Vogel tournament a success

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- This past Saturday and Sunday, the newly-remodeled Vogel Field House (formerly Vogel Arena) was host to its first major event as the New Ulm Basketball Association hosted a 5th grade through 8th grade boys and girls basketball tournament.

"We have 47 teams from Mankato, Marshall, Blue Earth, Estherville, Iowa, Redwood Falls, Willmar, Hutchinson, Fairmont, Martin County West," NUBBA president Steve Quiring said. "And those 47 teams have between 10-12 on a team."

That also means that parents, family and friends accompany the teams here to New Ulm to see the new Vogel Field House, which was remodeled with the 1/2 cent sales tax referendum that passed.

And from all accounts, the out-of-town teams that are in the tournament are nothing but very impressed by the facility that has three regulation basketbal courts, each with their own scoreboard mounted on a wall.

"I have heard nothing but great things about Vogel Field House," Quiring said. "There has not been one negative comment about the facility or the tournament."

And the facility and the way that the tournament is run has already got teams reserving spots for next year.

"The team from Estherville has already said that they will come back next year and will bring more teams to the tournament," Quiring said.

He added that the Marshall coach, a well-known name around the area in Barry Wohler, said that they will also come back.

"This is a great facility that cannot do nothing but bring more teams and players to New Ulm in the future," Quiring said. "This facility is great. It makes our job so much easier than it was in the past."

The facility has also given a start to the prospect of getting a Pacesetter Tournament here in New Ulm.

"They are kind of set, but sometimes towns decide that they do not want. Right now, St. Cloud, New London-Spicer and Mankato that do Pacesetter tournaments," Quiring said. "And that is big deal. That is a two-day tournament. We have thought about bidding for one of them and with a facility like this, we can do that now."

And the teams spend a lot of money in New Ulm over the weekend in motels, restaurants, gas stations, and fast food places.

"What they don't buy here, they buy in the town," said Quiring.

"This is an great, great facility," Larry Kirchner said, the coach of the Estherville, Iowa Shootng Stars. "And I am real impressed with the way that the tournament is run.. But the size of the facility with the three courts going -- you still can get fans around each court to watch the games."

Kirchner also hopes that his hometown can do what New Ulm has done.

"We are putting up a facility like this in Estherville and I hope that it can mirror this. You have the three courts and the track around them. I don't think that ours will have three courts in it -- probably only two -- but I really like this facility."

Wohler also felt the same way as everybody else about the facility and the tournament.

"The tournament has been run super -- the kids have had fun. And for the facility -- it is awesome. We have regulation courts. We'll be back next year and with more teams."

And for New Ulm High School girl's basketball coach Brad Metter, he said that facility is great.

"There has been nothing but positive comments about everything here," Metter said. "It is great to see three courts going at once. It really has a tournament atmosphere. It is a feather in New Ulm's hat to have a facility like this."

"We want to have more teams in the tournament next year," Quiring said. "People like tournaments, and when you have a facility like this with room to move around, it does nothing but draw."