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TCSC can help expand area sports

By Mike Graham, Tribune

It was several weeks back that Palm Beach County hosted the NAIA College Spring Championships.  It involved competition in several sports with venues from Jupiter to Boca Raton used for the athletes who came from all over the country to compete.

There were hundreds upon hundreds of college-aged men and women, along with their coaches and fans who stayed in hotels and motels, ate in restaurants, bought gas, food and whatever else they needed from Palm Beach County merchants during the competition.  Now I'm certainly no math wizard, but I think it's safe to say the folks in that county benefited to the tune of millions upon millions of dollars from hosting the event

I remember somebody here in the office saying, "Hey, wouldn't that be neat if we could host something like that right here on the Treasure Coast?"

Well, the groundwork is now in place to realize an event of that extent, what with the forming of the Treasure Coast Sports Commission back in February.

The TCSC is dedicated to the expansion of sports programming to keep up with the needs of residents along the Treasure Coast.  In essence, the group hopes to develop sports programs in St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River counties that one day will draw regional, national and possibly even international sporting events to the area.

Sound farfetched?  I don't think so.

Tom Colucci,  the commission's executive director, says the initial primary focus of the TCSC is to work with the 7 to 14 year old age group.  A Treasure Coast Summer Camp Sports Festival is slated for June 25 at Lawnwood Stadium in Fort Pierce for some 1,000 kids of that age from the three-county area.  There will be instruction in the morning followed by moderate competition in the afternoon for the sports of baseball, basketball, golf, flag football, soccer, softball, tennis and track & field.

I think the commission was smart to start with an event like the festival, getting young athletes from all three counties involved from the get-go.  And Colucci was quick to add that high school and senior citizen athletes are also included in the TCSC's thinking, and that clinics for referees and umpires are also part of the overall plan.

Now it's going to take time for the TCSC to realize its ultimate goals, but there's already one event on the schedule - the Sunshine State Games Oct. 8-10 - which could have a significant impact for the Treasure Coast and many of its businesses.

There's only one hitch in the TCSC's immediate future, and it's something that is vital to any new group's success.  Anyone care to take a guess?

If you said money, you're right.

"In the long term, the only way the commission can survive is if dollars are put into it from both the private and government sectors," Colucci said.  "We need a presence in all three counties with offices in each of them so that we have a pulse of what is going on in each of the communities."

Presently, Colucci is a one-man band operating out of a small office in Thomas J. White Stadium in Port St. Lucie.  There is also a non-paid board of directors in place.

Colucci said that to supplement funding from city, state and government partnerships, the TCSC is opening its membership to businesses, organizations and individuals at five different levels, ranging from $50 to $2,500.   The higher the level of involvement, the more benefits there are for members.

"We need feedback from the public in what they want. We are inviting anyone to join," Colucci said. "We don't just want major corporations; we want the people who run the Little Leagues and other organizations like that to have a say in what we are doing.

"To put all the pieces in place, we need funding from the private sector to make it work."

Down the road the TCSC would like to help communities gain funding for new regional parks.

It's certainly no secret that the commission would love to see the land directly south of the St. Lucie County Sports Complex become the home for new soccer/football, softball fields, and maybe even a sorely needed swimming complex.   We already have one of the finest baseball facilities in place right across the street, and what better location for the entire Treasure Coast could that site be since it is located right off Interstate 95?

It doesn't take an expert to see that as fast as this area is growing, at a similar pace we are running out of room to run our amateur athletic programs.  To keep up we must plan for the future now.

Now I don't like to beat the drum for money.   But I ask you, if we want to further develop our existing sports programs and parks and attract the type of athletic events that will have positive economic impacts on our communities, don't we need a central organization leading the way?

I think the answer is yes and that the Treasure Coast Sports Commission is the best way we can move forward to realize these dreams.

But don't take my word for it.  Call Colucci at (561) 871-5458 and get his spin on the whole deal, then make your own decision as to whether you want to be involved or not.

Mike Graham is the assistant managing editor of the Tribune.  His column appears on Friday.  He can be reached at (561) 461-2055 (ext. 185) or by email at mike_graham@link.freedom.com.

Contact the TCSC

MAIN OFFICE
TRADITION FIELD
527 NW PEACOCK BLVD.
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL 34986

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 882172
Port. St. Lucie, FL 34988-2172

sports@treasurecoastsports.org
772-871-5458 (phone)
772-871-5426 (fax)
www.treasurecoastsports.org