What’s wrong with the Palace?!
I have often told friends and family, if I didn’t live in Sioux Falls, I would not live in SD. While it is nice to visit the boondocks now and then, I prefer the train whistles, airplanes, and the faint smell of JM’s in the air.
No doubt about it. Sioux Falls is the largest city in the state. Our metro area population is almost 33% of the state’s population. Sioux Falls is the single largest contributor to video lottery and sales tax revenue in the state. When we get on our soap box we have a right to be there.
Sometimes.
This whole notion that ‘ALL’ state tournaments belong in SF because we are building an events center is a crock. Rapid City, Aberdeen, Mitchell, Huron, Watertown and even Brookings all have facilities that can host these events, and they should. I can’t even tell you the number of wrestling tournaments I participated at the Corn Palace in the day.
Sometimes SF gets high on the hog, but when it comes to state pride and shared interests, it is better that these tournaments are shared between communities. Not just for economic reasons, but because, god dammit, it is the right thing to do.
WHY THE UPROAR?
Well there is two big reasons this has surfaced.
1) We are building an EC in SF (even though we really don’t need it) and my assumption is that SMG and CVB are scrambling like Hell to find a purpose for the joint, and I am sure our manure spreading mayor has been sitting on their shoulders the whole time.
2) The Sports Authority, and Sanford Health in particular are pushing this move. They feel it is in the best interest of our community. I would agree, economically they are right. The impact would be major. But pissing off our small town neighbors to garner a couple days a year of major tournaments is not really worth it. Our mayor always talks about being ‘neighborly’ Well, Hello, Sailor! Sharing the tournaments works, has for years. Let’s keep it that way. As an Aberdeen resident said to me recently, “It’s just as easy for us to do our ‘big city’ shopping in Fargo as it is in Sioux Falls. Many of us have had it with Sioux Falls’ attitude about being superior, maybe we will take our business there.”
Here! Here!
I love Sioux Falls (to quote Mayor Munson) but sometimes I think we need to get off our high horse and learn to work with the rest of the state. Who the f’ck are we anyhow telling the rest of the state what to do, we don’t even know how to run a simple council meeting, let alone a state tournament.