, the Great Bend Recreation Commission made the decision to cancel all GBRC sponsored events until May 1. That date could change as the Rec Center follows the city, county, and state’s guidelines to stop the spread of the virus.
Getting programs, including baseball and softball tournaments, running is very serious to the Recreation Commission staff.
GBRC Executive Director Diann Henderson estimated a loss of 5,500 people coming to Great Bend because of the loss of tournaments in Great Bend in April, including the KCAC Baseball and Softball Tournaments.
"We are in contact with all the organizers," said Henderson. "We are going to try to get Great Bend to being active once we get the green light from the State of Kansas and those executive orders are lifted."
In the month of June alone, there are tournaments booked at the Great Bend Sports Complex every weekend, many of those events were scheduled back in January. Henderson estimated if those tournaments are not able to go as scheduled it would mean a loss of 16,000 people coming to Great Bend in June. That means the lost economic gain of folks potentially staying in hotels, eating at restaurants, filling up for gas, and locally shopping.
Henderson noted there is a small window to push back a few tournaments on the calendar, but there is not much availability.
"If we postpone and move tournaments forward, there is always the potential we could go into the last two weeks of July or even August," Henderson said. "But with school starting, that is not always the best time to have events because players are not available and families are not willing to travel that late in the summer."
Much like the Recreation Commission, many tournament organizers are on hold whether or not to cancel their summer tournaments.