By Bob Hamar
bob.hamar@theindependent.com

The Nebraska Schools Activities Association's board of directors considered bids from Grand Island/Hastings, Kearney and Lincoln on Wednesday, but in the end voted 5-1 to keep the state tournament in Lincoln for 2008 and 2009.

Renee Seifert, executive director for the Grand Island/Hall County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the decision was disappointing to the committee that had worked since November to put together the bid.

"It's depressing. It's a bit of a bummer," Seifert said. "We were very competitive. It was basically the same package between us and Lincoln. What it came down to is the fact that they offered them the Coliseum and the fear that they would lose attendance like at state softball."

The NU Coliseum was a big part of Lincoln's bid for the state tournament. The Coliseum, which was used for championship matches in 2004 and 2006, would be unavailable if Nebraska also had a home football game that same weekend.

As it turns out, the football team will be on the road the weekend of state volleyball in both 2008 and 2009.

"We know, if Husker football had been here, the Coliseum would not have been available," Seifert said. "We were kind of surprised that they ended up with away games two years in a row. Historically, that hasn't happened."

Seifert said another factor was the NSAA's fears about falling attendance if the state tournament was moved. The state softball tournament moved from Omaha to the Bill Smith Softball Complex in Hastings last fall, and attendance dropped by about 2,000 spectators from the year before.

Seifert doesn't think that would have been a problem if the tournament had come to Grand Island and Hastings.

"We don't think it would have lost attendance," Seifert said. "We think it would have maintained or possibly would have had more people. It would have been easier for those communities outside of Lincoln and Omaha to actually get to the state tournament."

Seifert said the success of the Grand Island volleyball teams could have drawn some local fans who wouldn't have traveled to Lincoln for the state tournament.

Grand Island Central Catholic won the Class C-2 state title last fall and will be favored again this year. Grand Island Senior High has been to two consecutive Class A state championship matches and will likely be rated in the top five next fall.

Grand Island Northwest played in the Class B final last fall and will likely open at No. 1 this year.

The Grand Island/Hastings plan the committee pitched to the NSAA would include matches at Hastings High and Hastings College on the first day as well as Grand Island Central Catholic, Grand Island Northwest, Grand Island Senior High and the Heartland Events Center.

Matches on the second day would have been at the events center and Senior High, with all the championship matches the third day at the events center.

Lincoln's bid included Pershing Auditorium, the six Lincoln public high schools and Waverly as possible sites for first-round and semifinal matches.

Kearney was hoping to play all matches at the UNK Health & Sports Center and the FirsTier Center instead of spreading them out into smaller venues such as Kearney Catholic, Kearney High and Sunrise Middle School.

Financially speaking, Grand Island was willing to take care of all expenses for the NSAA with a total package worth $57,000. Lincoln offered up a $55,000 package, while Kearney offered $50,000 to be used however the NSAA saw fit.

Seifert said the NSAA plans to put the 2010 and 2011 state volleyball tournaments up for bid again a year from now. Lincoln is also in the process of planning a new downtown arena that would be built in the Haymarket area and could be up and running by 2012.

Seifert said if that arena is built, it might be extremely difficult to get the state tournament moved out of Lincoln.

"Whether or not we bid next time will be determined," Seifert said. "A lot will depend where Lincoln is going with developing their new facilities. There was so much time and effort put in by the committee. We put in a superb package. We really did."