WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) — The Sports Authority has seen huge success and growth in the Wausau area. It started as an offshoot of the Wausau/Central Wisconsin Convention and Visitors Bureau. Executive Director Richard Barrett says they approached the City of Wausau with a proposal to use one half of one percent of the city’s room tax to help fund activities that bring people to Wausau. Barrett said in their wildest dreams, they never thought it would be as successful as it is. “Our goal in the very beginning, when we did our trial period, was to try to create 1.8 million dollars in economic impact over an 18 month period. After the first year, we were already at 6 million, so it really took off.”
Barrett says their success is also in part because of Wausau’s central location in the state. “It’s our location within the State of Wisconsin, easy to get to from all parts of Wisconsin, and also the idea that we have a lot of hotel lodging, and we have unbelievable, fantastic volunteers.”
The Sports Authority already has more events scheduled this year than last year. Barrett says they also have a request to do two huge softball tournaments. “In 2014, we had 52 events that we put on, and already in 2015 we’ve got 61 on our calendar, and they’re actually (still) coming. Just as of today, I heard we put, uh, the ASA wants us to do the 2017 U10 and U12 Northern National Tournament.”
Barrett says the Sports Authority and Convention and Visitor’s Bureau staff run very few of the events. He says the local clubs and associations and their volunteers do the majority of the work. “The associations are running these tournaments. Yes, some we do. Not as many as we have, but we actually have associations running most of the Badger State Games. A few of those we run. We run the Leinenkugel Classic Pond Hockey, we run the marathon, and a few of the Badger State Games stuff.”
The Sports Authority is also getting inquiries about working with the Wausau Curling Club and the city and county to designate the kayak course and the Wausau Curling Club as possible official Olympic training facilities.
(Listen to our interview with Richard Barrett about the Sports Authority with additional details on our website, here.)
