SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.
Issue link: https://sportsevents.epubxp.com/i/80957
Home Subscribe Site Selection GUIDE is within walking distance of 900 hotel rooms. Contact: Albuquerque CVB, www.itsatrip.org. Las Cruces Las Cruces, in southern New Mexico, boasts nearly 350 days of sunshine a year. "Las Cruces allows sports event organizations to plan their next event or tournament with confidence," said Chris Faivre, media/publications manager for the Las Cruces CVB. "Our weather allows us to play sports outdoors 365 days a year." The city has hosted events such as the ASA Western Nationals, New Mexico Activity Association State Championships, numerous Western Athletic Conference Championships and the USSSA Whole Enchilada Softball Invitational, an event that draws 250 teams each year and is the largest contin- uous single-weekend tournament in the country, Faivre said. Hotel rooms: 3,000 Hotel tax: 12.5 percent plus a $2.50 convention center fee Fields & facilities: 21 baseball/softball fields, three multi-purpose fields, 23 soc- cer fields, two shooting ranges, a skate park, a BMX track, 28 tennis courts, a horseshoe complex, a youth boxing cen- ter, two track and field complexes, an Olympic-sized pool, 25 basketball courts, four golf courses, a dirt track racing com- plex, two rodeo arenas, a bowling alley and two football stadiums. Las Cruces Convention Center: The center is a 55,000-square-foot facility with more than 30,000 square feet of meeting space. Contact: Las Cruces CVB, www.stay sunny.org. Rio Rancho Rio Rancho is in southern New Mexico and boasts a mild, high desert climate. Hotels: Approximately eight Fields & facilities: Blades Multiplex Arena is a 60,000-square-foot ice and inline skating facility featuring a regula- tion-sized ice rink and space for indoor 48 August 2012 GOING TO THE CHAPEL The beautiful Loretto Chapel—completed in 1878— is located at the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail and houses the "mysterious staircase." To this day, it is unknown who built the staircase. The physics of its construction are also a mystery as it has two 360-degree turns with no visible means of support. The chapel was once part of the Loretto Academy, which closed in 1968, and is now a private museum. www.lorettochapel.com soccer. Chamisa Hills Golf Course is a 27-hole course. The State Farm Soccer Complex offers the 22-field Bernalillo Soccer Complex. Rio Rancho High School offers a stadium for soccer and football, three gymnasiums, a softball complex with four fields, a track, and a baseball stadium. The 78-acre Rio Rancho Sports Complex has fields for soccer and football. Santa Ana Star Center is a multi-purpose facility with 1,400 parking spaces and can seat up to 7,500 depending on the event. Contact: Rio Rancho CVB, www.rio ranchonm.org. Santa Fe Situated in north-central New Mexico in the foothills of the southern Rocky Mountains is Santa Fe, the oldest and highest—it's 7,000 feet above sea level— state capital. "The population is full of skiers, cyclists, kayakers, climbers, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds," said Steve Lewis of the Santa Fe CVB. Hotel rooms: 4,627 Hotel tax: 15.1875 percent Fields & facilities: Approximately 40 multi-purpose fields, five soccer facilities, 13 basketball facilities, 17 base- www.sportseventsmagazine.com ball fields and six tennis court facilities. Major facilities: The Municipal Recreational Complex contains five regu- lation adult soccer fields, three sand vol- leyball courts, six softball fields, two rugby fields, two flag football fields and a youth BMX park. Chavez Center offers a 50-meter pool, an ice arena and a gym- nasium. Convention center: The 72,000-square foot Santa Fe Community Convention Center has 40,000 square feet of flexible space. Contact: Santa Fe CVB, www.santafe.org. ■ P.T. Contact S.P.O.R.T.S. 2012 ▼ Chris Corrie Santa Fe With a total population of 144,170, the Santa Fe-Espanola, N.M., area this year was named by the American Lung Association as the #1 cleanest metropoli- tan area in the country for smog, soot and annual particle pollution.