SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
Issue link: https://sportsevents.epubxp.com/i/88798
Natural Venues SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT P First-Class Facilities Followed By First-Class Fun! A wide range of venues makes Myrtle Beach, S.C., a top destination for sporting events. ractice, qualify, compete in Myrtle Beach at some of South Carolina's top facilities, and then get ready for some serious playtime. For all the same reasons and more, sports event organizers are quick- ly discovering what 14 million annual visitors already find interesting in the Myrtle Beach Area. Many sports events reach record attendance along the Grand Strand, as the Atlantic Ocean and unlimited entertainment options set the perfect background for free time and family entertainment. Each year, new event organizers select the Myrtle Beach area as the des- tination for their annual events, drawing thousands of athletes and spectators to its state-of-the-art facilities. For sports as varied as baseball, softball, and track and field, the Myrtle Beach area is an ideal venue for competitive athletics. Facilities include Doug Shaw Stadium, a world-class track made of a full-pour polyurethane synthetic surface with embedded texture. This field venue is capable of hosting all Olympic track & field events. Complete with state-of- the-art video board and "FieldTurf" infield for football and soccer, Doug Shaw Stadium is conveniently located in the heart of Myrtle Beach, just a few short blocks from the ocean. New facili- ties, such as the Grand Park athletic complex, currently include 10 soccer fields, a football field, four youth fields (baseball and softball), six multipurpose fields (baseball, softball, soccer or lacrosse), an in- line hockey rink and a small batting cage. Eight of the fields are made of FieldTurf. Pepper Geddings, the City of Myrtle Beach, complex includes two football fields and seven baseballs fields. The 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center also makes the perfect set- ting for cheer, dance and other non-traditional sport- ing events. The Sheraton Hotel is adjacent to the con- vention center making for an on-site host hotel with 400 rooms. Held annually in late December at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, the premier high school hol- iday tournament in the United States, the Beach Ball Classic, features the top 16 high school basketball teams in the country battling it out for the coveted national championship title, and the World Amateur Handicap Championship, also known as the "World's Largest Single-Site Golf Tournament," brings thou- sands of golfers to play on 51 champi- onship golf courses throughout the area, including six sites listed on Golf Digest's "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses." The Myrtle Beach area enjoys a mild average temperature of 74o F, with an average of 215 sunny days each year. Any time of year—spring, summer, fall or winter—is the perfect time for a sporting event on the Grand Strand. For more information about the Myrtle Beach area, an affiliate of the National Association of Sports Commissions, and to request your free Official Meeting and Group Planner Guide, log on to VisitMyrtleBeach.com. ■ contact: MARK BEALE Sports Sales Manager Myrtle Beach Area CVB Mark.Beale@VisitMyrtleBeach.com (843) 916-7264 or (888) 899-1615 www.MBAreaSports.com www.VisitMyrtleBeach.com 10 Natural Venues Guide 2012 www.sportseventsmagazine.com