The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union needs to find a place to host the 2011 state volleyball tournament. Renovations to the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids are forcing officials to move the event. IGHSAU Executive Director Mike Dick says that the Union was originally told that renovations would not impact the volleyball tourney, but they were told on December 8 that the renovation would not be delayed.
After finding out December that the U.S. Cellular Center would not be available, Dick says that the Union heard from facilities and communities across the state that were interested in becoming State Volleyball’s new home. He says they started looking for alternatives and looking at costs, and some cities even called them.
Dick says that one of the first phone calls he made was to former Girls Union Executive Director Troy Dannen, who is now the Athletic Director at the University of Northern Iowa. He says they were willing to see what might be available, but he says there was the disadvantage of having the state football playoffs in Cedar Falls at the same time, which would make for less parking.
One option would be to keep the tournament in Cedar Rapids, but move the event to the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. Dick says that venue wouldn’t be perfect, but could be a workable alternative for 2011. He says it is a nice facility that could be workable for one year.
Dick says that after touring the Ice Arena, he believes the odds are good that it will host the tournament next year. He says had they viewed it and thought it wouldn’t work, they would have said it was not the place. Dick says it has lockerrooms and parking and many positives that the staff thinks would work for the one year
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s Board of Directors will likely decide where to hold the 2011 tournament during their meeting Wednesday. The Girls Union’s contract with the US Cellular Center runs through 2015, and Dick expects that the State Volleyball Tournament will return to that facility in 2012 through the end of that agreement.
By Jesse Gavin KCNZ Cedar Falls