SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
Issue link: https://sportsevents.epubxp.com/i/362723
www.sportseventsmagazine.com August 2014 53 outh Dakota might be known for sprawling prairies, vast farmland and Mt. Rushmore, but this Midwestern state also knows a thing or two about sports. Whatever the game—from football and basketball to hockey and gymnastics— you'll find it here, along with an enthusiastic crowd. "The citizens of South Dakota are passionate about sports," said Wanda Goodman, deputy secretary, media and industry relations manag- er for the South Dakota Department of Tourism. "Whether it's a local high school football game on a fall Friday night, a boys or girls basketball game in the middle of winter, or a semi-profes- sional basketball game or hockey match on a weekend, you are bound to find a crowd. South Dakotans are passionate about their home teams, their college teams, and their professional sports teams. South Dakotans enjoy supporting teams from other states who may be in town for a game, even if they don't know a single person on the squad." ■ www.sportseventsmagazine.com What's Going On… Rapid City Rapid City is located in western South Dakota. Set against the Black Hills mountain range, the scenic city offers a variety of fields, courts, tracks and trails, as well as pre- and post-event attractions, including Mt. Rushmore. Hotel rooms: 4,300+ Major facility: The Rushmore Plaza Civic Center houses two arenas, one that seats 10,000 and a second that seats 5,200, and boasts approximately 160,000 square feet of event space. The facility hosts many events, including rodeos, basketball, volleyball and wrestling. Contact: Rapid City CVB, www.visitrapidcity.com. ➤ S S I T E S E L E C T I O N G U I D E | S O U T H D A K O T A ▼ Harmodon Park in Sioux Falls offers seven baseball fields and eight softball fields. SOUTH DAKOTA AN ANIMAL ADVENTURE Rapid City's Reptile Gardens is a wonderland of for all sorts of exotic crea- tures. From Komodo Dragons to crocodiles, snakes to tortoises, the facili- ty offers an opportunity to explore them all. In fact, the facility was named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Largest Reptile Zoo with more species and subspecies of reptiles than any other zoo or park in the world. ■ www.reptilegardens.com REPTILIAN ADVENTURE! Rapid City CVB See ad on pg. 55 Rich Murphy