Asheville, N.C. will once again play host to the Southern Conference Basketball Championships for the fourth straight year. This year, it will also host the SoCon Wrestling Championships on the same weekend as the basketball events. In order to make the tournaments and the surrounding events a success, the city goes above and beyond to showcase all that it has to offer.
Asheville is a unique city with plenty to offer from a great art scene to good music and a mix of excellent dining options. In addition, it has the natural resources to provide visitors with great outdoors options to make it truly a gem in the mountains and a great place for fans to spend the weekend.
The city is an ideal host for the SoCon Basketball Championships because it provides numerous benefits for both the SoCon and the city itself. The city is able to accommodate each of the schools and their fans while putting them in close proximity to all of the amenities that it has to offer. And because the SoCon events are the only ones taking place in Asheville that week, they become the sole focus.
For Asheville, the tournaments kickoff tourism season, as they bring thousands of visitors to town in early March. It allows fans to not only watch some great basketball games but gives them an opportunity to see Asheville and make them want to return time-and-time again.
The driving force that makes it all happen is the Asheville Local Organizing Committee (LOC). The LOC works with the SoCon throughout the year to provide the best possible experience for everyone involved. The LOC heads up all of the outside events run in coordination with the tournaments, such as the Downtown Dribble and SoCon Overtime.
The newest addition this season will be the Wrestling Championships, held at Kimmel Arena on the campus of UNC Asheville on March 7. Asheville has a strong wrestling background and looks to put a greater emphasis on the event this year to put it on the same level with the basketball championships.
Overall, the city of Asheville and its partners are a great fit for the SoCon and the SoCon Basketball and Wrestling Championships. This year’s events could be the best yet as Asheville and the SoCon welcome three new schools to the fold, in addition to the league’s eight wrestling programs.