Sprinting all the way to the bank

As athletes vie for gold, silver and bronze, JC economy reaps green with state track meet

Spectators fill the stands at Adkins Stadium on Friday for the first weekend of the Missouri state track and field championships.
Spectators fill the stands at Adkins Stadium on Friday for the first weekend of the Missouri state track and field championships.

Thousands of athletes, coaches and parents filled Jefferson City High School's Adkins Stadium for the state Track and Field Championships Friday afternoon.

Some came from small towns close by. Others came from farther away.

To city officials, the crowds made a big impact on Jefferson City's economy.

Small schools in classes 1 and 2 compete this weekend, with bigger schools in classes 3, 4 and 5 running next weekend. City officials said the four-day track meet has an impact of more than $1 million on the local economy and is one of the biggest tourism events of the year.

"Isn't this great?" said Chris Wilson, sports sales manager for the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau, while walking through the concourse at Adkins Stadium Friday. "There's so much stuff going on."

Jefferson City has about 1,100 hotel rooms, Wilson said, and during the four-day event about 90 percent will be booked. Factoring in other things those visitors buy - like food, drinks and fuel - the city estimates the event has an economic impact of about $1.4 million just from people who stay overnight.

Hundreds others will travel less than 90 miles for the state track and field championships as well, which Wilson said has an additional economic impact of about $700,000.

Earlier this month, the city touted two car shows that brought visitors to town, but the state track and field meet dwarfs both. The May 5-7 Shelbyfest Ford Mustang rally drew about 25,000 participants and generated about 425 hotel rooms booked. A smaller Corvette show the following weekend generated a handful more.

"It's our biggest sports tourism event," Wilson said. "(Even if) they're not staying overnight, they're still having an impact because they're still spending money in the community."

Inside Adkins Stadium Friday, dozens of runners prepared for upcoming heats. A few dozen athletes gathered to watch their teammates in the pole vault. Parents and friends packed the main grandstand, which holds about 5,000 people. Others watched from the concourse.

Last year the event moved to Adkins Stadium after being held at Lincoln University's Dwight T. Reed Stadium for decades. Jefferson City High School Activities Director Mark Caballero said 2016 had a first-weekend attendance of 3,000 people. Next weekend, when the three biggest classes will compete, attendance will double.

"It'll be a wall of people here and a wall out there," Caballero said looking at the grandstand and field events on the sides of the track. 

"This is the largest championship event that you can put on."

Outside Adkins Stadium, Friday's scene looked just as crowded. Parked cars and school buses lined streets for three-quarters of a mile in some directions. Others buzzed around looking for elusive free parking spots near the stadium.

For a price, spectators can park relatively easily. JCHS Assistant Activities Director Lou Mazzocco said the school sells 256 reserved parking spots online for $15 each that correspond to numbered spots in the stadium parking lot and across the street near The LINC wellness center. Reserved spots for next weekend already have sold out.

JCHS also sells 500 non-reserved spots for $5 in six lots behind JCHS and Thorpe Gordon Elementary School. When cars leave those lots, spots are sold again.

After last year's event JCHS paid out $32,000 to booster clubs for activities like marching band, golf and football, Mazzocco said. The school also keeps a small percentage of additional funds for its general activities budget.

"For some of our booster clubs, this is a major chunk of change for them," Mazzocco said. "This allows them to have a little more balance."

In April, voters passed Proposition J, to allocate $130 million to build a second public high school in Jefferson City. Mazzocco views the long hours he's putting in this weekend as a way to thank the community.

"If they're going to step up and give us money, then we need to put the best product out to allow those businesses to support those businesses," Mazzocco said. "Since the community supported us, it's even more important that we put on an event that people are going to talk about."