MSHSAA could serve $91,000 in revenue to Cape this weekend

With 16 20-player teams in Cape Girardeau for the Missouri State High School Activities Association Volleyball Championships, Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Brenda Newbern said she expects $91,000 to funnel in -- and that doesn't factor in all the fans.

The championship for each of Missouri's four classifications continues through Saturday at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. Estimated attendance sits at 5,742.

"Some schools have brought in two school buses of fans," she said. "We're talking schools as far away as four hours."

As for the lodging, "I know they have filled up hotel rooms," she said. But hotels don't really have a way of precisely tracking it, Newbern said.

The students are "everywhere," she said.

"They're shopping, they're eating," Newbern said. "When you're talking a whole team, it has to be an impact to our restaurants and to our shopping."

And with traveling comes gas expenses, she said. "They definitely filled up once they got here."

Tracy and Kelly Humble were in line at the Show Me Center box office late Friday afternoon. They drove four hours to cheer on Logan-Rodgersville High School of Greene County, Missouri.

"We have a player that is injured, but we are returning state champions from last year," she said about the Class 3 team.

Kelly Humble said this opportunity is huge for her town.

"The girls worked so hard all year long just to get to this point," she said. "The time they put in, the effort they put in, and parents supporting. We bring lots of people with us and the girls know they have lot of support coming from their community."