SDHSAA wrapping up economic impact study for host cities

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Fall high school activities are starting to wrap up across the state with state championships coming up soon for football, volleyball and fine arts.

The state's Activities Association has also been eager for those to finish as they wrap up a study on just how high school events affect South Dakota.

For a long time, communities have known that when an SDHSAA state event came to their city, money follows. The state's high school activities association is working to figure out exactly how much that is, and what that means for economic impact.

How much of an economic impact do high school events really have in South Dakota? That's what the state's activities association is trying to answer.

Executive Director Dan Swartos said since the beginning of last winter, they've been working to figure that out by looking at what state events bring for communities.

"We've gotten through all of our winter events. We started with volleyball last year, and then so volleyball through the end of last school year. Now we're finishing up with fall events from this year," Swartos said.

So far, Swartos said winter and spring events have brought in around $14 million of direct contribution to local economies, with a total economic impact of over $6 million.

That's also generated nearly 3 million dollars in local tax revenue, supporting over 200 jobs.

That's figured by surveying attendees at state events, and figuring out how much they spend.

"We've been surveying parents and fans after state events, just trying to get a sense of what their round trip mileage was. How much did they spend on hotels, how much they spent on food, and how much they spent on shopping," Swartos said.

Swartos said they're still waiting to see what fall events this year will bring, but that will wrap up their study. He said while high school state events may not be big or flashy to host, they do have an annual impact on the state.

"I think it's important for us to have this data to show that, yes, we may not be a big-name concert or an NCAA event. But these are South Dakotans who are coming to those events, and this is what this provides to your communities," Swartos explained.

One interesting thing to take away after hearing about these numbers is that South Dakota's state high school track meet will be in Sioux Falls for the foreseeable future.

That's due to member schools voting to have a three-event all-in-one location, and Swartos said Sioux Falls is currently the only city with enough lodging to host it.

That means the state event with the most participants will remain here for at least the short term, bringing in an economic boost.