THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407240048
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Forty-four of North Carolina's finest girls softball teams will begin play in Manteo on Thursday in the 1994 North Carolina Babe Ruth State Tournament. And while visions of victory dance in the heads of the youngsters, Dare County officials hope to hit an economic grand slam.
Opening ceremonies are set for 6p.m. Thursday at Wescott Park in Manteo. Championships will be decided in age groups 9-10, 11-12, 13-15 and 16-18.
Rebecca Moore, director of tourism and marketing for the Dare County Tourist Bureau, said the economic impact will be significant.
``We're expecting 2,000 people to be here, and that's just the people who are staying in the motels. It doesn't include the people who are renting houses for the week,'' Moore said.
``The spinoff businesses like restaurants and souvenir shops are also going to benefit significantly. You have to think that they are going to want to go kayaking or hang gliding or some of the other attractions we have here.''
Thursday's tournament is not the first time Manteo has hosted a major softball tournament. Last year, the town entertained a statewide boys Little League event.
``We're excited about them coming,'' Manteo Town Manager Kermit Skinner said of the girls tourney.
``Our merchants said that last year during the boys tournament, they saw a marked increase in their business. This will be a great thing for our businesses and our restaurants.''
Beyond the dollars and cents that will be generated by the tournament, officials hope a long-term benefit will emerge.
``There are a lot of North Carolinians who have never seen the Outer Banks,'' Moore said. ``We hope to do a good enough job in selling this area that they will want to come back for vacations in the future. We want to make them love this area as much as we do.''
She added, ``The girls who are in this tournament have studied the history of the state in school, so they know something about the history of the area. It will be a great opportunity for them to see things like the Wright Brothers Memorial and other historic sites.''
The town of Manteo sees the week as an investment for the future.
``The great thing about this tournament,'' Skinner said, ``is that whole families will be coming here. We hope that after this visit, they'll want to come back again and again.''
A number of local civic organizations are assisting with the tournament, working in concession stands and performing other tasks necessary to make the championship successful.
The Dare County Tourist Bureau provided a $2,500 grant to help Babe Ruth Softball publicize the tournament.
Along with the impact on the vacation industry, local softball officials hope the tournament will lead to a greater interest, not only in their sport, but in all sports for girls.
``Up until 1992, the only organized girls athletics was at the parks and recreation level. We then organized under the umbrella of boys Little League Baseball, and this year, we broke away to join Babe Ruth Girls' Softball,'' said tournament publicity director Jo Ann Ross.
``We hope that this will have a big impact not only on girls softball in this area, but all girls competitive sports.'' by CNB