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The Wide World Of Sports Right At Our Doorstep

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 29, 2008

Jim McKay, the longtime host of the ground-breaking "ABC's Wide World of Sports" who died in early June at the age of 86, would have loved what is going on in Pasco County.

Unlike Pinellas, Hillsborough and Polk counties, Pasco isn't home to a professional sports franchise, either year-round or in the spring. That hasn't deterred county officials and businesses. They're working to transform the county into a paradise for amateur athletes and folks who simply want places to play.

Consider the latest:

Week before last, a Clearwater-based group announced plans to build a $40 million sports complex on Oakley Boulevard in Wesley Chapel.

The 288,000-square-foot facility would include three ice-skating rinks, including two meeting National Hockey League specifications, as well as 36 lanes of bowling, a rock-climbing apparatus - a real "Wide World of Sports"-type activity - and a laser tag course.

A week before that, county commissioners continued plans to pursue a multipurpose sports complex with ball fields and other amenities that would host tournaments and other play. The board agreed to negotiate with Big League Dreams of California, which would build the complex.

And county officials are continuing work on plans to build a 5,000-seat tennis stadium on land adjacent to Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. That facility will include 15 practice courts and ball fields. The property already has been secured. This project will be unique to the Tampa Bay area.

There also has been very good news from the south in recent days. A group announced that professional soccer was returning to Tampa with the rebirth of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, an extremely popular team in the 1970s and 80s.

The ownership group also plans to build a stadium at an unspecified location in Hillsborough County, stating it hopes to draw fans not only from Hillsborough and Pinellas but from Pasco as well.

Talk about a variety of local sports opportunities in a state where football has always been king.

Hockey is popular, with rink availability in the region a challenge for players and groups. Youth soccer is as strong as ever, but there is a demand for more fields.

In addition, lacrosse is on the rise locally, with Wesley Chapel and the county hosting a major tournament that drew rave reviews earlier this year. Pasco's eye toward luring baseball, softball, tennis and other sports' tournaments will bolster tourism and the economy.

Just as important is the opportunity for more people - regardless of age - to become more physically active. This will make for a healthier county and provide a respite from the daily rigors of life.

And that all this stuff will be in our backyard, or very close to it, makes these plans even grander. It's all about improving quality of life and giving a fast-growing population more recreational opportunities, public and private.

Pretty soon, Pasco officials, who have done wonders with an ecotourism theme, will need to develop a new slogan. It's not that "Pasco County, Florida: It's Only Natural" has outlived itself - far from it.

But with sports clearly on an uptick, "It's Only Fun" would be worth touting, too.

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