Hats off to CAYSA tournament

I wanted to write to say congratulations to the Cape Area Youth Soccer Association for hosting yet another successful soccer tournament this past weekend. For some two decades CAYSA has been conducting its fall tournament and for nearly three decades its spring tournament. I made it a point to drive down to the Shawnee Sports Complex this past Saturday. There were a total of 124 teams participating from throughout the region, teams from Southern Illinois, Kennett, St. Louis, Farmington, etc.

The fact is that with participants and their families, more than 2,500 people were in our community for this event. Cars, spectators and players were everywhere the eye looked throughout the Shawnee Sports Complex. Too often the hard work of event organizers goes unnoticed. Amateur sports are one of the major drivers of our tourism industry. I simply wanted to take the time to say thank you and congratulations to the folks at CAYSA. Your efforts were both noted and appreciated.

CHUCK MARTIN, Executive Director, Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau