**PIERRE** – What’s your opinion on the monetary benefits brought about by the state events organised by the South Dakota High School Activities Association? Quite riveting, isn’t it? Allow me to elaborate. The association, also known as the SDHSAA, has embarked on the ambitious task of collecting data from state tournaments. The goal is to ascertain the economic impact these sporting events have had on the communities involved.
**Why Study Economic Impact?**
According to Dan Swartos, the Executive Director of SDHSAA, the insights from this study will be utilised to foster productive relationships with local chambers of commerce. The hope is to amply demonstrate the economic value these events bring to the areas. Consequently, encouraging local businesses might even consider reducing costs for hotel rooms and dining. Intriguing, isn’t it? Indicators show that the events are quite the boon.
**Data Gathering Methods**
In November 2023, SDHSAA entered into collaboration with IMPLAN from Huntersville, North Carolina. Their expertise aids in analysing the economic footprint of these tournaments. Interestingly enough, the association collected much of the data with their own resources to economise on expenses.
Schools participating in the tournaments received emails from SDHSAA. They passed these messages to parents, who responded to a survey detailing expenditures on hotels, food, and shopping during the events. The efficacy of the results was chiefly determined by how well participants answered these queries. As one might expect, the responses varied across events.
**Economic Benefits and Tax Revenue**
The estimated direct spending from 20 state events reached a staggering $14.3 million, courtesy of families attending. The ripple effect across local communities yields an output slightly exceeding $26 million, an impressive figure indeed! Additionally, direct family spending resulted in $2.9 million in tax revenue for host communities such as Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Harrisburg, Brandon, Pierre, Watertown, Brookings, and Aberdeen.
**Consistent Officiating in Sports**
As for the sporting arena itself, SDHSAA has endeavoured to maintain consistency in referee decisions across the state. However, achieving such harmony is no simple task. In one of their recent meetings, an interesting conversation arose concerning the rules of basketball:
Dylan Kvaale, a coach for Sioux Falls Christian’s eighth-grade basketball team, presented a point of concern. Apparently, officials at South Dakota basketball games often interpret a player’s classic spin move as travelling. His perplexity isn’t unwarranted, as other regions tend to allow such play without penalties. “Why strip such finesse from the game? ” he pondered during his presentation.
**A Discrepancy in Interpretation**
SDHSAA Executive Director Dan Swartos noted that while his expertise lies in wrestling, South Dakota’s basketball officiating mirrors that of most states. The rule primarily hinges upon the use of the player’s pivot foot during the spin move. Naturally, this results in a subjective judgement call, which Kvaale argues leads to discrepancies: “Elsewhere, it’s not a travel.”
Intriguingly, Marty Weismantel, the SDHSAA Board Chairman from Groton, had a slightly different take. As a long-time official himself, Weismantel pointed out that the move in question, indeed, qualifies as a travel. “It’s a tough call to catch,” he admits. He stresses the association’s determination to reinforce consistency across officiating.
Before the season kicks off, Swartos promised communication with officials. Reminders on the intricacies of spin moves and travelling rules will be sent to ensure clarity. One can only hope it results in seamless gameplay, don’t you agree?
