Photo gallery: Sunshine, sports attract huge crowds to southern Utah

Written by Andy Griffin
February 17, 2018
Youth Soccer, St. George, Utah, Feb. 17, 2018, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – Congested streets, crowded restaurants and full parks – the price Southern Utahns pay for living in a moderate climate in the month of February.

Thousands of athletes, fans and families descended upon the St. George area for President’s Day weekend, with huge tournaments in baseball, softball, soccer and other outdoors sports attracting the crowds to sunny southern Utah.

Photo courtesy St. George Area Sports Commission

“It’s another beautiful day in Southern Utah and the Rage FC Soccer, Ice Breaker Soccer and Rocky Mountain School of Baseball tournaments are going strong in Day 2 of competition,” Tweeted St. George Area Sports Commission director Kevin Lewis. “Nothing like playing while the sun is shining! Monday is the last day of competition so come out and support these great tournaments.”

The sports commission estimates the economic impact of those three tournaments to be approximately $15 million.

“We’re looking at between 25,000 and 30,000 visitors heading to the St. George area for youth sports tournaments during Presidents Day Weekend,” Lewis said. “It is truly astounding and a testament to what an attractive sports destination we have become.”

In addition, there was a massive softball tournament in town, plus there was rugby action over at Snow Canyon High’s rugby field. One of the rugby matches scheduled featured the University of Utah vs. Grand Canyon University. Snow Canyon also battled against Cedar in a “friendly.”

The first round of the 1A and 2A state basketball tournaments were also in town this weekend.

St. George News sports photographer Robert Hoppie was about town and sent in this photo gallery:

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @oldschoolag

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy Griffin has been in sports media since 1989 and has covered BYU, Utah State and the Utah Jazz as well as all sports in southern Utah. A journalism graduate of USU, Andy has carried on a dual career as both a sports writer and a sports broadcaster and has been heard around the country. He has also been published in USA Today, Sport magazine, The Sporting News, Fairways magazine, the Los Angeles Times and locally in the Deseret News, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Spectrum. Andy was “The Voice of Region 9 sports,” for many years. He also hosted a daily sports talk show for three years called AG in the a.m. Andy has been married to his college sweetheart Shelly for 28 years and has five children ages 13 to 25.

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