Region partnering with Huddle Up Group to enhance sports opportunities

Region partnering with Huddle Up Group to enhance sports opportunities
(RRN/Cottrell)
March 29th, 2023 | Chris Cottrell

It was sports and community at the forefront of a Wednesday morning gathering at the Hampton Inn in Scottsbluff.

In an effort to build out a sports tourism strategic plan, community leaders have partnered with the Huddle Up Group, LLC to help map out the road ahead.

Jon Schmeider is the Huddle Up Group founder and CEO and he laid out the goals of the partnership.

“To have a, we call it a playbook, to have a game plan to go out and execute and allow us the best opportunity to drive more tourism and overnight stays, and economic development, through the visitation of athletes, teams, coaches, and families that will come to the marketplace.”

The Huddle Up Group was set to spend a good portion of the day traveling around the area to see some of the venues as they start to build a plan of attack to see what events might fit here in western Nebraska.

Brenda Leisy, the Scotts Bluff County Tourism Director says this was a needed step.

“We definitely need to build a stronger plan moving forward because no matter what the circumstances are sports is always going to be very popular with our youth and in our leisure communities.”

Just recently it was announced that USA Cycling will hold their Gravel National Championships in Gering on September 9th.

Karla Niedan-Streaks with the Gering Convention & Visitors Bureau says that event should be a great head start on this type of project.

“Having a USA Cycling sanctioned event coming to our communities and the first time we’ve ever had an event of that magnitude. We’re going to be learning a lot of things about committee structures, budgeting, and volunteers, and all those types of things for this big event that will start in September, that’s going to help us kind of learn as we go but be a great training ground for some of the things we’re working on with Huddle Up that are coming to our areas in the future.”

Schmeider and the Huddle Up Group will be back in town on a follow up visit with more information on this venture at a later date.

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