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Sports and Recreation

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The Professional Teams of Tennessee
From spectator sports to recreational sports, the stage is always set for game day in Tennessee. Our NFL team, the Tennessee Titans, takes to the gridiron on LP Field in Nashville. The FedEx Forum is home to the NBA franchise the Memphis Grizzlies and NHL’s Nashville Predators dominate the ice at Nashville’s Gaylord Entertainment Center. Baseball also has a presence in Tennessee with several minor league teams – the Memphis Redbirds, Nashville Sounds, Tennessee Smokies, Chattanooga Lookouts and the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx.

The Collegiate Sports of Tennessee
Knoxville, or Big Orange Country, is known for its football tradition and the spirit of the Volunteers at the University of Tennessee. The city is also home to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, which celebrates 100 years of women’s basketball through interactive exhibits and ball-court activities.

The Tennessee Lady Volunteers (Lady Vols) basketball team is one of the most prominent teams in U.S. women’s college basketball. Coached by Pat Summitt, the team has been a contender for national titles for more than 30 years. The Lady Vols have won 14 SEC regular season championships, most recently in 2007; 12 SEC tournament
championships, most recently in 2006; made 17 Final Four appearances, most recently in 2007; and won seven national championships, most recently in 2007.

A state-of-the-art, 7,500-square-foot interactive facility, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, chronicles the history of sports in Tennessee from the early 1800s to today’s athletic idols. The museum features interactive games, college football and basketball exhibits, NASCAR video games and two 30-seat theaters featuring sports videos.

The Motorsports of Tennessee
Race fans, start your engines! The screech of tires and screams of fans fill the air in Tennessee every weekend from spring to fall at more than 45 speedways, racetracks and dragways across the state. Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway in Northeast Tennessee is one of the nation’s most famous raceways and is billed as the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile Track.” The Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon is Tennessee’s newest racing venue and features a 1.33 mile fully-lighted concrete track. One of Tennessee’s oldest and most popular tracks is the Music City Motorplex in Nashville. The first race, held on July 11, 1904, began with a parade of cars from downtown Nashville to the site now known as the Fairgrounds. Middle Tennessee’s most famous track, the Highland Rim Speedway, has hosted famous racers like Marty Robbins, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Hamilton and the Allisons. Finally, in West Tennessee, the Memphis Motorsports Park hosts a multitude of tracks, including a dirt drag, paved drag, champion road course, and .75-mile tri-oval and .25-mile dirt oval tracks.

The Youth Sports of Tennessee
Tennessee is fast becoming one of youth sports competitions’ leading destinations. Throughout the state, first-rate facilities are available to meet the needs of youth sports athletes and draw competitors from across the nation.

Clarksville offers 14 public and private gymnasiums suitable for tournament play, with the capability of converting to suit many sports. Murfreesboro, home to Middle Tennessee State University, has the Richard Siegel Park and soccer complex consisting of 132 acres. Knoxville, known for Tennessee football and Lady Vols’ basketball, is a premier destination for sports-related events. In 2007, the city hosted the AAU Jr. Olympics, with more than 15,000 participants competing in 22 sports in state-of-the-art facilities throughout the city.

Chattanooga plans a $2.8 million upgrade to facilities at Warner Park and a new $10 million softball complex, scheduled for completion in 2008. In Jackson, the West TN Healthcare Sportsplex is a 17 field baseball/softball complex right next to Pringles Park, the $8 million structure that seats 6,000. Jackson’s Oman Arena seats 5,000 and is home to the NAIA tournament games.

Memphis Division of Park Services boasts 56 ball fields, 72 tennis facilities, 16 outdoor swimming pools and 1 indoor swimming pool. Memphis is also home to the Mike Rose Soccer Complex, complete with 16 lighted fields and a 5,000 seat stadium.

Below is a sample of Tennessee’s Youth Sporting Events:
AAC Baseball Conference Championship - Kingsport
AAU Baseball National Championships - Johnson City
AAU Boys and Girls National Basketball Championships - Clarksville
AAU District Track and Field Championships - Johnson City
AAU Girls Basketball - Nashville
AAU Golf Junior Nationals - Kingsport
AAU Junior Olympics - Knoxville
AAU 16u and 18u Girls National Basketball Championships - Johnson City
ASA 10u and 14u Girls Fast Pitch National Championships - Johnson City
Coaching Academy for Youth Football Coaches - Knoxville
Division I Women’s NAIA National Championships - Jackson
Germantown Boys Invitational Soccer Tournament - Memphis
Germantown Girls Invitational Soccer Tournament - Memphis
GPS Winter Tennis Open - Chattanooga
ISA Softball Tournament - Sumner Count y
Junior Hardcourt Tennis Championships - Sumner County
Knox Youth Sports and Operation Boot Camp Challenge - Knoxville
Kodak Girls High School All-American game - Jackson
AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Memphis
Morgan Keegan Tennis Championships - Memphis
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl - Nashville
Music City Hits Fast-Pitch Softball Tour - Nashville
NAFA Youth Softball Tournament - Chattanooga
NAIA Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track & Field - Johnson City
N AIA Region XII Baseball Championship - Kingsport
NCAA Basketball Tournaments - Nashville
NCAA Football Bowl Sub-Division - Chattanooga
NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-of f Classic - Jackson
Old Hickory Lake Triathlon - Sumner County
Southern Heritage Classic - Memphis
State and Regional Volleyball Championships - Clarksville
State and Regional Wrestling Championships - Clarksville
TSSAA State Championships: Bowling, Basketball, Golf, Boys Soccer -
Murfreesboro/ Rutherford County
TSSAA State Championships: Football, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Dance -
Murfreesboro /Rutherford County
TSSAA State Wrestling Tournament - Chattanooga
USSSA 11u World Series - Kingsport
USSSA 14u World Series - Kingsport
USTA Tennis Tournament - Sumner County

For more information, contact Derrick Smith atTennessee Department of Tourist Development (615) 741-9049 or derrick.smith@state.tn.us.

The Outdoor Recreational Sports of Tennessee
From hiking and camping to horseback riding and hunting, Tennessee offers the gamut of recreational sports in our 54 state parks and four national parks. Outdoor enthusiasts can hear the wind sing as they hang-glide off Raccoon Mountain and kayak the churning water of the Ocoee River. Follow pioneers’ footsteps through the Cumberland Gap and the Great Smoky Mountains, or catch a glimpse of the nesting American bald eagles in the cypress trees of Reelfoot Lake. For the novice, outdoor adventures include hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail or a moderate trail in Cades Cove, canoeing the Hiwassee River, or drifting over the pristine landscape in a colorful hot-air balloon.

Tennessee’s waterways offer some of the country’s best fishing, from record-breaking smallmouth bass to tasty blue catfish. Pickwick Lake, Little Pigeon River, Center Hill Lake, Fort Loudoun, Boone Lake, Kentucky Lake, the Mississippi River and the Tennessee River are the most popular fishing holes in Tennessee. And to relax, vacationers may spend the weekend or an entire summer on Dale Hollow Lake, one of the top 10 places to float your houseboat according to USA Today.

In Shelbyville, equine enthusiasts will appreciate the annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, the world championship show of Tennessee’s native breed of show horses.

The Golf Courses of Tennessee
Shots are sliced, mulligans are taken and putts are missed. Grab a few friends, mix in woods and irons, choose a course and enjoy the challenge.

With well-maintained greens, scenic layouts and high USGA course ratings, golfers of all levels will enjoy Tennessee’s 150 championship golf courses. Topping the list are the five award-winning layouts that comprise The Bear Trace, designed by “The Golden Bear” himself, Jack Nicklaus. Each of The Bear Trace courses is located in a state park and offers 18 holes with affordable green fees. The Bear Trace Courses in Chickasaw, Cumberland Mountain, Harrison Bay and Tims Ford all earned an outstanding four stars of a possible five as the “Best Places to Play in 2006/2007” by Golf Digest. Ross Creek was awarded a state-high 4.5 stars for excellence.

Rarity Bay on Tellico Lake in Vonore, about 30 minutes west of Knoxville, is noted as one of “America’s Top 100 Golf Communities” by Travel and Leisure Golf magazine. It has an 18-hole course designed by D.J. Devictor and Peter Langham, as well as water sports, an equestrian center and views of the Great Smoky Mountains.

In Nashville, enjoy a round of golf at Gaylord Springs Golf Links. Carved from the banks of the Cumberland River, Gaylord Springs has earned its place among the nation’s best courses. Designed by former U.S. Open and PGA champion Larry Nelson, the Scottish-links style, par 72 layout offers 18 challenging holes bordered by limestone bluffs and
enhanced by federally protected wetlands.

The Volunteer State is home to The Tennessee Golf Trail, featuring eight courses across Fall Creek Falls, Henry Horton, Montgomery Bell, Paris Landing, Pickwick Landing, Old Stone Fort, T.O. Fuller and Warrior’s Path state parks. Old Stone Fort is the only nine-hole course within the eight courses operated by the state. All offer an exceptional golfing experience on scenic public land uncluttered by residential and commercial development.

Whether you are a weekend hacker or a skilled player, you will find that the stage is set for you to tee-up for a great time, any time.

For more information on sports and recreation, visit tnvacation.com/sports-recreation.

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